Former Vatican cricket captain Fr Bijoy Joseph will lead a new Sri Lankan/Indian Churches team in a short-form competition launching across Sydney this summer.
The priest, who has Syro-Malabar heritage, will captain one of three new teams joining the four-team competition alongside the established Catholic Cricket Club.
The season will run from 17 October until the end of February, with a Christmas and New Year break. Matches will be played on Saturday afternoons around Parramatta, Strathfield, Concord and North Ryde.
The new grade will combine T20 matches with an innovative two-day, 40-over format. Play each Saturday will be limited to a maximum of 40 overs and completed within three hours.
For Fr Joseph, the competition marks another chapter in a cricketing journey stretching from Sydney to Rome and back again.
While captaining the Vatican’s St Peter’s Cricket Team, he saw the role sport could play in breaking down barriers of faith and culture.
“Cricket was almost like an icebreaker when playing people of other faiths or with no faith,” Fr Joseph said.
“After the game, we could have a drink or a meal and talk in a friendly environment because we had already encountered and understood each other on the pitch.
“Now we have an opportunity to build something similar here in Sydney, which brings people together through both their Christian faith and their love of cricket.”
The other new entrants are Brothers Rugby Cricket Club and Western Sydney Anglican Cricket Club.
All four teams aim to provide opportunities to play cricket in a context of faith and fellowship. The shorter format is designed to attract players who may not have time for longer forms of the game.
The competition is affiliated with the Inner West Harbour Churches Cricket Association and has the support of the historic NSW Churches Cricket competition, which is now 125 years old.
The new teams will face an established presence in the Catholic Cricket Club, known colloquially as the Papal Bulls.
Founded in 1999, the club’s humorous motto is: “Founded in 1999 – a history spanning two millennia.”
The Papal Bulls have won several premierships over their 26-year history, most recently in the 2024/25 season.
Current captain Colm McCaughan, who spearheaded the 2024/25 premiership, said the arrival of three new teams showed the potential of the shorter format.
“The great thing about this competition is that we are not losing the traditions of cricket; we are adapting them to the realities of people’s lives today,” McCaughan said.
“A three-hour Saturday commitment makes cricket much more accessible, while the mixture of T20 and two-day matches means there is still plenty of variety and genuine competitive cricket.”
The tournament will be competitive but social, and played in a spirit of fellowship and fraternity.
Cronulla parish priest Fr James McCarthy was one of the founding Papal Bulls players in 1999 and is still playing 27 seasons later.
“I’m very excited for this new format,” Fr McCarthy said.
“This special new competition seeks to strike a balance between a shorter time commitment and the energy of T20, while also including two-day games where players can build longer innings and potentially play into a second innings.
“It should result in increased participation, already highlighted by the three new teams, while giving players opportunities to develop strength, speed and accuracy in T20, and patience, strategy and concentration in the two-day, 40-over format.”
Fr McCarthy said the significance of Churches Cricket had always extended beyond runs and wickets.
“From the beginning, Churches Cricket has brought together people of different ages, parishes, denominations and backgrounds,” he said.
“It is wonderful to see that idea expanding to embrace new Christian communities and traditions from right across Sydney.”
Those interested in playing for the new Sri Lankan/Indian team or the Catholic Cricket Club’s Papal Bulls should email papalbullscricket@gmail.com for further information.
