The Sunday Service

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, Mr Church gives us the match report on the latest fixture in the Parish XI calendar. Mr Gompertz reads a passage from The Good Book about the importance of tailenders or, as they're called in The Good Book, 'end-of-the-tail'. WG Rumblepants talks about the importance of club cricket, and how it's much more about the club than it is about the cricket. And finally, curtesy our good friends at Newberry Cricket, we've got a brand new prize to give away; this week, a pair of batting gloves! Check out all of their top equipment here Please remember to send in any cricketing concerns, tales, or triumphs to us at: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - @sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, Mr Church devises his plan for the new bird birth, although the water feature leaves the image of Sir Geoffrey rather exposed... Mr Gompertz reads a passage from the good book about the fine line between having love for Mother Cricket, as well as having love for one's life partner. WG Rumblepants talks about the chaos in the Pakistan camp. And finally, curtesy our good friends at Newberry Cricket, we've got a brand new prize to give away; this week, a pair of batting gloves! Check out all of their top equipment here Please remember to send in any cricketing concerns, tales, or triumphs to us at: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - @sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest updates from Parish XI, who just played their fundraiser game against The Hairdressers of Upper and Lower Bottom. It was a terrific day all round, although not a very successful batting performance. Actually, come to think of it, the bowling performance wasn't great either. Unfortunately, Mr Gompertz's messaging about the curfew last week clearly didn't get through, as two unnamed members of the Parish were seen in the clubs of the night after the fundraiser. So, this week, he's trying again, and that includes singing verse two of 'They've Lifted The Curfew', which was met with great excitement from certain members of the congregation. WG Rumblepants talked about the Bodyline series and whether the MCC owe Harold Larwood a portrait in the Long Room. And finally, curtesy our good friends at Newberry Cricket, we've got a brand new prize to give away; this week, a pair of batting gloves! Check out all of their top equipment here Please remember to send in any cricketing concerns, tales, or triumphs to us at: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - @sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest updates as the Parish XI prepare for their fundraiser game against The Hairdressers of Upper and Lower Bottom. Mr Church has his updates from the Parish, WG Rumblepants speaks on the feeling of late-season cricket, and Mr Gompertz reads from The Good Book on 'The Curfew'. The congregation sing 'They've Lifted The Curfew' and, we must say, they were in excellent voice. And finally, curtosy our good friends at Newberry Cricket, we give away the 360 cricket shoes! Listen to find out if you won... Check out all of their top equipment here Please remember to send in any cricketing concerns, tales, or triumphs to us at: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - @sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest updates as the Parish XI prepare for their fundraiser game against The Hairdressers of Upper and Lower Bottom. Mr Church and Mr Gompertz are also very excited as they perform their first 'bat-tism', as Rex has chosen to get his new piece of willow 'bat-tised' before he uses it in the fundraiser match. The congregation sing 'I Vow To Thee My Willow' and Mr Gompertz reads from The Good Book about how one must care for their bat. WG Rumblepants gives his 'Cricket in 3' on the how the definition of 'proper cricket' has changed as the game has evolved. And finally, our good friends at Newberry Cricket have another terrific competition, this week giving away their brand new 360 cricket shoes. Check out all of their top equipment here To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - @sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest tales from the Parish XI as they played a thriller against the Fellows of Farting Fallows, which went down to the final ball. WG Rumblepants gives his 'Cricket in 3' on the festival feel of the One-Day Cup, and Mr Gompertz reads from 'The Good Book' on the young man who discovered the One-Day Cup due to the absence of Test Match cricket. And finally, our good friends at Newberry Cricket have another terrific competition, this week giving away their brand new 360 cricket shoes. Check out all of their top equipment here To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - @sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest tales from the Parish XI as they prepare for their game next weekend against the Fellows of Farting Fallows. WG Rumblepants gives his 'Cricket in 3' on cheating in cricket, and Mr Gompertz reads from 'The Good Book' on the spirit of the game. And finally, our good friends at Newberry Cricket have another terrific competition, this week giving away their brand new 360 cricket shoes. Check out all of their top equipment here To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest tales from the Womens' Institute as they took a trip to see The Odyssey, and the Parish XI prepare for their fundraiser game against the Hairdressers of Upper and Lower Bottom. WG Rumblepants rumblepants dedicates his 'Cricket in 3' to the late Sir Garfield Sobers, and Mr Gompertz reads from 'The Good Book' on the topic of the importance of all-rounders. And finally, our good friends at Newberry Cricket have another terrific competition, this week giving away their brand new 360 cricket shoes. Check out all of their top equipment here To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we hear the latest tales from the Parish XI as the match is called off for a 'incident of the non-striker's end'. We also hear the continuation of our newest feature of the Service, 'Cricket in Three with WG', thanks to WG Rumblepants. We hear the first Reading from Mr Gompertz, as he consults two passages from The Good Book in his Lesson on 'Seeing Off The New Ball In Life'. And, finally, the congregation are in good form this week, so listen out for a couple of cricket-themed hymns! And finally, our good friends at Newberry Cricket have another terrific competition, this week giving away their brand new 360 cricket shoes. Check out all of their top equipment here To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - sundayservice22

Welcome back to The Sunday Service! This week, we meet our newest member of the parish, Mr Gompertz, and we hear about his first few days as he settles into his new surroundings. Elsewhere, Mr Church has his bush trimmed into the shape of Sir Geoffrey, although this causes some unforeseen issues... We also hear our newest feature of the Service, 'Cricket in Three with WG', thanks to WG Rumblepants. And we also hear Churchy speak to Chris Coleman, Director of Cricket Participation at the Surrey Foundation. They work with schools, clubs, charities and governing bodies to increase participation in the sport amongst all demographics. This includes introducing people to cricket, offering a range of coaching and finding suitable clubs. And finally, our good friends at Newberry Cricket have another terrific competition, this week giving away their brand new 360 cricket shoes. Check out all of their top equipment here To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers – we hope you've all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Mark brings some sad news to the Parish. In a hard-hitting Sermon, Mark reveals that Hector is leaving the Parish after 36 fantastic services at the pulpit. "It has been a joy and a pleasure to serve at The Parish, and I will miss our weekly catchups" Hector announced to the village hall this week. But fear not, The Sunday Service will continue, as Churchy is well-met at the crease by a new addition to the team. As of next week, normal service shall resume, as George Gompertz steps up to the pulpit for the first time. With plenty of ideas to hand, we are very excited to see where this show goes. Once again, a big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket for all their support. You can check out the premium equipment that Newbery Cricket has to offer here . If you've enjoyed this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share the podcast across your social media platforms. We'd also love to hear from you! Send us your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com X: @sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers – we hope you've all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Mark and Hector are joined by the CEO and mastermind behind our fantastic sponsors, Newbery Cricket. Having left school at 16, David White began work as a groundskeeper before moving into a variety of coaching roles, including serving as a County Age Group coach at Surrey. He then moved into operations, joining Newbery initially as Chief Operating Officer after leaving West Ham, where he was Head of Operations. Now the CEO of Newbery Cricket, and the driving force behind one of England's finest cricket brands, David joins the show to chat all about the company and discuss his fascinating career to date. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their hard-hitting segment, "What Cricket Sound Is This?", while Church delivers a sermon reflecting on another busy week in the Parish. A huge thank you to David White for joining us this week to talk us through his extraordinary career and his work at Newbery Cricket. We're looking forward to catching up again over the summer. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who offered up their award-winning SPS bat as this month's competition giveaway, and congratulations to this month's winner. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery Cricket has to offer here . If you've enjoyed this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share the podcast across your social media platforms. We'd also love to hear from you! Send us your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com X: @sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers – we hope you've all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, we continue Mark's conversation with one of the most beloved voices in cricket, who has also recently been inducted into the NZC Hall of Fame. In 52 Test matches, he scored 2,668 runs, including three centuries and 16 half-centuries, while also taking 27 wickets. He also claims the unique accolade of captaining New Zealand to three historic, successive Test series victories in 1985 and 1986: against Australia in Australia, against Australia in New Zealand, and against England in England – all of which were first-time achievements. In 88 One Day Internationals, he scored 1,874 runs and took a further 54 wickets. He was also one of the finest slip fielders in the world, earning him the nickname "The Mantis". Since his retirement in 1987, he has gone on to become one of the most recognisable and admired voices in the commentary box, and is back in England this summer to commentate for Test Match Special during the ongoing Test series between England and New Zealand. The legendary Jeremy Coney first joined the show last week, discussing how he fell in love with cricket, his playing career with New Zealand, and his broadcasting career. In Part 2, we pick up the interview as Jeremy recalls taking on the imperious West Indies of the 1980s. Also on this week's episode, Church and Vickers continue their hard-hitting segment, "What Cricket Sound Is This?", while Church delivers a sermon reflecting on the Parish XI's game against the Florists of Little Whining last Sunday. A huge thank you to Jeremy Coney for joining the podcast over the past couple of weeks to regale us with his fascinating stories of old. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering their award-winning SPS bat as this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it here: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment Newbery has to offer here. If you've enjoyed this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us across your social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch – we'd love to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions. Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com X: @sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Mark is joined by one of the most loved voices in cricket, who has also recently been inducted into the NZC Hall of Fame. In 52 Test matches, he scored 2668 Test runs with three centuries and 16 half-centuries, while taking 27 Test wickets along the way. He also claims the prolific accolade of captaining New Zealand to three historic, and successive, Test series victories in 1985 and 1986: against Australia in Australia, against Australia in New Zealand, and against England in England - all of which were first-time achievements. In 88 One Day Internationals, he scored 1874 runs taking a further 54 wickets. He was also one of the best slips fielders in the world, earning him the nickname “The Mantis”. Since his retirement in 1987, he has gone on to become one of the most recognisable and adored voices in the commentary box - and is back in England this summer to commentate for Test Match Special on the ongoing Test series between England and New Zealand. The legendary Jeremy Coney joins the show this week to chat all things cricket. Staying with Mark Church, the pair recorded a two-part conversation. Part 1 graces the airwaves today, with Mr Coney discussing his early career, Test debut, winning in England, and life in general. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Church delivers a sermon in which he he talks about Archbishop Coney’s visist to the Parish this week. A huge thank you to Jeremy Coney for coming on this week's show and transporting us back to his early life and some of his iconic moments on the pitch. Part 2 will air next week, where Mr Coney will chat about facing the West Indies, life in the commentary box, his teaching career and the friendships he has made through cricket. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Hector is joined by one of the biggest content creators in the world of cricket. With over 150,000 followers on all platforms, and over 100 million views on his content, his rise up the social media echelons has been exponential. Working under the title ‘What’s He On About?’, he produces podcasts and insight-driven content: from World Cup predictions to village cricket sketches and interviews. He’s worked with the giants of the cricket content world, Cricket District, and also with the highly acclaimed Stick to Cricket podcast. Charlie Harden joins the show this week to discuss his fascinating career and lend his insights into the world of social media and content creation. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Church delivers a sermon in which he sings and discusses bare knuckle fighting. A huge thank you to Charlie Harden for coming on this week's show and taking us into a world that is growing bigger and bigger by the day. Looking forward to following his content and catching up with him over the summer. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Mark and Hector are joined by someone who can tell you everything you need to know about the game. Having begun her career in the civil service, straight out of university, she ended up making a career switch to sports journalism after becoming a third voice with the BBC. Now a cricket reporter at the Times and Sunday Times, she is one of the most trusted voices in the game. Elizabeth Ammon joined us earlier in the week to discuss her fascinating career, the changing world of journalism, the England Men’s Test side, and - of course - the imminent Women’s T20 World Cup. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Church delivers a sermon with a full report from the Parish’s bank holiday game against “The Cheating Vicars”. A huge thank you to Elizabeth Ammon for coming on this week's show and taking us through the world of cricket. We look forward to catching up and reading her works as the summer progresses. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22

If we cast our minds back to the 24th of October, 2025, some of our most devoted listeners will remember a certain Church sermon that graced the airwaves. The sermon itself came as the clocks were preparing to tick back - the cricket season was done and dusted, and it was time to hunker down for the winter. Referring to 'the good book', Mark Church began a weekly sermon from the cricketing pulpit that has since been an ever present on the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers. As a special episode, the Parish is treated to the first three sermons to ever reach the pulpit. We hope you enjoy. As ever, a big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this special episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Mark and Hector are joined by someone who has made some brilliant things happen at the Kia Oval in recent years. He began his cricketing journey with Opta Sports - working across scoring, analytics, and data collection - before heading to Australia for a few years, where he worked in a number of roles from Tasmania to Melbourne, aka 'the greatest city in the world'. On his return to England in 2017, he joined Surrey County Cricket Club, and has been there ever since. As a trustee of the ACE programme, and the secretary of the Charlotte Edwards Foundation - he has always found the time to help give back to the beautiful game. Callum Doyle, the Company Secretary of Surrey County Cricket Club, joins the show this week to chat all about his fascinating career and what advice he would give to anyone wanting to go down a similar path. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their new, hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Church delivers a sermon which looks ahead to the Parish’s bank holiday game against “the cheating vicars”. A huge thank you to Callum Doyle for coming on this week's show and taking us through his amazing career. We look forward to catching up with him throughout the season. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Hector is joined by a champion of West Indies cricket. Having spent 22 years in the education industry - he is about to bow out as a Vice Principal at Sedgehill Academy. Now, he is turning his attention wholeheartedly to the media world in which he has had much success so far. Alongside commentary duties for the BBC and TalkSPORT, he also covers EFL matches for PA Media. Most notably, he is founder and co-host of the highly acclaimed podcast, The Caribbean Cricket Podcast , where he brings West Indies cricket to the forefront of the Caribbean diaspora and beyond. The podcast has recently passed 17k YouTube subscribers, and averages over 500k views per month. Machel St Patrick Hewitt joins Hector this week to talk all about his career thus far, discuss his plans for The Caribbean Cricket Podcast, and talk about his step away from the education sector. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their new, hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Church delivers a sermon which exclusively reveals the result of the Parishing XI’s first home game yesterday against Farting Willows. A huge thank you to Machel for coming on this week's show. We look forward to following his media ventures as they go from strength to strength. Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026 You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week. This week, Mark and Hector are joined by one of the great Sports Photographers. Having started off at Varley Picture Agency before spending 10 years at the Press Association, he moved to Getty Images in 2011 - where he has been a staff photographer ever since. He has recently released his new book, entitled: ‘Picture of England: 20 years photographing the England Men’s Cricket Team Home and Away’ which has since flown off the shelf. The book, with words by the Press Association’s Rory Dollard, spans over 180 test matches and 38 overseas tours, capturing the high’s and lows of England Men’s cricket over the past 20-years. Collating some of the most iconic moments in English cricket, the tome features recollections from over 20 of England’s greats - including Sir Jimmy Anderson, Ben Stokes, Freddie Flintoff, and Eoin Morgan - with Joe Root also writing the foreword. Gareth Copley-Jones joins the show this week to talk all about his new book, his one-of-a-kind career in sports photography, and some of his best moments over the past 20 years. Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their new, hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Churchy delivers a sermon discussing why the Vicar of Sibley should be opening the batting for England. A huge thank you to Gareth for making the time to come on this week's show amidst such a busy season. We love the book and are sure that you will too! You can buy the book via the attached link... Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms. Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions: Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com ‘X’ - sundayservice22