St Mary's Alum and Former England Cricketer set to play Vatican Cricket Team

Former England spin bowler and St Mary's University, Twickenham (SMU) alum Monty Panesar is set to play the Vatican (St Peter’s) Cricket Team in a T20 match as part of the St Mary’s University XI alongside Jake Oakes, Ashes-winning cricketer in the England Deaf team.

The match, part of the Vatican Cricket Team’s Light of Faith tour, is being hosted by the Duke of Norfolk at the historic Arundel Castle Cricket Ground and will take place on Monday 1st July 2024.

The Vatican cricket XI team was established to encourage inter-faith dialogue and create ties between the Catholic Church and regions where cricket is a popular sport. The team reflects the changing face of the Catholic Church globally, with its players coming from around the world. All players on the team are seminarians or priests in Rome. The Vatican’s home ground is the only international cricket ground in Italy.

The Vatican (St Peter’s) Cricket Team forms part of the Vatican Association Athletica Vaticana, under the tutelage of the Dicastery for Education and Culture. The team is managed by Fr Eamonn O’Higgins, from Ireland, and has previously been on cricket tours to England, Malta, Kenya, Spain, and Argentina.

The development and spirit of the Vatican team echoes SMU's own values of generosity of spirit, excellence, respect, and inclusiveness. The SMU Cricket XI will be captained and managed by academics Dr Leanne Griffiths and Dr Chris Wylde. Current students will feature in the team alongside former international cricketer and SMU Alumnus Monty Panesar and Jake Oakes, Ashes winning England Deaf Cricketer.

Arundel Castle is a medieval castle in West Sussex that has been the ancestral home and seat of the Dukes of Norfolk for over 850 years. The Arundel Castle Cricket Ground was built in 1895 by the 15th Duke of Norfolk and is used by Sussex County Cricket Club as well as for a wide range of international matches.

The Duke of Norfolk is England’s premier Duke, as well as a parishioner at the Catholic Cathedral Church in Arundel. This is also the Cathedral Church of the Chair of St Mary’s governors Bishop Richard Moth.

St Mary’s University was founded in 1850 by the Catholic Poor Schools Committee as a teacher-training college to help provide education for poor migrants attending the rapidly expanding Catholic schools in London. It has now developed into the UK’s largest Catholic university which has pontifical degree awarding powers through the Mater Ecclesiae College.

The University has an excellent reputation in sport, with several former students competing and winning medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Previous medal winners include Sir Mo Farah, Rebecca Romero, Moe Sbihi, Dave Weir, Matt Wells, and Corrine Hall. The upcoming Olympic Games in Paris this summer will also see a number of SMU alumni competing.