Archbishop’s XI head to Rome for return fixture

9 October 2015 • Persistent link: iarccum.org/?p=3010

The Archbishop of Canterbury gave his blessing this week to the Archbishops XI, an English cricket team who are heading out to Rome this month to compete against a Vatican side.

The trip (2126 October) follows a visit by the St Peters Clubmade up of seminarians studying in Rometo England last autumn. In a memorable meeting in Canterbury, the firstever match between a Vatican side and an Anglican side ended in a narrow victory for the hosts in the last over (News, 26 September 2014), and raised money for the Global Freedom Network, a joint antitrafficking initiative (News, 21 March 2014).

Last years side has been reformed for the trip to Rome. It is captained again by the Revd Steve Gray, Chaplain at Bradfield College in Berkshire.

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Rt Revd Mark Rylands, is accompanying the tour party, which is sponsored by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group and the Church Times. He said that the fixture would strengthen the bonds of friendship and Christian unity: “Playing together will help make visible our oneness in Christ.”

The match will take place at the Capannelle ground in Rome in the morning of 24 October.