Patel c Patel b Patel

Shyam Bhatia
India Abroad correspondent in London

Two all-Patel teams have created a little bit of cricketing history by playing each other at a Sunday Mutual League match in Bradford.

Umpire Roy Higgins was left scratching his head in bewilderment as batsman Patel was caught by wicketkeeper Patel off a delivery by bowler Patel at the match between Yorkshire Leuva Patidar Samaj (LPS) and long time rivals Amarmilan.

In fact, by the time the match ended, the team sheets of both sides ended up looking somewhat similar.

Not since two batsmen called Love and Darling faced each other aross an English pitch more than 50 years ago has so much confusion and delight been created by a simple cricket match where the all-Patel teams happened by accident rather than design.

In another comparable match involving New Zealand, that some fans recall, a batsman called Lilley was caught by Dilly and bowled by Willy.

Yorkshire LPS and Amarmilan have come close in the past to fielding an all-Patel event, but they never actually managed to pull it off until last Sunday's game at the LPS home at Woodhall Park in Bradford.

Yorkshire LPS secretary Ishy Patel told India Abroad, "There are a lot of friends and cousins. In fact, most of us in both sides are related. We Patels come from Navsari, Chikli and Surat districts in Gujarat and have settled in Bradford, Leeds and Keighley.

"It is the first time it has happened that everyone in our two teams was called Patel. The last time we played Amarmilan there were 20 Patels.

"This time there were 22, but that was by accident not design. One regular member of our team, Yash Dave, who is a good batsman and wicketkeeper couldn't play so we played all Patels.

"He had to go to London for a job and couldn;t make it. He still plans to play with the team, but not as often as he used to do.

"We are all on first-name terms with everyone at Amarmilan. It is friendly rivalry, but when there is a wedding we are all there.

"We nearly all have different first names. We have a Dilip Patel and they have a Dilip Patel, but their Dilip Patel couldn't play in that match. There was also a Mukesh Patel on each side."

Amarmilan secretary Chandu Patel said, "A lot of us are related and come from the same community in around the city of Surat and we have settled in Bradford.

"I came to Bradford from Malawi in 1971, but my parents are from Surat. I did my degree from Leeds University and now I run a newsagent's business.

"We play at Horsfall Playing Fields and used to be called Tumblers, but one of our players, Manish Patel, decided to sponsor us for this season and wanted to us to be named after his two children Amar and Milan."

One bonus in last Sunday's game was that umpire Higgins had no trouble at all in keeping the players in check. "At one point there was a bit of banter and I said: 'Will Patel please be quiet', and everyone shut up!" Higgins disclosed.

"As we were walking out I said Patel's mobile phone was ringing and they all started checking. It was just a bit of banter and everyone had a laugh."

Keeping score at the game could have been a headache, but for the efforts of Ishy Patel's 15-year-old son Amit.

He said, "I was a bit shocked when I first saw the team sheets but there weren't any major problems and I know most of them so recognising them wasn't a problem.Some of the players had the same first four initials so everyone's names had to be written out in full!"

Secretary of the Bradford Mutual Sunday School league Donald Butterfield told India Abroad, "This is a first in this league and I haven't heard of it anywhere else. We have had 11 Patels in one team before but to have 22 on the same field is amazing.

"In England it would be incredible to have 22 players all called Smith if it was organised. This wasn't organised."

"I think we have created a little bit of history."