Two ITF senior players from Britain recount their experiences during the massive Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand.
Britain’s Colin Bennet told thisisgloucesterhire.com that while on court: "All of a sudden the ground shook horrifically. One of the guys fell over and everyone either fell or sat down to stop themselves falling. We were on the outdoor courts and we were very lucky to be in an open area. The indoor center, where the courts and cafeteria were, was moving side-to-side. The building stayed up, but pieces came off it. One person behind the bar was scalded when a coffee machine fell. Things were moving inside the building. The courts were cracked and water started rising up."
Another player, Alec Allen, recalled: "The earth was just moving to and fro under my feet. I couldn't stand up and fell over, it lasted about 10 seconds. We all knew that Christchurch had experienced some tremors. When it came you knew exactly what it was. A deep rumble like thunder then everything was shaking and people were screaming. I looked at the court and all of this mud just seeped up through the ground. The court started breaking up and flooding with water and mud coming through the earth. The courts were buckled a couple of feet high. "When it was over we walked off the court and gradually cracks were appearing. Gas was coming out of the ground as well."—Matthew Cronin