How these English amateur players made it to international cricket – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Personalise the news and
stay in the know
Emergency
Backstory
Newsletters
中文新闻
BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA
TOK PISIN
Find any issues using dark mode? Please let us know
Topic:Sport
The Believers are a group of amateur cricket players, who are taking on lesser known national cricket teams across the world. (Supplied: Ben Geffen)
For years, players at the Believers Cricket Club (BCC) were hearing "you guys are not good enough".
BCC is a London-based amateur cricket team that's made up of players who didn't make the cut for their local sides.
It was established in 2008 by player Matthew Hawkes and operated successfully for about ten years.
Then COVID hit, the captain moved abroad, and the club was on the verge of collapse.
That's when current captain Ben Geffen stepped in.
"I always dreamed of playing Test cricket for England, but, like most of my mates, I gave up on that dream pretty quickly when there was a mismatch between my dream and my ability," Geffen said.
Geffen's dream of playing international cricket was finally realised, albeit in a different way. (Supplied: Ben Geffen)
So a new dream came about while Geffen was watching YouTube videos of a famously average Romanian cricketer called Pavel Floren.
"He really was quite terrible," Geffen said.
"But I loved the fact that he didn't care and did what he loved without fear.
"I also had no idea the Romanians played cricket [so] I spent the next few hours googling loads of lesser-known countries that play.
"We may not be able to play for our own country, but we might just be able to play against another country.
"[I] thought if Pavel can do it, why can't we?"
Geffen reached out to more than 50 countries asking to play their national teams.
"I sent a bunch of emails not thinking anyone would actually reply," Geffen said.
But to his shock a few countries did.
The BCC has already embarked on tours of Romania and Slovenia, and is off to West Africa this month to play the Gambian national team.
The Believers have already taken on Slovenia and Romania. (Supplied: Ben Geffen)
The team suffered hefty defeats in both Romania and Slovenia. But as player James Hutcherson puts it, particularly in Slovenia, there were other factors at play.
"These were largely the result of excessive alcohol consumption and a dodgy souvlaki at Lake Bled," Hutcherson said.
"This year the preparation has been good and I think after having travelled all the way to Africa we will be hungry for a series win.
"To now be taking on Gambia is, I think, pushing the Believers to the next level."
The team consists of players with varying degrees of ability.
"To a Believer's novice I would describe the team as something similar to a British and Irish Lions squad, in all respects, apart from the playing standard," Hutcherson said.
"We are a bunch of friends, from all walks of life, playing for the love of the game."
The Believers on their tour of Romania. (Supplied: Ben Geffen)
Geffen agrees, adding the team doesn't take themselves too seriously.
"We really are a mix, but the most important thing is, regardless of background and ability, we all give it our best shot," he said.
BCC has played six games this year so far, but the snippets of their journey have been strangely inspiring — or comedic, depending how you look at it.
In their first match BCC limited the opposition to 109 runs before chasing down the 110-run target with six wickets remaining.
Interestingly they played without bails, having forgotten them, and won it with only nine players on the field.
Tony Armstrong tackles Australia's overdue reckoning with racism in sport with the help of some of its biggest sports stars.
Their second match was against former Believers players who no longer represent the club.
"I thought this would be a comfortable victory, but it was instead a comfortable loss," Geffen said.
They lost to the Legends by five wickets.
The third match was one to forget, but the learning was immense. The BCC played against an under-16 schoolboys' team and suffered a thumping 142-run loss after getting all out for 169 while chasing a mammoth 312.
"The only positive was their coach sat down with his boys after the game and mentioned that if any of them could go on to play cricket in their 30s with the same love and spirit we showed, then he'd consider that a success," Geffen said.
Match four was the day after Ben's wedding. The Believers suffered a heartbreaking loss after being all out for 134 while chasing a 227-run total.
The team held their cricket bats high at Geffen's wedding, showing their support for each other off the pitch. (Supplied: Ben Geffen)
Match five was called off after Chiswick double-booked the game.
And match six was played against Peper Harrow, who have a long history with cricket.
The club finished the season with a victory, despite three first-time players all receiving golden ducks.
The team's experiences have been so colourful a documentary is now in production to help share their story.
Jai Sarvesh is directing the film and says the team gave him Lagaan (Bollywood movie) vibes.
"Each team member was a distinct character in their own right," Sarvesh said.
"One guy holds the bat like a baseball bat and can only hit the ball if it's a full-toss.
"Everyone has a cricketing character inside them and I've never seen a team enjoy their game so much like the Believers do."
Mudit Agarwal owns the company producing the documentary and says the entire process has been eye-opening.
"I was never much of a cricket fan myself, but over time, being around the team has been like a slow poison," he said.
"I've started developing a real interest, and I've grown to love the drama, the emotions, and the way the game binds people together."
What's truly evident is that the players share a special bond.
Ash Silva, who is vice-captain of the team — and who hopes to emulate Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara one day — says the Believers go beyond the game of cricket.
"The club doesn't just mean something to me, it's a part of me," Silva said.
Silva hopes to win one international match with the team. 
He believes that it's what they need for a lifetime of stories.
Vaishnavi Iyer is a sports journalist based in India, working at IANS. She has a love of covering cricket.
ABC International Development's Women in News and Sport Initiative is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Team Up program.
Topic:Formula 1
Topic:AFL Women’s
Topic:England Soccer
Topic:AFL Women’s
Topic:Cricket
Topic:Rental Housing
Analysis by Virginia Trioli
Topic:Crime
Analysis by Steve Cannane
Topic:Science and Technology
Analysis by Virginia Trioli
Topic:Transport Accidents and Incidents
Topic:Rental Housing
Cricket
England
Gambia
Romania
Slovenia
Sport
Topic:Rental Housing
Analysis by Virginia Trioli
Topic:Crime
Analysis by Steve Cannane
Topic:Science and Technology
Topic:Science and Technology
Topic:History
Topic:Monument and Heritage Site
Analysis by Ian Verrender
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

source