30 Hour Game - It's A World Record
The game took place over the weekend of the 14th-15th June 1980.
Below is an article which we believe is from the Croydon Advertiser.
by Jane Hodgson
LACROSSE players set а пеw world record for 30 hours non-stop play in a sponsored game that started on Saturday night at Monks Hill Sports Centre, South Croydon.
It’s the first record ever set for a mixed game — Purley Lacrosse Club being the only mixed club th the world [Ed: almost certainly this wasn’t true] — and it’s also the longest match recorded in the world.
A member of the club, and member of the English Lacrosse Union, the national, co-ordinating body, Mr Stan Smith, said “As far as we know it’s a new world record because nobody has done it on a mixed basis and on one club basis before.”
The previous record for the longest game was a men’s match of 24 hours by the England squad organised by Mr Smith in 1978.
“The Guinness Book of Records,” though, do not accept these matches as records — international lacrosse rules allow for 12 substitutes on each team, but the book’s editors stipulate no substitutes in a ten a side match.
The assistant sports editor, Beverley Waites, said “It’s certainly the longest match I’ve heard of, but our rules for a marathon game are that there are no substitutes.”
Club members say this doesn’t disappoint them.
Miss Carole Cameron, one of the 42 players in the game held on the outside pitch at the sports centre, Farnborough Avenue, Sanderstead [actually Monks Hill, Selsdon], said: “I didn’t do it for that kind of recognition — I did it to raise money for Help a London Child.”
And president of the club and referee for some of the match, Mr John Maynard, of Addington Road, Selsdon, said it had been a hard match and he didn’t think everyone could have played for 30 hours non-stop. The two mixed teams played through downpours of rain.
So that the match could be held, the manager of the sports club had to get special permission from the council to keep the floodlights on overnight.
Leader of the men’s team, Colin Little, said: “People played until they were tired. We didn’t have set time limits because some people are stronger than others.
“The players ranged in age from 14 to about 33.
“The club actually has 80 members but only the keenest joined the match, and it ended up with a nucleus of about 20 players on the pitch most of the time, with others playing for short, periods.”
One player lasted nearly the whole time — Philip Battershill, of Meade Way, Shirley, who played for 29 hours and 40 minutes.
Miss Cameron, leader of the women’s team, said: “During the early hours of Sunday morning we knew we just had to keep going, It rained a bit and was very gusty.
“Afterwards I felt elated that I’d managed it, then I went home and slept for 14 hours.”
The club expects to collect about £300 for Help a London Child.