Non-Stop Cricket World record

[Tasin]

Came across this news at the New Zealand Cricket web site. Thought some of you would be interested to know about it. I don't know if this news has already been presented in any other thread.

Source: http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/news/gras...0/article.aspx

Century in the sights for new world-record holders

Wednesday, 6 January 2010
This morning the world record for the longest continual nonstop cricket game was smashed, taking the record off the Australians and placing it strongly in Kiwi hands.

Twenty four players from Cornwell Cricket Club and a few extras from Greenlane and Ellerslie, came together to play cricket for 100 hours nonstop and raise funds for the Starship Foundation. At 4.14 this morning the team broke the current world record.
The Kiwi team set the original record of 55 hours in 2008, however it was stolen from them by an Australian team who set the benchmark of 66 hours 16mins. Participant Mike Butler from Cornwell Cricket Club said they wanted to shatter the last record. “We’ve got unfinished business. The last time we did it for 55 hours and we could have kept on going. We’ve got a bit of an alliance going on. It’s us verses the Aussies,” Butler said. “It’s a real relief to have reached that 66 hour mark this morning.”
The group will finish up their 100 hours of playing early Thursday in hopes of raising $15,000 for the Starship Foundation. Butler said playing for 100 hours straight has its challenges. “The weather has been friendly to us except for Monday when the heavens opened and flooded the ground!” he laughed. “But we were out there between overs trying to clear the water. We also use a special ball so we can see it at night.
“We’ve got light machines to help us see at night. It’s no MCG but it does the job!”
Each team of 12 take turns sleeping, eating and resting and by the time the group has completed the hours they will have clocked up approximately 50 innings and over 5000 runs.
Even though it is for charity, umpires oversee the game and at the end of the 100 hours all the runs will be totalled. “It gives us a bit of incentive to keep working hard,” Butler said. “But saying that most of us are already talking about what we want to do when we get home.”
The general consensus amongst the group is a hot shower and a cold beer!
6/01/2010 5/01/2010