Inside the bizarre cricket comp played in a church under a replica of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel

Cricket has always had a way of bringing people together, but never quite like this.

For more than a decade the St Columb’s Premier League (SPL) has been played inside a church in Hawthorn, Melbourne in a competition organisers call ‘backyard cricket on steroids’.

Here, under the backdrop of a massive replica of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel masterpiece, players from all walks of life compete in indoor cricket leagues complete with video scoreboards and even an in-house direct review system (DRS) set-up.

From the outside, you wouldn’t know it was anything except an ordinary place of worship. 

All of the original façade remains at the 130-year-old St Columb’s Anglican Church, but the inside has been completely retrofitted and has hosted a six-grade competition with 400-odd players over five nights a week since 2010. 

Anil Mirchandani is the head of the SPL and also competes regularly with his team, The Misfits.

He described the competition and venue as ‘the perfect combination of outdoor, indoor and backyard cricket’. 

‘Because we’re playing inside of a church, there’s just an immediate sense of humility and purpose, in a way that you will never find anywhere else.’

The Misfits are one of many teams playing across six grades in the SPL competition

‘It makes every single player feel like they are absolute celebrities here. For that hour-and-a-half, they get to masquerade and feel like they’re on top of the world.’

On top of the professional surface, tech features like the scoreboard and DRS setup, players even get to enjoy live commentary. 

There is a professional sound system, carpeting that was used at the Olympics, safety netting to protect spectators sitting in old church pews and even an old archbishop’s chair that sits above the umpire. 

The surface uses professional carpet once used at the Olympics, there are honour boards, an electronic scoreboard, live streaming, commentary, professional sound and even DRS

It is the closest you will get to playing in the IPL without playing in the IPL which also providing an experience that can’t be matched anywhere else.

Sunny Krishna divides his time between playing and commentating at the unique venue and he said it was: ‘just like backyard cricket on steroids.’

And the cricket, the venue, it all brings together local communities including people of different races, religions and backgrounds – all unified by the religion of cricket. 

‘Whether you’re Indian, whether you’re Sri Lankan, whether you’re Christian, it makes zero difference when you come here. That’s what I enjoy about it,’ said Sangeeta Gupta, a regular spectator in the SPL pews.

Spectators can pull up a pew to watch the matches – literally – with the old stands still in use

Unfortunately, the SPL will call stumps in the near future because of safety issues within the church itself. 

St Columb’s vicar Reverend Mark McDonald has made the difficult call, but fire-related safety issues and non-compliance with current building standards means the competition has to come to an end – for now.

Mirchandani said they were hoping the SPL would continue in a new venue, though, hopefully even another church.

‘A feeling of emptiness — that is one resonating feeling I know a lot of the members have,’ he said.

‘We’re very hopeful that we’ll find another place, and with all the discussions we’ve been having with other churches, it all seems really positive.’