"Lord, I don't ask that I should win, but please, please don't let me finish behind Akabusi."
Parson's Pitch
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Parson's Pitch, David Sheppard, Hodder, London 1964.
This is the first of two autobiographies of David Sheppard, England cricketer and later Bishop of Liverpool. The other is Steps along Hope Street
He describes his conversion to Christ while a student at Cambridge (Pages 47-50).
He gives an excellent defence of his decision to stay involved in cricket when some would have urged him to devote his time to more "spiritual" tasks: Jesus "came to do His Father's will, not on the sidewalks of life, but in the middle of the world of men. I believe that today He wants His followers in the middle of every walk of life, and I am persuaded that it was His will for me to give some years to playing cricket". (Page 52)
Two other quotes help our understanding of how faith and sport should be integrated:
"Success comes from God - so too can failure. If I say my prayers faithfully this is no guarantee that I shall make a hundred next time I go in to bat. I may make a duck. But I can make duck or a hundred to the glory of God by the way I accept success or failure". (Page 52)
"If I am asked what difference my Christian faith has made to the way I have played cricket, I think first about the pressures of the game and getting on with other cricketers. There are times, especially in test cricket, when it feels more like an ordeal by fire than a game. The believe that I am in the place where God wants me to be, and that He is beside me in it has helped me greatly to be relaxed and properly alive". (Page 52-53)
While perhaps rather dated now, he describes the process by which he decided not to play cricket on Sundays: "When my faith in Christ became a real thing, I started to think differently about Sunday cricket. Until then I had frequently played in Sunday club matches or charity games. Now I wanted my faith to grow. I needed time to worship God but not only that. My weeks seemed to race past at ninety miles an hour and time to read, time to think, time to relax and talk to other Christians, time to visit, or write to others in need, was not easily found. I accepted the Ten Commandments as being God-given, and in the commandment about the Sabbath there is clearly a great principle that man needs one day on seven for rest and worship. While I was playing cricket six days a week, the fact that I kept Sunday as a different day, when I could unhurriedly turn my mind to God, was the most important single factor in keeping my faith strong". (Page 171)
An invaluable book for anyone interested in the history of the relationship between sport and faith in the UK.