Muslim cricketers from Batley face Vatican squad
- Published
It was the first ever match between an all-Muslim team and a Christian team, made up of mainly trainee Catholic priests
A symbolic cricket match has taken place between the Vatican and an all-Muslim team from West Yorkshire.
Players from Mount Cricket Club in Batley arrived in Rome for the fixture which took place earlier.
Father Robert McCulloch, an Australian priest who helped organise the inter-faith clash, said it was "a bridge being made in sport".
The Vatican club, St Peter's, is made up mostly of seminarians, or trainee priests, studying in Rome.
The majority are from the Indian sub-continent.
Established in 2013, the St Peter's club toured England last year where their matches included meetings with the Royal Household club based at Windsor Castle.
Media attention surrounding the tour led to officials at the Batley club getting in touch with the Vatican team to propose a match.
The Batley players, who are mostly of Indian heritage, arrived in Rome on Thursday.
The club tweeted, external: "Our (very tired) Mount team have landed in Rome. #MountonTour."
- Published3 May 2015
- Published22 October 2013
