Glasgow will host Scotland's first ever 24-hour cricket match this weekend to raise funds for a new world-leading cancer centre being built in the city.

The game, which will involve more than 60 players, will kick-off at 3pm at the University of Glasgow's Garscube Campus on Saturday, continue right through the night under floodlights, before finishing at 3pm on Sunday.

Money raised will go towards the on-going £2 million appeal by the University of Glasgow to build a new Leukaemia Research Fund Centre at the Garnavel hospital.

The match, sponsored by THUS plc, is being named after Malcolm McClure, a former leukaemia sufferer who died of the disease in 1999, aged just 27. Originally from Lisburn in Co Antrim, Malcolm was a keen cricketer - and the game is being organised by old friends and team mates who wanted to do something in his memory.

Players are coming from as far away as South Africa. David Pegg, an umpire from Pretoria read about the game in a magazine, and is flying all the way to Glasgow to oversee the game. STV presenters Shereen Nanjiani and John MacKay will be on hand to take part in the fun.

Organiser Eddie Barnes said: "This is the first attempt in Scotland to play cricket non-stop for 24 hours. People have sponsored themselves to take part, and we aim to raise thousands of pounds for what is a very worthy cause."

"There are floodlights during the night, and players will rotate throughout the day and night so that we can keep the game going. We are still on the look out for people to come along and join in, of all abilities."

The new Leukaemia Research Fund Centre will occupy a floor of a brand new laboratory building at Gartnavel. It will enable researchers - who are currently spread across various locations in the city - to be contained in a single building.

Professor John Wyke, chairman of the appeal said: " With over 21,000 new cases diagnosed each year, the case for the Centre is overwhelming. Glasgow's world class blood cancer clinicians and researchers are currently scattered at a number of hospitals throughout the city, making collaboration more difficult than it should be."

"This new Centre will bring them together, helping to concentrate research on one site. This means that communication between research groups will be improved, ultimately speeding up the delivery of new research and treatments."

"Ultimately, those who will benefit from the research will be those who need it most - Scotland's leukaemia patients," he added.

Approximately 21,500 people are diagnosed with leukaemia in the UK every year, and more than 1,500 cases in Scotland. Glasgow's researchers have been leading the way in the development of treatments for leukaemia. Their use of low doses of arsenic to treat some patients with acute promlyelocytic leukaemia may help to induce remission in up to 80% of cases. The drug will be incorporated into clinical trials in Glasgow in the near future.

If anyone would like to join in, please contact Eddie Barnes on 0141 2211267, or e mail malini.eddie@virgin.net

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

First published: 11 June 2004