A Twickenham rugby enthusiast helped a children's charity secure its third world record this year by taking part in the longest game of rugby in a gruelling 30-hour challenge.

David Love, 42, played for Wooden Spoon, a rugby charity that supports disadvantaged children and children living with disabilities, against a team from the School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) charity in a bid to raise £100,000.

The challenge saw the teams beat the previous record for the longest rugby game of 29 hours and 15 minutes, with the competition taking place at Hazelwood, the home of premiership team London Irish, in temperatures exceeding 30C.

Mr Love, a player for Harlequin Amateurs RFC, said: “I was able to get some rest whilst on the bench and woke up at 5:30am on Monday to hear everybody on the pitch laughing and joking.

“It was amazing and showed the spirit in which the game was played.”

With kick-off taking place at 11am on Sunday, August 25, the final whistle blew at 5.30am the following morning - with the final score reading 2,154 to 1,163 to SOHK, consisting of 545 tries, 290 conversions, and four drop goals.

Sarah Webb, CEO of Wooden Spoon said: “It is testament to the spirit of Wooden Spoon, School of Hard Knocks and wider rugby family, that this group of players would go to such great lengths to raise money for those less fortunate than themselves.

"For everyone to have put their bodies under such stress for such a long period of time must have been excruciating but the morale of the players never waned, and it was an immensely enjoyable experience for all.

"It is another epic achievement by the charities and our partners and will make a huge difference to children and young people living in challenging circumstances.”

This came as the third-world record set by Wooden Spoon this year, having previously played touch rugby at an altitude of 5,119 metres just outside Everest Base Camp, as well as a game of Rugby Sevens at 6,331 metres on East Rongbuk Glacier, which became the highest game of rugby in history.