Luton edged out by Bedford in multi-faith cricket tournament

Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jews and Hindus all took part and each team had to include at least three faiths and include no more than four people from the same faith and the matches marked one year until the start of the London 2012 Olympics.

The team from Bedford took the cup, surpassing Luton’s total of 95 in the final. St Albans, meanwhile, beat Watford in the third/fourth place play-off. The Bishop of St Albans presented the cup to Bedford and trophies for the runners-up and third and fourth placed teams.

He said: “Two momentous things mark this weekend, first of course the terrible atrocity in Norway which grieves all people of good will and is far removed from expressing anyone’s faith and the marking of one year to go to the opening of the Olympics.

“Here, fittingly, we have people from many parts of the world and from many faiths showing that they are getting on with the business of living, working and playing together. It is a model for how we should live.”

The Mayor of Watford, Dorothy Thornhill, the Mayor of Bedford, David Hodgson and the Mayor of St Albans all came to watch, along with the Co-Chair of the Luton Council of Faiths, Gulie Butcher and their community worker, Ryad Khodabocus.