Wednesday 3 April:

April 3rd marked the start of the mainland leg of the European 'Imagination' Roadshow. First stop was Saint Omer, roughly 40 kilometres south of Calais in northern France. Unfortunately, Mike Flockhart, one of the two coaches from Cricketec, was still collecting the kit from Heathrow airport, but his colleague, Bruce Smuts, assisted by two French coaches (Jean FranÁois Defez and David Bordes) did a tremendous job at the first session, starting with a group of 9 children for half an hour and then taking on another group of approximately 50 children. He compared the windball with a Pokemon character - a ruse guaranteed to capture the interest and imagination of the youngsters present - and they loved it, even asking him to carry on when it was time to go home at 4.30 pm! Ok, so the adult population of St Omer now think that South Africans are crazy, but we can live with that! After a hot and enjoyable afternoon the team drove to Chauny for a typical french meal and an early night in preparation for the next day.

Thursday 4 April:

The second stage was held in Tergnier, a small town in Picardie. The day was split in two parts, with the morning session devoted to 4-6 year old children. Sixteen youngsters took part, and were really receptive to Bruce's activities. He, and everyone else, was impressed by their dexterity. They practised some games that Bruce taught them until lunchtime, and then the older children (10-12 years old) stepped in. Some of them already knew what cricket was, and Bruce was surprised by two or three who tried their hand at English. They began with fun activities to get used to the ball, throwing technique and batting skills, and finished the session with a small game of continuous cricket. The weather was hot and sunny, so drinks breaks every 20 minutes were crucial. And - great news - at 4.30 pm Mike phoned to say he had finally arrived in Chauny. So, back to the hotel for a shower and a visit to the Champagne area and a nice dinner, tomorrow is another long day.