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The Reason for the World Record Attempt. During the last decade, Blunham Cricket Club in Bedfordshire has grown substantially. In 2000 we had 3 senior sides in two competitions. We now have 7 senior sides and 3 junior sides across 4 league competitions, also competing in 5 cup competitions as well as having club-school links with 3 local schools. With over 50 senior players and around 100 junior members, we have now far outgrown our existing facilities. Whilst we have 2 colts representing the county, we do not have the facilities to effectively enhance and improve the abilities of the colts and seniors that we have. The club has now formally registered with Natwest CricketForce 2009, the aim of which is to raise funds towards extending and refurbishing the existing pavilion. This event is to be the main fundraiser towards this cause, in conjunction with the Blunham Playing Field Association (BPFA), a registered charity. We are talking to various potential commercial partners about sponsorship of the event as a whole, individual team sponsors plus pitchside hoardings. We anticipate exposure from two TV companies, 3 radio stations plus conventional written media. As soon as we have more confirmed, we will be issuing a press release via one of the news agencies as well as contacting all media outlets directly. If you are involved in a business that is interested in being a commercial partner in this event please let us know. Individual sponsorship of players or the event were made HERE or on-line via www.Justgiving.com. We had live music provided by The Fugitives and supporting band on the Saturday evening, during the match (to help keep the players awake !), as well as visits from Mike Gatting (former England Captain) .

SO WHAT EXACTLY DID WE HAVE TO BEAT ?

Blunham Cricket Club, has set an official Guinness new World Record, for the longest continuous game of Cricket. The UK record had been held by Chestfield CC of Kent, of 35 hours, set on 8th and 9th of September 2007. CLICK HERE to see the Guiness Book of Records entry. The longest recorded game worldwide, had been 55 hours set by Cornwall CC in Auckland, New Zealand on the 18th to 20th April, 2008. For two YouTube features on the "kiwi" record, visit HERE and HERE
Prior to that, an Australian attempt at Sel Outridge Park Sportsfield, Redland, Queensland, Australia, by Citipointe Church on 20-22 March 2008 was ratified by the Guinness Book of Records as the then OFFICIAL World Record. Their marathon lasted 50 hours 18 minutes.

To save any argument Blunham aimed to play for 59 hours from 9am Friday 19th September to 8pm Sunday 21st September and beat both records. In fact the game went on for a further 33 minutes and 56 seconds. The game was be played using conventional cricket rules with only a 5 minutes break for every hour played. Therefore, the teams were able to have half a hour break every 6 hours.

Bowling over 1,000 overs and scoring over 3,000 runs was a mammoth task, and although prepared to play through all that the weather might throw at us, the heavens were benign and we experienced some of the most glorious weather of the entire summer. Whilst each side could have a 12th man substitute, none of the players were allowed to leave the immediate vicinity of the playing area throughout, except through a bad injury, otherwise the attempt would have become void.

In order to get the record ratified by The Guinness Book of Records, there were numerous regulations imposed upon us to have various witnesses and volunteers in place on 4 hour shifts. As it turned out, the official recording equipment, required to record every second of the game, failed to work properly, so it was the huge weight of alternative evidence, such as massive TV and radio coverage, the many thousands of photos and the hugely diverse list of official witness statements that persuaded the Guinness Word Record people to accept our match as valid and to grant Blunham the status as official world record holders, which they did formally on Friday 5th December 2008.