Meteorite hits fan at cricket match

Eurosport - Mon, 26 Jul 12:29:00 2010

Two cricket fans' enjoyment of a county cricket match was interrupted when a meteorite sailed towards the boundary ropes, hitting one man in the chest.

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Jan Marszel, 51, and Richard Haynes, 52, were watching Sussex players Luke Wright and Monty Panesar bat when a black object soared towards them.

The rock, five inches in length and thought to be up to 4.5 billion years old, crashed into the ground and broke in two just in front of their seats square of the wicket.

Mr Marszel, an IT consultant, told the Daily Telegraph: “We were sitting at the boundary edge when all of a sudden, out of a blue sky, we saw this small dark object hurtling towards us.

“It landed five yards inside the boundary and split into two pieces.

“One piece bounced up and hit me in the chest and the other ended up against the boundary board.

“It came across at quite a speed - if it had hit me full on it could have been very interesting."

Meteorite strikes are extremely rare, but Mr Haynes remains convinced the object that is now back at his home is indeed a lump of rock from outer space.

Mr Haynes, said: “We were quietly supping our pints, both looked up at the same time and saw a black object coming towards us - we didn’t know what it was.

“If it had come from the other direction we might have suspected someone had thrown it, but we saw it come in straight over the ground from quite a way out - it was definitely a meteorite.”

Dr Matthew Genge, a meteorite expert at Imperial College, London, said: “If this turns out to be a meteorite it’s very exciting and would be the first fall in the UK since 1992.

"Potentially it contains secrets as to the formation of our solar system."

Eurosport

Comment 253 - 272 of 272

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  1. Looks like a story like in 271 ;)

    From Yoshitha E, on Thu 29 Jul 7:54

  2. i hope people don't think that's the actual­ meteorite...

    wish more was done on this story...­ you'd think there would be more pictures and info­ O_o, like if the man who was hit was thrown back or cut­ or something.

    apparently theargus site has the actual­ pictures of the meteorite. much smaller than this one .­

    also double spacing ftw :D

    From Alzorg, on Wed 28 Jul 21:11

  3. i havent read previous comments but surely i m not the­ only sceptic in the room, lol. that thing would have­ been RED hot and gone right through his chest. ­ something smells fishy eh ol boy?

    From paul b., on Wed 28 Jul 19:46

  4. These things usually arrive much faster than a rifle­ bullet, I'd like to know just how you see something­ that fast & I really don't think it'd­ bounce!

    From Steve, on Wed 28 Jul 2:03

  5. Something interesting in cricket. That's a new one

    From Aleksander T, on Wed 28 Jul 0:40

  6. Hmmm .. a very different picture to the one in the­ local paper which shows the two guys holding the­ "meteor". The two bits are about 2-3cm each­ across. Methinks Yahoo have used a little­ "editorial licence" with the supporting­ photograph for this story. See the actual photos at ­ "theargus dot co dot uk"

    From Seagull, on Wed 28 Jul 0:32

  7. come on guys travlling at 32 feet per second per second­ would this have not killed everyone with in a 1 mile­ radious and be as hot as the sun leaving a huge crater­ and burnt a big hole in is chest.... too many beers­ guys and sleeping through the cricket ... maybe next­ time....... gone for SIX .............

    From leslie Worstenholme, on Tue 27 Jul 21:57

  8. I agree with 'DARREL', surely there would be a­ crater? Something that can break our atmosphere would­ come down with extreme velocity?
    If they want a story-­ how about: Outside agency undermines the rehabilitation­ of offenders projects by insisting the offender is and­ always will be worthless- working links employ staff­ that are over and above anyone ever found guilty of an­ offence though some may have actually been innocent-­ thats if Andy speaks for the organisation still.

    From THE Voice of REASON!, on Tue 27 Jul 21:38

  9. It was God's bowler, needs more practice , he­ missed the wicket.

    From Ronald, on Tue 27 Jul 21:12

  10. One of my mates and i were chatting up bit while­ watching the cricket match, We snorted up some cocaine,­ hit some acid and drank a few pints of galactic ale.­ Behold we saw this meteorite lands right in front of­ us. @#$%, he should be the most successful dope dealer­ in the solar system to see stuff like that. Everyone­ would forget all their problems forever.

    From DARRELL, on Tue 27 Jul 20:58

  11. ....I believe there's a position in cricket known­ as ' fools on'....but these guys were not­ there, right?

    From John Kahura, on Tue 27 Jul 20:54

  12. I think it's a very, VERY bad wedge of cheesecake­ someone tossed out. That's a silly answer but what­ I thought when I first saw it, but like others have­ said....if it hasn't been tested how they do pull­ some million year old date out of their @#$%? Just­ trying to get a story.

    They need to read those­ articles about where online journalism is taking­ humanity. Little writers always trying to get a big­ break by passing off the latest tabloid rumours as­ fact, and then (but not often enough) getting shamed­ when it comes out it was just a hoax of some kind.­

    Sensationalism at its dumbest and purest.

    From Grisha, on Tue 27 Jul 20:53

  13. Sounds really interesting, yea this must be completely­ taken to research hope it gives a positive result.

    From mushi, on Tue 27 Jul 20:51

  14. Well as fare as I have heard, read and seen in the USA­ meteorites are worth quite a bit of money?

    So the­ person who it landed by could sell it and make some­ money small ones in the USA sell for anything up to­ $2000

    Larger ones make much more its big business­ over there because it’s irreplaceable and you can buy­ them in the shops can you’’? There worth more than gold­ in the USA?

    It’s just a thought I hope this help the­ person who has it kindest regards everybody.

    From william, on Tue 27 Jul 20:43

  15. Where is the crater photo? There should also be­ scorched earth.

    From DARRELL, on Tue 27 Jul 20:41

  16. Wouldn't a chunk that size be sort of heavy for­ it's size?

    From DARRELL, on Tue 27 Jul 20:24

  17. May be it was God's symbolic warning of the world­ crushing to an end in 4.5 billion years' time. We­ must do enough to prepare our great, great,­ great.......................grant children in advance­ although we will be overused soil at such a time.

    From steven, on Tue 27 Jul 20:11

  18. May be it was God's symbolic warning of the world­ coming to an end in 4.5 billion years' time. We­ must do enough to prepare our great, great,­ great.......................grant children in advance­ although we will be overused soil at such a time.

    From steven, on Tue 27 Jul 20:08

  19. Maybe It Was Thrown Bye OSAM
    Lolzzzzzzzzzzzz

    From furqan, on Tue 27 Jul 17:20

  20. Wouldn't he be like, dead?

    From Allie, on Tue 27 Jul 17:03
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