As the philanthropic badminton and squash teams prepared for a long night, there was a sense of excitement, not apprehension, that filled the sports hall.
The aim of the games was to raise money for RAG by paying to play squash for 24 hours, or badminton for 12. The badminton was played from 7pm Saturday until 7am Sunday and the squash from the punishing times of 9am Saturday until 9am Sunday. Between 70 and 80 participated in the badminton, while around 30 took part in the squash.
The squash was organised by Calum Fraser and Matt Brennan, who remarked that “you don’t really know how long 24 hours is until you try and play squash for that long”.
Delirium may have started to set in with some badminton participants trying their hand at playing in sumo suits. A highlight of the event was badminton stalwart James Hor donning a sumo-suit and challenging the squash men’s 1sts captain to a game of badminton, and winning. While some people opted to stay awake for the entire event, other forward-thinking competitors brought pyjamas, blankets and even a mattress. By 7am, 18 badminton participants remained and saw the tournament through until its close.
Overall, £513 was raised from the badminton. The total, despite not being as much as last year, is still a fantastic amount to go to a worthy cause. The squash tally was yet to be counted as the issue goes to press, but is assuredly a three-figure amount. Badminton organiser Mike Murtaugh would personally like to thank everyone who volunteered to help, the sports centre staff and all of the shops and restaurants in York who donated raffle prizes. A massive congratulations also needs to go to Alanna Burchett, Blonnie Walsh, John Sinclair and Laura Watson for their help in planning the event.
It was not just the badminton and squash clubs that did their bit for charity; the netball girls also entered into the spirit. They held their annual charity netball tournament on Sunday, with 16 teams each paying £20 to compete, raising the very respectable sum of £350. The tournament was won, for the third year running, by the basketball club team. Charity Reps Jessica Roberts and Josephine Brayshaw were “overwhelmed with the spirit and generosity of the participants,” and would like to “thank everyone that contributed to its success.”