24 Hour Scrabble Challenge - £1000 Raised For Charity

10 plucky individuals did battle this weekend playing 36 games of Scrabble over 24 hours in the village of Stillington, near York. That's Stillington, York not Stillington, Stockton-On-Tees where two more Southerly players found themselves first...

The Scrabbling marathon was organised by Craig Beevers and also featured a couple of side events for any less hardy souls, with all profits going to charity. Many entrants also took the opportunity to raise money for good causes close to their heart including Daisy Chain, The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK with around £1000 raised in total.

You would have struggled to script a more exciting finish as highest rated player Chris Hawkins stormed into an early lead, not losing until Round 9, but a strong fightback by Stu Harkness saw him just half a win behind heading into the crucial final round. A valiant attempt at HALIOTS* ultimately proved costly as Chris lost his final game by just 19 points to finish runner-up for the 2nd year running, and Stu ascended back to the top of the pile for the first time since the opening round, just in time to snatch victory.

The battle for 3rd place was similarly tight – ultimately Donna Stanton came out on top but at the expense of a ratings point pipping Alan Abela who may console himself somewhat with his 4pt ratings gain.

Taking part in memory of his late mother Sandra, Stu described his win as an "extra Brucey Bonus" and headed straight for a much needed lie down. I am sure most others joined him, even if not literally.

All participants received a commemorative T-shirt, as modelled here by Craig. Craig is hoping to run the event against next year, so keep your eyes peeled if you feel like giving it a go!

Full results: 24 Hour Main Event | Night Owl | Sunday Side