It’s a challenge that most of us would find inconceivable. Climbing to the highest point on earth is one of the most remarkable adventures one could experience, and as a team of 50 intrepid explorers make their descent – cricket bats held high – the repercussions of their achievement become all the more impressive.
On 21st April 2009, history was written – documenting the highest altitude ever recorded for a field sport. Taking place 5,165m above sea level, the team have entered the record books by participating in an official Twenty20 cricket match on the frozen lakebed of Gorak Shep – Mt. Everest.
The Nokia Maps Everest Test saw ambitious professionals nationwide hang up their ties in exchange for the treadmill, as they signed up to support the cause – where just weeks afterwards, around £250,000 has now been raised for the charities The Himalayan Trust UK and The Lord’s Taverners.
Sir Edmund Hillary pioneered The Himalayan Trust UK in 1960, creating awareness of this beautiful region and investing in its preservation of local tradition and surroundings. The emphasis is now on education and basic healthcare, alongside the venerable environment in which Mt. Everest stands – as a constant reminder of the ever-impressive natural world.
The Lord’s Taverners is a charity founded in, and based upon cricket. Their aim is to provide disadvantaged young people globally with the tools they need to enjoy sports, such as cricket, and leisure activities to improve their quality of life.
The team was split into two opposing sides, ‘Team Hilary’ captained by Glen Lowis, the highly motivational kiwi Account Manager, and ‘Team Tenzing’, lead by the itchy-footed London Lawyer, Haydn Main. As their months of training finally paid off, both teams began the nine-day ascent – after a pretty hairy flight to their starting point – and continued through the Himalayas, towards Everest base camp, and on to the plateau of Gorak Shep.
Throughout the training, and trek itself, team members were encouraged to record their experiences through a blog on the Everest Test website, creating an interactive diary of their journey and encouraging support in the UK. Social network platforms such as Facebook and Twitter displayed over 1000 followers, and as the team met copious challenges, it seemed that the whole world was rooting for them.
The effects of acute mountain sickness can be incredibly severe and at the highest point, the trekkers’ resting heart rate would have increased by 30 per cent. Combined with just 66 per cent of the oxygen found at sea level, it has been likened to breathing through a straw - conditions that are dangerous for any climber – let alone those undertaking 20 overs of a vigorous cricket match.
Although there are several variations as to how long a cricket match can last, spanning anywhere between 20 overs per side, to a game lasting five days, The Everest Test team were assured that the match would consist of a maximum of 40 overs – equivalent to about four and a half hours of play. The teams fought on, and as ‘Man of the Match’ was awarded to Charlie Campbell, and the ‘Everest Test Trophy’ went to Team Hillary – after an impressive winning margin of 36 runs – the British flag was raised to celebrate a triumphant end. Alongside notably, the Queen’s birthday, the eccentric nature of this quintessentially English expedition finished off with a well-deserved cup of tea.
The team arrived home days later, after donating their kit to the children of Khumjung – a small village in which they introduced the game to on their ascent. So as the mass of doting friends and family swarmed arrivals, it seemed that the gentle flack of leather on willow has become a sound that won’t just resonate through the record books, but though the hearts of everyone that has been involved in the success of such an impressive feat.
Special Thanks to:
Nokia Maps for supporting this great adventure.
Qatar Airways for their donation of the flights.
Captive Minds Communications for delivering yet another worldwide audience.
The Lords Taverners and The Himalayan Trust UK for all their support.
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