It is district finals time. We have had confirmations from all districts of the dates and teams playing. I’m on a tour of the north to witness and help where I can. My first stop is Khawawa who have won the Karonga South zone. I had to remind them of the finals and they say they are ready and coming en mass. In Karonga I find Bam Sibakwe and he tells me the situation. I need to visit the northern zone but there is no transport. I buy some black market fuel and the only Primary Education Adviser who has a working motorbike agrees to take me. We visit Ngerenge CDSS almost on the Tanzanian border and they say yes they are coming tomorrow but only if I can give them 400 kwacha transport money. The finals are underway. I umpire Karonga CDSS versus Karonga Girls School netball. It was complete war with seemingly no rules. I try and keep the game going the best I can. No training course could prepare a teacher for something like this. I referee a football match and in the first five minutes the cross bar is broken. Some local so called qualified referees sit and watch but wouldn’t help unless paid. I do my best in the heat and dust. I can sense the ‘juju’ in the air as weird things are happening in front of my eyes that even I can’t explain. Khawawa CDSS win the football and Karonga CDSS win the netball. They get their invitations to the divisional finals and are very excited. The next day after 101 bumpy kilometres I’m in Chitipa. I meet Mr. Twitty Munkhondya the Chitipa district co-ordinator. He is very excited and tells me Misuku CDSS are already here. I meet Mr. Phiri our netball umpire course success story. He is ready. There is a great atmosphere around Chitipa because I’m here. It has all been organised without my help so well done Chitipa. Mr. Singogo wakes me up at 6 am asking for 200 kwacha to mend his bike. I give it to him half asleep. He turns up late for the event obviously drunk. It was a great day with over three thousand people watching the football.

The organisers have decided on a league system for the finals. The small Chinukha CDSS beat the big Chitipa Secondary School on goal difference in the football. Chitipa win the netball. My trip back to Mzuzu is eventful first in a tobacco lorry and then on top of a maize truck. I can’t stop as I’m off to the Rumphi finals. I arrive to chaos in the planning process. By 10 am Katowo CDSS and Bolero CDSS have arrived. I referee a 3-3 draw between Katowo and Rumphi SS. Phwezi will be here tomorrow and we have to sort out the running order. A problem evolves over who will play first. Finally the very serious and annoying Peace Corp girl in charge of the Katowo team gives in and agrees to play first. Phwezi beat both other teams. They would go on to be Champions of Malawi.

A replay is needed in the netball as all sides were not happy with the umpires so I agree to umpire next week. Phwezi Girls are easily the best and join the boys at the divisional finals. In Mzimba South district Mzimba Secondary School were champions in football and netball. In Mzimba North Enukweni CDSS won the football and Ekwendeni Girls the netball. In Mzuzu Katoto Secondary school beat Masasa CDSS 3-1 in the football. Moyale won the netball. In Nkhata Bay Usisya CDSS won the football and Tukombo Private School the netball. We had our sixteen teams ready for the finals. A legacy of my mad month was malaria which knocked me right out for a week or so. I couldn’t get out of bed and just managed to eat and keep down instant noodles. I had a guest that week, a lady I didn’t know who had twenty green wheelbarrows. I wasn’t hallucinating.