Episode 38: Is That Middle Please?

Episode 38: Is That Middle Please?

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 [https://newbery.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOoqQMeFlRGZHGyVUYeCGjoBzAlSOev_KIA1MD8mGsDArsE1W5mCe] To enter, just answer the question correctly and send it in to: - sundayservicecricket@gmail.com - Twitter / X - sundayservice22

Episode 37 - Hector departs as George arrives at the crease

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 [https://newbery.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOoqZfXHf1f6WTnXttG5lTV88uoWUfFTypumM3tkmlNLnhuBe5e3_]. 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 [sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com] X: @sundayservice22

Episode 36 - CEO of Newbery Cricket, David White

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 [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 [https://newbery.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOoqZfXHf1f6WTnXttG5lTV88uoWUfFTypumM3tkmlNLnhuBe5e3_]. 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 [sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com] X: @sundayservice22

Episode 35 - New Zealand 'Hall of Fame' and legendary commentator, Jeremy Coney: Part 2

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 [https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026] You can also check out the premium equipment Newbery has to offer here. [https://newbery.co.uk/collections/cricket-bats] 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 [sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com] X: @sundayservice22

Episode 34 - New Zealand 'Hall of Fame' and legendary commentator, Jeremy Coney: Part 1

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 [https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026] You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here [https://newbery.co.uk/] 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 [sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com] ‘X’ - sundayservice22