A pair of snooker lovers are taking a well-earned break after playing the longest game of snooker ever recorded, all to raise money for Royal Air Forces Association…
Sergeant Chris Bullen and Corporal Joel Pickersgill broke the world record for the longest snooker match at the RAF Association’s Gateway Club in Newark, Nottinghamshire, playing continuously for 87 hours and 33 minutes. The two friends, who met at RAF Odiham eight years ago and bonded over their love for the game, started playing on Wednesday 5 June at 10am and did not stop until 1.33am on Sunday 9 June.
Joel emerged victorious, beating his friend by 118 games to 48. The previous record for the longest snooker singles marathon was 85 hours, 19 minute and four seconds. Joel said: “This was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it was something I planned to do for years, and it’s a great feeling being a record breaker. All the money raised will go to the RAF Association, the charity that supports wellbeing of the RAF family, and they kindly allowed us to play our marathon upstairs at their Gateway Club, and dozens of volunteers helped adjudicate the match and organise.”
Over the course of the marathon session, the pair played 166 consecutive frames, potting more than 7,000 balls. The Guinness World Record rules allowed Chris and Joel a five minute break every hour, and these were accrued to give them precious nap breaks.
Chris said: “We had originally planned to play for 100 hours, but after nearly four days of non-stop play and after breaking the 85 hour record, we were both exhausted and decided to call it a night. I have colleagues and friends who were helped by the RAF Association, so we wanted to give something back to the charity. The local branch and club has been extremely supportive, and we’d like to personally thank everybody who helped with our challenge.”
Bob MacRae, Chairman of the RAF Association Newark and District Branch, said: “Chris and Joel’s superhuman efforts are hugely appreciated. We’re thrilled that our members and associated volunteers could help them to make a little bit of history here using our snooker table.”