The tunnel stretched across the school playground.By Jim Mynard
EIGHTY Berwick Lodge Primary School year five and six students are hoping they have tunnel balled their way into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The students took two hours and 23 minutes to complete their attempt at the world’s longest game of tunnelball.
The record was set in 2002 by Perins Community School in England when 79 students took two hours 46 minutes to complete the overunder ball game.
The attempt was made after Sarah Abela read about it in the Guinness Book of World Records and thought it would be fun to take on the challenge.
Sarah said she first thought tunnel ball was rolling the ball through our legs but it was really over and under because that is how they play it in the United Kingdom.
She said that for the attempt to be valid the ball must alternately pass over the heads and under the legs of the students.
When the ball reaches the person at the end of the line that player must run to the front of the line and repeat the process continuing until each player has taken his or her place at the front of the line.
Years five and six teacher Olivia Cook supervised arrangements.
Ms Cook said two independent witnesses as well as photographs and a video recording monitored the record attempt as evidence.
“It was a wonderful experience for the students on several levels.
“They had to train in the weeks leading up to the attempt and on the day they worked together to motivate and challenge each other.
“Right throughout the students showed great teamwork skills and a willingness to help someone achieve their goal,’’ Ms Cook said.
“They now have an agonising wait to find out if their recordbreaking attempt has been confirmed by Guinness World Records.”
Sarah said she was quietly hopeful.
“We don’t think anyone else has tried it since 2002 so we’re pretty confident.”
