John Kenny's World Cup Diary
Entry 18 - 10 April
Goodbye to Georgetown, Guyana, as the Irish team and its dwindling number of pressmen head for Barbados for games against Australia on Friday, 13 April, and Bangladesh on Sunday, 15 April.
It's been an experience watching a relatively poor country trying to go about its business, victims of its colonial past and still trying to come to terms with its present. We wish them well. The people of Guyana are pleasant, friendly and welcoming of westerners and the memory of our visit to the rain forest in particular will live long in the mind.
Our penultimate day in the South American country which is nevertheless part off the Caribbean ended with a disappointing defeat to New Zealand. Ireland played well in patches, but were overcome by a powerful blackcap side. NZ will go close to winning the World Cup.
On the way back to our hotel in the media shuttle we came across mass kite flying by school kids near the Meridian Hotel. Traditionally, thousands turn out for the event on the Easter Monday. In Georgetown, the massive sea wall protecting the city from the Atlantic ocean was filled with throngs of people picnicking and flying kites of all shapes and colours.
That followed a night of boxing at the National Park to which some of the team and I were invited. We witnessed a Guyanian former WBA junior middleweight world champion in Andrew 'Sixhead' Lewis fight 'Deadly' Danny Dalton in a non-title fight.
It was, to say the least, organised chaos. Rain thundered down, causing a long delay as the canvas was mopped up and then there was the undercard which started late with a heavyweight contest between a man mountain and a short tubby opponent.
Man Mountain won when tubby guy refused to get out of his corner for the 4th round. We were in stitches.
'Sixhead' out-boxed 'Deadly', who was anything but, in the main contest, and may now get another crack at a title fight in the summer. I doubt we will be back for it.
Next up Barbados and then Grenada as Ireland face three matches in six days. I think the travelling, occasional sickness and downtime is taking its toll on the squad - they looked a little jaded in the heavy defeat to New Zealand at the fine Providence Stadium.
Hopefully they can push on for at least one more win out of the remaining three games, which start with the clash against the mighty Australians in Bridgetown on Friday.
