Priests and Bishops from the Diocese of Lichfield are preparing for the final of the Church Times Cricket Cup which takes place next Thursday (2nd September 2010) at the prestigious Walker Ground in Southgate, north London.
The team to take on Bath and Wells in the final, which is held at Middlesex County Cricket Club’s alternate home, has been named as:
- The Revd Jeff Reynolds (Captain)
Methodist Superintendent Minister of Stafford and Chaplain to HMP Stafford
- The Right Revd Clive Gregory
Bishop of Wolverhampton
- The Revd Arthur Hack
Warden of Dovedale House and non-stipendiary Curate of Alstonfield, Butterton, Ilam, Warslow with Elkstone and Wetton
- The Revd Paul Darlington
Vicar of Holy Trinity Oswestry
- The Rt Revd Mark Rylands
Anglican Bishop of Shrewsbury
- The Revd Matthew Lefroy
Team Vicar of Madeley in the Diocese of Hereford
- The Revd Andy Ackroyd
An Anglican Priest working with the Stafford Methodist Circuit
- The Revd Peter Hart
Vicar of Cannock and Huntington and of Hatherton
- The Revd Richard Reeve
Team Rector of Tettenhall Regis and Assistant Rural Dean of Trysull
- Mr Andy Morgan
Pioneer Minister of West Bromwich Network Church
- The Revd Ian Poole (Club Secretary)
Team Vicar of St James, Fordhouses, Bushbury
- The Revd Andrew Smith (12th Man)
Vicar of All Saints, West Bromwich and Rural Dean of West Bromwich Deanery
The Revd Philip Williams, Rector of St Giles Shrewsbury with Sutton and Atcham has been appointed Team Manager; and the Revd Phil Searle is the team’s scorer.
In recent years the Lichfield team has made significant progress in the competition, which is the oldest one-day cricket knockout competition at any level of the game. Last year they reached the semi-final for the first time and this is their first appearance at the Final.
They came top of the Midlands’ region in the group stage of the competition; beating Worcester, Coventry and Birmingham; and having Gloucester forfeit a match being unable to raise a squad.
In the quarter final, played at Macclesfield, Lichfield took over three hours to reach 308 for four after 50 overs; in reply the combined Carlisle/Blackburn Diocese team was all out for 51 after less than an hour.
The semi final was a much closer affair; with Lichfield making 276 after 50 overs. In reply, it took until the 49th over before Chichester Diocese were all out for 267 at the Magdalen College Sports Ground in Oxford.
The Church Times, one of two independent newspapers covering the Church of England, is published by Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd and this year won the coveted Newspaper of the Year and Best Use of Colour awards in the Niche category at the National Newspaper Awards.
- The final will be played from 11.00am on Thursday 2nd September 2010
at the Walker Cricket Ground, Waterfall Road, Southgate, London, N14 7JZ.