What a day on the Mountain!

362 (three hundred and sixty two). That’s how Final Score would have announced the number of children we coached at Kantebe today. They simply kept coming. We thought we had reached capacity at 240, then another 40 kids rocked up on the back of a pick up truck and another shed load made it’s way down the massive hill to join in. The latter came from Kibandama Primary (soon to be christened Kilimanjaro Primary) as the children scramble all the way up and down the hill to attend school every day. You’ve got to love Uganda.

In amongst the carnage/chaos/cricket (delete to preference), Mark and I managed to teach some front foot driving, Beth and Tom taught some bowling, Graham and SJ did some fielding and Ross and Richard went missing in action, absorbed by teaming hordes of kids all wanting to play the most amazing game of fifty a side Crossfire. How we managed to move them around with any kind of efficiency was anyone’s guess and probably owed more to old fashioned determination than any pre-ordered arrangements. This wasn’t the day for coaching plans. This was a day for getting your head down in blistering heat and giving it a bit of sheer bloody mindedness.

The afternoon was consumed by competitive games, with the roughest ground most of us had seen spit into four sections to accommodate all the games. Graham and I ran the under 11’s, of which Kilimanjaro primary showed themselves to be the fittest and strongest, hardly surprising given their route to school. The under 13 section came to a head with a match which would have made India and Pakistan supporters wince. The highlight of the game was the massive pull shot which went over the crowd who were based on the inner circle, only to be caught by the fielder who had been consumed by the excited thronging masses. The most abiding memory of the day was that balls would be returned when assumed lost, chased down hills, across roads, into rivers, through National Parks and national borders, all thrown back with an accuracy that would put Jonty Rhodes to shame. Once again, you’ve got to love Uganda.

Visits to orphanages always put life into perspective and tonight was no exception. The first we went to was a school for orphans and vulnerable children who were good enough to put on a short play for us. We responded with our now well worn ‘ABC’ skit, after which the children got involved in some simple cricket. Beth annoyed the purists but endeared herself to a group of girl by paying netball.   Orphaid was a different kettle of fish, mainly smaller kids, then older ones making their way back from school. Richard boldly played Rapid Fire with them and thankfully there were no injuries. Plenty of melted hearts, but no injuries.

Liam Stubbs