Wanted.
Men for hazardous journey. Low wages. Bitter cold. Long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in the event of success. On April 21, 2009, 22 men – including several Kiwis – had similar sacrifices pay dividends when they trekked to just below base camp at Mt Everest, 5165m above sea level, to play a charity game of Twenty20 cricket at the highest altitude ever for a field sport. Spare a thought for Australian Dave Christie. A hairy flight into the Himalaya on Yeti Airlines, nine days steadily climbing into the clouds on foot and around £3000 ($7500) of hard-earned money were all required before he strode out to be bowled for a duck in the shadow of the world’s highest peak. That typified the commitment required to create an unforgettable memory in the name of charity for the aptly named teams Hillary and Tenzing. You might have gathered it wasn’t as simple as donning the creams and cabled pullover to amble nonchalantly into world record-breaking history. The cricketers and their support crew of ‘trektators’, including doctors, nutritionists and the record-verifying registered umpires, had to build up to the event with a year’s physical training.
It was the British version of Rocky – a half-marathon in full batting pads at Bath, hiking in three feet of snow in the hills of Wales and mid-winter jaunts to the indoor nets at the Oval and Lord’s in London.