See a photo gallery of the team breaking the world record here.

A SCHOOL'S netball team has set a new world record for the longest ever match.

The netball squad at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School played a game that lasted 55 hours and 20 minutes.

Twenty one players in two teams played in rotation to slug it out in the school gymnasium in Glen Road, Waterfoot.

The final score was 2,217 goals for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer team to 1,922 goals by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust team.

Top scorer was Abi Hughes, team captain for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer side, who scored 351 goals.

The teams played the equivalent of 40 back-to-back games in aid of the two charities.

The attempt was the idea of headteacher, Marc Morris, who was chief coach along with Sue Smith, head of PE.

He said: "I could not be more proud of the girls.

"They have pulled together as a team and supported each other through pain and tears."

The squad, aged 14 to 18, had been in training since before Christmas.

They started their quest at noon on Thursday and finished at 7.20pm on Saturday.

Nearly 60 independent witnesses, 28 medical staff, over 20 umpires and fellow students and staff providing food and support also took part in the bid. The previous record holder was Capital NUNS Netball Club who managed 55 hours.