A school teacher embarks on a 24-hour Bowlathon for charity

Lyndon Jones

Back in May, an incredible man named Lyndon Jones spent 24 hours bowling at a set of stumps on order to raise funds for some fantastic appeals. I was very impressed when I heard about this fantastic achievement and decided to talk to Lyndon to find out more…

TWC: It was a fantastic achievement, can you tell us a bit more about why you decided to do it?

LJ: I’ve always been inspired by people that I know who have completed endurance or sport related events to raise money for good causes e.g. cycling Land’s End to John O’Groats. I fancied doing something cricket related due to my background and it just so happens that there were 2 causes that were personal to me. The other reasons were that I wanted something physical and different to get stuck into.

TWC: And can you tell us a bit more about the causes/ charities that you raised money for?

LJ: I teach at St Richard’s which is a small rural Independent Preparatory School in Herefordshire. A couple of years ago we launched an appeal to raise money in order to renovate our indoor sports facility. Our existing indoor space is in need of work in order to make it a more suitable environment to teach PE and Sport. The other cause was to raise money for the Maternity department at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, Worcestershire. Back in 2010 my wife and I experienced fantastic care during a difficult time in our lives and I was keen to raise money in order for the staff to purchase small items that would make life easier for them and for the patients experience to be more tolerable.

TWC: And how much money did you manage to raise in the end?

LJ: Around £2,500

TWC: You had to bowl for 24hrs, did you do any kind of preparation either mentally or physically beforehand?

LJ: From Late January until May I was bowling 2 and 3 hour blocks at night, twice a week. This was interspersed with circuits, bit of running and weight training (low weight/high reps). I was basically trying to bowl whilst fatigued to replicate what I might encounter physically it was just a matter of motivation to keep the training sessions going. My I-Pod got a lot of use!

TWC: How did you manage to stay motivated and keep going throughout the whole thing?

LJ: Motivation was never a problem. I had amazing support throughout the whole event. The whole school plus parents, friends and other supporters cheered me on at the start and finish. I had people counting balls and hits, I had people donate to bowl in the nets either side. I had one parent keep wicket from the early hours until the end. The toughest spell was between 4am and 7am - I was in a dark place mentally! I felt ill and my bowling shoulder and left knee were giving me trouble. When the children who board at school came down before breakfast, it gave me a big lift. People started popping in and and out throughout the last few hours which made it so much easier.

TWC: Is this the first kind of thing like this that you have done?

LJ: Yes, I had done nothing like this before. All the more reason to give it a bash.

TWC: Will you be doing anything like this again?

LJ: I’ve no plans at the moment but if another bizarre idea comes along then you never know.

TWC: You obviously have a great love for cricket, where did this love come from?

LJ: My Father and older Brother played at the local club, Malpas Cricket Club in Newport, South Wales. Mum did the teas and I was always down there watching and mucking about. There were some handy players about during that time and I learned a hell of a lot from watching and listening to the adults talk about the game.

TWC: Lastly, just quickly what are your predictions for the upcoming Ashes series?

LJ: Tough one to call. The Aussie batsmen will go well on their own pitches and Mitchell Johnson might turn out be a big threat with the ball. England will have to bat very well at the top of the order to put Australia under pressure. Finn or Tremlett will have a huge role as the 3rd seamer. Either 2-2 or 2-1 to England.

I would like to say a big thanks to Lyndon for talking with me and a big well done on his 24hr bowlathon! It’s amazing to see people doing things like this and they are all great inspiration.