Kenya and Bermuda Lock Horns in Mombasa

8/11/06 - Well after a busy and sometimes traumatic week in cricket it’s back to basics for me with a trip to Mombasa on the Kenyan coast for an ODI series between Kenya and Bermuda .

Australia quite rightly won the Champions Trophy after a slow start where they lost to the Windies in the group stage they came back to give them a good hiding, as they did most sides in the Final. The Darrell Hair situation is a disappointing one for cricket as well and I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this story as Darrell is a very disappointed and angry man!

Anyway back to Kenya, I have to say it was a very uneventful flight I left the UK at 8.30pm which was a great time to leave as no sooner were we in the air, I had a quick bite to eat and then I was settling down for a good sleep during the 6 and a half hour flight to Dubai. Another 6 hour leg to Nairobi then a 3 hour wait for a connecting flight at Nairobi domestic terminal before an hours flight to Mombasa , our base for the ODI’s against Bermuda . It was going dark on our flight down so I didn’t get to see too much of the land below but it was vast and very desolate.

9/11/06 - The hotel, the Royal Court is right in the middle of Mombasa which for those of you who don’t know was an island in the mouth of a river with only one bridge to the North connecting it to the mainland that is until recently when a viaduct was constructed to accommodate the traffic from the Airport and the docks. The hotel is clean but basic and I’ve had plenty of time to explore its inner workings because it has rained for most of the day today and the forecast is not good for the rest of the week and into next week as well.

10/11/06 - Fortunately, no-one believes forecasters because I wake up this morning and the sun is beating down. It’s pre-match day and a ground inspection and captains meeting have to take place. The teams came in late last night after delays so the captains meeting is scheduled for 5.30pm but the more interesting duty is to go and have a look at the ground and see how much damage the rain has inflicted on the playing area. To our surprise there is very little sign that rain ahs been pouring for the last week. The groundstaff have done a magnificent job, there is a small area on one of the pitches that is a little bit damp but the rest of the playing area is ready and able to play.

The evening prior to the match is spent in the company of some of our hosts at the Gymkhana Club in town where we sampled some of the local curries and one or two of the Tusker beers.
A very convivial evening.