We woke up to a cloudy morning, expecting the worst after the torrential downpour during the tournament in Jinja. But the clouds soon gave way to brilliant sunshine and we were ready to go.
All the team had been allocated roles from Team Coaches to Referees and Pitch Managers. From an early hour, the children who would be participating, began entering the Kids of Africa compound filled with excitement at the prospect of being part of this amazing event. They had been trained by the Welling School team during the week and teams of 10 had been chosen to represent each school. Two of the schools had never played Tag Rugby prior to Welling arriving so it would be interesting to see how they would perform.
The music system was set up and playing and everybody was ready. The opening ceremony involved the singing of the Ugandan national anthem, a tune that the Welling students were becoming increasingly familiar with. Then, the volunteers from the Whales Academy sand their clubs anthem. The Chosen Generation Dance Group then performed in front of the crowd before the games began.
The teams were divided into 3 Pools based on their ability and experience of Tag Rugby. This ensured fair competition which is one of the main principles of the Tag Rugby Trust. The standard of Tag Rugby was exceptional and all the Welling Students were extremely proud to witness the results of their weeks coaching. The group games were exciting and well competed with the Welling students either refereeing or managing their teams.
After the group stages, three finals were contested. The Ball winners in group C were Elite A managed by Abbi, Amy and Fiona. This team had not played any Tag Rugby prior to the tournament. The Plate winners in group B were King of Peace, managed by Ria and Megan. The Main Cup final was contested by MST, the hot favourites, and St. Kizito, who were managed by Christian. The first half was extremely tense with both teams playing an exceptional level of Tag Rugby and drawing 2-2. After an inspirational half time team talk by Christian, St. Kizito raised their game and played one of the best performances ever seen during a Tag Rugby Trust final, eventually winning 4-2. Each Try was met with an amazing roar from the watching crowd and the final whistle saw Welling students and Ugandan children hugging each other, celebrating a historic win.
The presentation of each cup was led by Government officials who explained to all who were present that they had witnessed a memorable occasion and we're thankful for the efforts of the Welling team. Celebrations followed with dancing and cheering as each child involved in the tournament was given a hearty meal, funded by the Welling team.
As a reward for 2 weeks of intense coaching in sometimes quite demanding conditions, the Welling team spent the afternoon swimming in the pool of the Lake Victoria Hotel, where some of the students were brave enough to jump off the 10 metre high top diving board.
The evening was spent at a restaurant on the banks of Lake Victoria where the group tucked into delicious food and danced the night away with the traditional Ugandan dancers who were providing the entertainment.
What an amazing day! What an amazing Welling team!
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