As further evidence of England's sporting spirit (see earlier post here), a reader in London points us to the tradition of Shrovetide football, held each year in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, and which the BBC guide describes as "one of the world's oldest, largest, longest and maddest football games."
The goal posts are three miles apart, and the game must end by 10 pm, but, other than that, there are few rules. Rather than being passed by foot, the ball is carried forward like in rugby or American football, where one large scrum tries to muscle its way past an opposing one.
Although in practice anyone can take part and play for either side, the teams traditionally denote different allegiances. Those born north of the River Henmore play for the Up'ards; those born south of the river play for the Down'ards.
While no one can say for sure, the tradition may be over 1,000 years old, with some speculating that the ball was once a decapitated head. One of the earliest rules was "one may not murder one's opponents," which has since been broadened to "one may not intentionally cause harm to others."
Apparently, the whole town talks about it for weeks leading up to
the event, shops are boarded up (for everyone's protection), and it has
the feel of a homecoming, reunion, and Ultimate Fighting championship
all rolled into one. Regulars train for months ahead of time, reports the BBC.
Some train to be part of the 'hug' - the central scrum of the game. Some train to be runners with the sole intention of having the ball thrown to them and running as fast as they can with it towards their goal. Yet others train as 'river specialists' and are there to battle for control of the ball during the many hours it may spend in the River Henmore. River specialists dress appropriately - it gets cold in that river!
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