Two super-fit sportsmen are gearing up to bag a Guinness record by playing the world’s longest squash match.
Entrepreneur Grant Ward, 29, from Basingstoke, and taxi driver 29, from Eastrop aim to play 30 hours continuously at Basingstoke Sports Centre, Festival Place, from November 25.
The pair hope to trump the current record of 29hrs and 55mins set in 2008.
And on November 26, members of Basingstoke Squash Club will attempt to set a new record for world’s longest squash rally on adjacent courts.
Grant and Mike hope to raise up to £10,000 to be split between Cancer Research UK and the Basingstoke and Deane Sports Trust, which runs the town centre squash courts.
Grant told the Observer that he was looking forward to the challenge.
He said: “I am very excited about it. I have a little bit of trepidation, but now it is happening and there is no turning back.
“It all started because the sports centre was going to lose one of its squash courts, so we thought we could do a record and raise some money.
“We only have a month left to organise it and there is still a lot more to do, apart from the physical side.
“At the end of it, we hope we will be a lot better players and that all the effort we have put in on the squash court will have paid off.”
In a bid to boost their fitness, the pair have been training hard for more than two months, putting in the hours on the court, including four-hour full on matches once a week.
And last month, the pair played a 12-hour session, which gave them a harsh taster of the realities of the task ahead of them. Both came away exhausted and nursing blisters.
The record attempt has been approved by Guinness World Records and pair are appealing for helpers to make it official.
A team of witnesses, stewards, as well as a qualified solicitor will need to be needed.
Anyone keen on helping out the pair, or sponsoring the event, should call Grant on 08447 749602 or go to www.basingstoke
squashclub.co.uk/worldrecords. aspx
