WORLD RECORD CRICKET AT A SILLY POINT - MOUNT EVEREST
Last week, on April 9, two cricket teams, largely made up of bonkers Englishmen, flew from London to the Himalayas to begin an 18-day trek, where a Twenty20 game will be played near to base camp of Mount Everest - at a staggering 5,165m.
It's just not cricket, I hear you cry! Well, it is. And the Guinness Book of Records have agreed that if the match, named The Everest Test, does go ahead, it will set a new world record for the highest altitude for a game of field sport.
Two years ago the Professional Cricket Association attempted something similar, raising £35,000 for charity, but the match was not recognised as it was only an eight over, six-a-side affair.
This year, however, there will be an eleven-a-side game, which will be held on the plateau of Gorak Shep, where there is only 66 per cent of the oxygen found at sea level. Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
The two squads, named Tenzing and Hillary after Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary who on May 29, 1953 became the first people to summit Mount Everest, have appointed honorary captains - England skipper Andrew Strauss and Test batsman Alastair Cook respectively.
They hope to raise an incredible £250,000 for The Himalayan Trust, The Lord's Taverners and the local Khumjung School. For more information on the charities, visit http://www.theeveresttest.com/legacy.php.
Check out their website (and a cool GPS tracking gadget) - http://www.theeveresttest.com - and the blog - http://www.atestabovetherest.com.
Last week, on April 9, two cricket teams, largely made up of bonkers Englishmen, flew from London to the Himalayas to begin an 18-day trek, where a Twenty20 game will be played near to base camp of Mount Everest - at a staggering 5,165m.
It's just not cricket, I hear you cry! Well, it is. And the Guinness Book of Records have agreed that if the match, named The Everest Test, does go ahead, it will set a new world record for the highest altitude for a game of field sport.
Two years ago the Professional Cricket Association attempted something similar, raising £35,000 for charity, but the match was not recognised as it was only an eight over, six-a-side affair.
This year, however, there will be an eleven-a-side game, which will be held on the plateau of Gorak Shep, where there is only 66 per cent of the oxygen found at sea level. Takes your breath away, doesn't it?
The two squads, named Tenzing and Hillary after Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary who on May 29, 1953 became the first people to summit Mount Everest, have appointed honorary captains - England skipper Andrew Strauss and Test batsman Alastair Cook respectively.
They hope to raise an incredible £250,000 for The Himalayan Trust, The Lord's Taverners and the local Khumjung School. For more information on the charities, visit http://www.theeveresttest.com/legacy.php.
Check out their website (and a cool GPS tracking gadget) - http://www.theeveresttest.com - and the blog - http://www.atestabovetherest.com.
Labels: charity, cricket, Guinness Book of Records, Mount Everest
