Kerala priests hit it out of the park, Kathanar Cricket League to go global in second season

Kottayam: For two days, priests who spend their mornings at the altar swapped sermons for a game of cricket, as Kerala's first-ever Kathanar Cricket League (KCL) unfolded at the Bails Arena Oval Cricket Turf in Puthuppally. The tournament began as a small idea among the cricket-loving clergy in Changanassery.

When it was all over, it was Ekam, representing the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese, who lifted the inaugural trophy, defeating the tournament's own organisers, the Kathanar Cricket Club (KCC) of the Changanacherry Archdiocese, in a tense final.

The idea for a cricket league exclusively for priests was born within the Changanassery Syro-Malabar Archdiocese, where a group of priests first came together to form a club and started playing informally among themselves. That small initiative struck a chord, and soon, similar clubs began sprouting across dioceses and denominations, each drawn by the same pull: a shared love for the game.

For Fr Jojin Elenjik, one of the organisers and opening batsman of the Kathanar Cricket Club, this association was more than a cricket match. “We (priests from nearby churches) initially took the game as a kind of exercise. However, passersby watched us play and started interacting with us. They told us that they felt more connected to us than in the four walls of the altar room. That struck a chord. We realised that through this game, each priest had formed close bond with one another. Thus the idea of expanding this game as a cricket league throughout Kerala gained momentum," he said.

He further added that archbishops from various dioceses extended their support. The Kathanar Cricket Club is soon going to announce the second season of KCL. They expect even a higher rate of participation as priests from North India and Malayali priests working abroad have expressed their interest to join the game.

The tournament began with a simple eligibility criterion: players had to be priests. Deacons from St Thomas Seminary, Vadavathoor, were given a special invitation to take part as well.

The response caught even the organisers by surprise. As many as 25 teams initially expressed interest in joining, a number the organisers eventually trimmed down to 16 to ensure the tournament ran smoothly. Matches were conducted in accordance with Kerala Cricket Association guidelines, officiated by KCA-approved umpires.

A gathering of denominations
What made the league stand out was not just the cricket, but the players. Priests from the Syro-Malabar, Latin Catholic, Syro-Malankara, Malankara Orthodox and Mar Thoma denominations all turned out, representing dioceses stretching from Thalassery in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south.

The tournament was open to spectators, with no entry fee, organisers wanted this to be a community affair, not a closed-door clerical exercise. The stakes, though, were real: a cash prize of ₹50,000 and the KCL trophy awaited the winners, with prizes and trophies also reserved for the next three teams, alongside individual honours for the best batsman, bowler, player of the tournament and wicketkeeper.