THEY work hard on Sunday. And on Monday, they play.

For that is the day the Anglican clergymen of Coventry and Warwickshire exchange their cassocks for cricket whites and head out to the crease.

Charismatic, evangelical, Anglo-Catholic - whatever their preferred spiritual tradition when it comes to cricket, they prove they are all playing for the same team.

The home pitch is in the idyllic setting of the grounds of Ragley Hall, where even the sheep can be relied on to make an appearance, providing ample fodder for future sermons.

But the main focus of the day is cricket and the serious matter of competition for the Church Times Cup.

The Coventry and Warwickshire team made it to the semi-finals once, about eight years ago, but had the misfortune to face the Oxford diocese.

"That was fatal," said team secretary David Capron, rector of Alcester, who is very enthusiastic about the Monday matches. "We didn't stand a chance."

He was keeping score for the home match against Worcestershire at the start of the current season.

As other batsmen waited their turn to play, their conversations ranged from parish and diocesan affairs to the more mundane matter of lunch, taken in the pavilion.

It was a quintessentially English experience - made more so by the unexpected arrival of the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Rev Colin Bennetts - and clearly one enjoyed by all those taking part.

Steve Tash, vicar of Salford Priors, said: "It's a lovely way to spend the day. It keeps the body going, keeps the joints moving and it's a chance to catch up with friends."

For the record, Warwickshire won the day scoring 189 for 9 to Worcestershire's 177 all out.

The next match is on Monday against the diocese of Lichfield.