Only the British are probably eccentric enough to play a game of football which has HUNDREDS of players taking part and the nets are three MILES apart.
But that is what happened yesterday when the annual Shrove Tueday football matches took place the length and breadth of the nation.
The centuries-old Royal Shrovetide annual football match in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, which takes place every Shrove Tuesday, is played by an angry mob of hundreds trying to get a beautifully-illustrated ball into nets three MILES apart.
Some say the British urge to kick a round object goes back to the time when some Anglo-Saxons decided to play kick-about with the heads of slayed Vikings (which did actually occur).
Unfortunately, that doesn't happen much in today's more Health and Safety conscious times.
Here's a look at some of the other eccentric ball games played in parts of Britain yesterday and, with some of them dating back to the reign of King John, owe their origins to Britain's long and colourful history....
Shrove Tuesday: anyone for football?
Shrove Tuesday is a time for traditional sports, says Adrian Tierney-Jones.
By Adrian Tierney-Jones
24 Feb 2009
The Telegraph
Hands up if you're having a ball: the centuries-old Royal Shrovetide annual football match in Derbyshire is played by hundreds of participants trying to get a beautifully illustrated ball into goals three miles apart Photo: GETTY
Shrove Tuesday may be best-known for pancake races, but it also hosts another tradition: Shrovetide Tuesday football. It's hardly the "beautiful game", more like all-out warfare (or at the very least, rugby) than anything in the Premiership.
Shopkeepers board up their premises and cars are hurriedly parked elsewhere as the "players" engage in an unseemly brawl that travels up hill and down dale, and often across a cold stream too.
The British urge to kick a round object goes back centuries – some say it started when a handful of triumphant Anglo-Saxons had a kick-about with the head of a Viking warrior. Given modern society's concerns over health and the anarchy of the mob, it's amazing that this boisterous custom still exists.
Some towns (such as Chester le Street, County Durham) have indeed blown the final whistle, but plenty of others remain. Here's where to wave your rattle (preferably from a safe distance) this Shrove Tuesday.
The Ball Game – Atherstone, Warwickshire
According to Harold H Taft, secretary of the Ball Game Committee, this rough, tough game (that uses something akin to a medicine ball) has its roots in the time of King John. "The game is a free-for-all and anyone can take part," he says, adding pointedly, "…at their own risk." The ball is thrown from a first floor window at Barclays Bank and the first battle is to claim one of three ribbons attached to the ball. The ball is then kicked up and down the street and after 90 minutes a massive scrum forms with whoever ends up with the ball at 5pm being declared the winner. "To an outsider it can look quite dangerous," agrees Taft with a sage smile.
The royal prefix comes from 1928, when the future Edward VII got too close to the action and received a bloody nose (Prince Charles came away unscathed in 2003).
The earliest record of the game comes from the mid-18th century but aficionados swear its roots are medieval. There are two teams: the Up'ards (those born on the north side of the River Henmore) and the Down'ards (those born on the south side). Exiled Ashbournians return to play from all over the world. "I remember scoring in 1987," says teacher Mick Betteridge, secretary of the Royal Shrovetide Committee. "It was a very proud day for me. The country would be so anodyne without these traditions." The game also continues on Ash Wednesday.
Members of the Company of Marblers and Stone Cutters of Purbeck gather at The Fox for their annual meeting and lunch. Afterwards they kick a football (it used to be a pig's bladder) through West Street over an open piece of ground and back to the town hall. The "game" is much more subdued that it used to be (records from the Fifties recall broken windows). "Now we tend to stand back and let the traffic go," says stone mason Brian Bugler, who has been playing for 30 years. This game is confined to the men who work in the trade – from 15-30 take part. In 1992, a local policeman ignorant of the tradition confiscated the ball. Catch this before it dies out.
The "pitch" is a massive 31 square miles, while the game is supposedly an echo of a pagan ritual celebrating the lengthening of the days as spring approached. The ball is the size of a cricket ball, made from apple wood and covered with silver. Two sides take part: those living in the town (the townsmen) and those outside (the countrymen), with up to 50 on each side. "People come and watch it at their own risk," laughs Colin Rescorla, a local funeral director who has been making the ball for the past 20 years. Non-locals can have a go but, as Rescorla says, "If you aren't recognised then you won't get your hands on the ball unless by brute force."
This caused so much devastation when it took place in the streets of Alnwick that the Duke of Northumberland offered a meadow called the Pasture as a replacement. More than 100 players take part, representing local parishes St Paul's and St Michael's. The game starts with the match ball being thrown from the Barbican of Alnwick Castle to the chairman of the Shrovetide Football Committee.
Everyone then marches over the River Aln to the field of play. The game is decided by scoring goals or hales. When a hale is scored the teams change ends; the first to score two hales wins.
But that is what happened yesterday when the annual Shrove Tueday football matches took place the length and breadth of the nation.
The centuries-old Royal Shrovetide annual football match in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, which takes place every Shrove Tuesday, is played by an angry mob of hundreds trying to get a beautifully-illustrated ball into nets three MILES apart.
Some say the British urge to kick a round object goes back to the time when some Anglo-Saxons decided to play kick-about with the heads of slayed Vikings (which did actually occur).
Unfortunately, that doesn't happen much in today's more Health and Safety conscious times.
Here's a look at some of the other eccentric ball games played in parts of Britain yesterday and, with some of them dating back to the reign of King John, owe their origins to Britain's long and colourful history....
Shrove Tuesday: anyone for football?
Shrove Tuesday is a time for traditional sports, says Adrian Tierney-Jones.
By Adrian Tierney-Jones
24 Feb 2009
The Telegraph
Hands up if you're having a ball: the centuries-old Royal Shrovetide annual football match in Derbyshire is played by hundreds of participants trying to get a beautifully illustrated ball into goals three miles apart Photo: GETTY
Shrove Tuesday may be best-known for pancake races, but it also hosts another tradition: Shrovetide Tuesday football. It's hardly the "beautiful game", more like all-out warfare (or at the very least, rugby) than anything in the Premiership.
Shopkeepers board up their premises and cars are hurriedly parked elsewhere as the "players" engage in an unseemly brawl that travels up hill and down dale, and often across a cold stream too.
The British urge to kick a round object goes back centuries – some say it started when a handful of triumphant Anglo-Saxons had a kick-about with the head of a Viking warrior. Given modern society's concerns over health and the anarchy of the mob, it's amazing that this boisterous custom still exists.
Some towns (such as Chester le Street, County Durham) have indeed blown the final whistle, but plenty of others remain. Here's where to wave your rattle (preferably from a safe distance) this Shrove Tuesday.
The Ball Game – Atherstone, Warwickshire
According to Harold H Taft, secretary of the Ball Game Committee, this rough, tough game (that uses something akin to a medicine ball) has its roots in the time of King John. "The game is a free-for-all and anyone can take part," he says, adding pointedly, "…at their own risk." The ball is thrown from a first floor window at Barclays Bank and the first battle is to claim one of three ribbons attached to the ball. The ball is then kicked up and down the street and after 90 minutes a massive scrum forms with whoever ends up with the ball at 5pm being declared the winner. "To an outsider it can look quite dangerous," agrees Taft with a sage smile.
- Kick-off: 3pm. www.atherstoneballgame.co.uk
The royal prefix comes from 1928, when the future Edward VII got too close to the action and received a bloody nose (Prince Charles came away unscathed in 2003).
The earliest record of the game comes from the mid-18th century but aficionados swear its roots are medieval. There are two teams: the Up'ards (those born on the north side of the River Henmore) and the Down'ards (those born on the south side). Exiled Ashbournians return to play from all over the world. "I remember scoring in 1987," says teacher Mick Betteridge, secretary of the Royal Shrovetide Committee. "It was a very proud day for me. The country would be so anodyne without these traditions." The game also continues on Ash Wednesday.
- Kick off: 2pm. www.ashbourne-town.com
Members of the Company of Marblers and Stone Cutters of Purbeck gather at The Fox for their annual meeting and lunch. Afterwards they kick a football (it used to be a pig's bladder) through West Street over an open piece of ground and back to the town hall. The "game" is much more subdued that it used to be (records from the Fifties recall broken windows). "Now we tend to stand back and let the traffic go," says stone mason Brian Bugler, who has been playing for 30 years. This game is confined to the men who work in the trade – from 15-30 take part. In 1992, a local policeman ignorant of the tradition confiscated the ball. Catch this before it dies out.
- Kick-off: 1.30pm
The "pitch" is a massive 31 square miles, while the game is supposedly an echo of a pagan ritual celebrating the lengthening of the days as spring approached. The ball is the size of a cricket ball, made from apple wood and covered with silver. Two sides take part: those living in the town (the townsmen) and those outside (the countrymen), with up to 50 on each side. "People come and watch it at their own risk," laughs Colin Rescorla, a local funeral director who has been making the ball for the past 20 years. Non-locals can have a go but, as Rescorla says, "If you aren't recognised then you won't get your hands on the ball unless by brute force."
- Kick-off: 4.30pm. www.sportincornwall.co.uk
This caused so much devastation when it took place in the streets of Alnwick that the Duke of Northumberland offered a meadow called the Pasture as a replacement. More than 100 players take part, representing local parishes St Paul's and St Michael's. The game starts with the match ball being thrown from the Barbican of Alnwick Castle to the chairman of the Shrovetide Football Committee.
Everyone then marches over the River Aln to the field of play. The game is decided by scoring goals or hales. When a hale is scored the teams change ends; the first to score two hales wins.
- Kick-off: 2pm
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