Sergeant Chris Bullen and Corporal Joel Pickersgill's fundraising snooker game sets new Guinness World Record

Two RAF Servicemen have broken a Guinness World Record attempt to play the longest snooker singles match ever recorded.

Sergeant Chris Bullen and Corporal Joel Pickersgill played for 87 hours and 47 minutes at the Royal Air Forces Association’s Gateway Club, beating the previous record of 85 hours, 19 minutes and four seconds, set in Ennis, Ireland, in 2015.

They started playing on Wednesday, June 5, at 10am, and continued until the early hours of Sunday, June 9.

Guinness World Record rules stated that the entire match had to be witnessed and Chris and Joel were allowed a five-minute break every hour, which could be accrued.

The duo were taking part in the marathon match to raise money for the RAF Association, and so far they have raised more than £1,200.

Joel beat Chris by 118 games to 48. He said: “This was without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but it was something I planned to do for years, and it’s a great feeling being a record breaker.

“All the money raised will go to the RAF Association, the charity that supports wellbeing of the RAF family. The association kindly allowed us to play our marathon upstairs at their Gateway Club, and dozens of volunteers helped adjudicate the match and organise everything.”

Over the course of the marathon session, the pair played 166 consecutive frames, potting more than 7,000 balls, and in the end, the pair were apparently so exhausted they started hallucinating.

Chris said: “We had originally planned to play for 100 hours, but after nearly four days of non-stop play and after breaking the 85 hour record, we were both exhausted and decided to call it a night.

“I have colleagues and friends who were helped by the RAF Association, so we wanted to give something back to the charity.

“The local branch and club has been extremely supportive, and we would like to personally thank everybody who helped with our challenge.”

Bob MacRae, chairman of the RAF Association Newark and District Branch, said: “Chris and Joel’s superhuman efforts are hugely appreciated. We made sure they were supported during their marathon snooker session.”