Ben McColgan (left) and Lachie Davidson with their winning medals and trophy. Photo / Supplied
Ben McColgan (left) and Lachie Davidson with their winning medals and trophy. Photo / Supplied
The temperature was 27C and beads of sweat were starting to form on Ben McColgan's and Lachie Davidson's brow lines.
The two 21-year-olds, Ben from Tauranga and Lachie from Ashburton, stood parallel to their Canadian competitors in the final of the egg throw and catch world champs under the sweltering English sun.
Five eggs had been thrown. The Canadian team cracked all three of theirs from the 60m throw point and Lachie's palms were clammy as he gripped the final egg of the competition.
Like a true lanky cricketer, he tossed the egg the full distance.
Ben, on the other side of the field, stood in position, praying his hands were supple enough to absorb the impact of the egg coming his way.
Sure enough, the moisturising had paid off and the egg landed unmarked in his cupped hands as the 5000-strong crowd roared and the New Zealand flags flew high.
This was the moment the Kiwi pair, known as the NZ Yolk Ferns, took away the title of the world champions of the egg and throw competition, the main event of the world egg championships.
When the pair spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times after their win, Lachie said it was fair to say they were "eggstatic", although the whole thing was "pretty bizarre".
As the winners, they had taken away medals, a trophy and even mugs that said "champion tossers" on the front.
The event had started with 50 teams from all around the world, battling it out for the title in Lincolnshire.
The pair grasping their New Zealand flag following the win. Photo / Supplied
The idea was the teams would have three eggs per 10m increment and as long as they successfully caught one without taking a yolk to the face, they moved further back.
Ben said the majority of the teams got to the 30m to 40m marks before they started dropping like flies.
Only the NZ and Canadian teams wound up in the final at 60m.
From training in the icy conditions in Palmerston North, the pair had worked out that the hotter the air, the further the egg will go.
Lachie said this research had put them in good confidence in the hot conditions - despite coming away with a decent amount of sunburn.
However, the rankings did not stop there - the pair also gained third place in the egg catapult competition and Lachie also ranked in egg roulette. Other competitions involved smashing eggs on their heads and having eggs catapulted at them.
The pair will celebrate their win in the next two weeks as they explore Europe and catch the Cricket World Cup final before heading home.
The BBC has even requested an interview with them.
