Published: 17 June 2008
May 2008 Visit
I was met at the airport by Abu, his jeep and 4 of my players; Ams, Saul, Ce Boy and Mido. I arrived at the Hotel by 8pm and was sat having a drink in Youna by 9pm. Jak's Bar appeared quiet without my English friends.
Saturday onwards we trained in small groups of 6 working on dropshots, slice dropshots, movement and stamina exercises. Each day I visited the school late in the day, worked and taught (including in the classrooms) until 6pm then relaxed in the village at the new Lincs until late.
During this trip I got to know one of my players more. Modu boy is 15 years old; he lives in his compound with his mother and two brothers and a sister. He runs the compound with his mother. He lost his father two years back. Modu Boy would fetch his own bed from his compound for me to sit on in the evening under his mango tree talking to all the locals as they walked on by. Sitting watching the sun going down is a fantastic enjoyable experience.
Each evening I had an outside bath after training. Modu Boy would go and fetch water for me from the village supply. There I stood behind this iron corrugate with a bucket and an old tin can used to pour water over me. A humble experience.
I visited the bush one day with my players who explained how they catch the Rat to eat in the evenings. They also showed me how the snakes operate in the bush and how they catch their pray. Our players all work in the bush collecting firewood and Rats and other fruits that can be found there. In the rainy season they spend more time in the bush working on the crops their families own. It is a big time of year for them.
More and more people want to play the game now, at present we have around 10 players formed from day 1 who still play the game even though they are now not in Youna as they live and study away. At the school we have a 20 strong player team with many more showing an interest. As a result of this Demba, an up-and-coming top quality player who is already part of the team, has been given the task of creating a school league where, when spaces allow, we can pull the best players into the team we already have. He will drive this with the support of Tamba, the Headmaster.
In all, we need a bigger hall as one court will no longer do. My trip in July will give us a further estimate to increase the size of the hall. I will then look at the possibilities of raising these funds through businesses only.
A delightful trip. Severe hot weather and some good training at the school in preparation for the summer match involving our English players.