By Joseph Tulloch – London

On Saturday, the first day of their ‘Light of Faith’ UK tour, the Vatican cricket team clashed with the England Seniors.

The venue was the gargantuan Wormsley Estate, home to one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in England.

The Vatican side played two T20 matches, against England’s first and second Senior teams, both composed of players of over sixty years of age.

The England firsts had just returned from Chennai, India, where they had reached the finals of the World Cup.

The matches

The Vatican batted first in the initial match, and started strongly, but struggled to capitalise on this early success. It set a final total of 105 runs, which England were able to chase down after fourteen overs.

In the second match, the Vatican gave up a few early wickets, but recovered exceptionally, setting a final total of 133. The match came down to the last over, with England scoring the winning run with only three balls to go.

The match

‘More than cricket’

Most of those present at the matches were Brits or Indians (who this year make up the entirety of the Vatican side), although there was a smattering of individuals from other cricketing nations, such as Australia, as well.

In the midst of all these, one man in particular stood out – Paolo Iorio, the England team’s medic and osteopath, who hails from Naples in the south of Italy.

I asked him how a Neapolitan had ended up working with the English national cricket team. Iorio admitted that before he had been offered the job, he knew “basically nothing” about the game.

“I had to learn how everything works”, he said, “but it’s a very, very interesting sport, and once you get into it, it’s amazing fun.”

He added that he had been very surprised to hear that his team would be facing off against the Vatican, but that he had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“I don’t feel like I’m working with the opposition”, Iorio said, speaking of the Vatican players whose cuts and scrapes he had tended to. “I feel like I’m working with friends.”

Paolo Iorio

As the matches went on, I also got a chance to speak with England Manager Paul Bradley, as well as Captain Richard Merriman.

Merriman stressed the importance of the events like the Vatican-England contest, describing them as an opportunity for “comradeship and building bridges” in world often characterised by division.

Bradley, meanwhile, emphasised that the day was as much about what happened off the field as on the field. “It’s not just about cricket”, he said. “It’s about giving something back.”

Final words

After the matches, the two sides exchanged gifts.

The Vatican team presented the English with a pair of framed crests bearing the papal keys, and their opponents reciprocated with gifts including books, an England pennant, and signed miniature bats.

Paul Bradley, the England Manager, spoke of the long history of friendship between the Vatican team and the England Seniors, who have faced off a number of times in the past.

Fr Eamon O’Higgins, the director of the Vatican squad, thanked the English side for their hospitality, and in particular for their generosity.

He said that, during the match, he had spoken to one individual who volunteers with the National Health Service, transporting blood supplies, and another who runs a prostate cancer awareness campaign.

“This is what sport is about”, Fr O’Higgins said. “This is what life is about.”

The Vatican team gathers on the pavillion