Ancient two-day ball game set to return to town

Thousands of players are set to take part in the Royal Shrovetide Football in Ashbourne

A traditional ball game that dates back to the 12th Century is set to take over a town centre in Derbyshire once again.

The Royal Shrovetide Football has taken place in Ashbourne every Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday since at least 1667.

The game will see thousands of players - in teams called the Up'Ards and Down'Ards - compete to move the ball - to opposite ends of the town.

Farmers Dave Bott and Brian Pegg have been given the honour of "turning the ball up" to get the game under way on each day.

This year the ongoing Ashbourne Reborn project - a £15.2m regeneration of the town centre - will clash with the event after work started in February.

Players from the Up'ards and Down'ards teams competed for the ball in the Henmore Brook in last year's game

Public realm work in Dig Street and Buxton Hill stopped on Friday to make way for thousands of players to descend on the town.

The game is set to take place throughout Ashbourne, including key areas of the scheme such as Shrovetide Walk, connecting Shawcroft and Dig Street, as well as the areas surrounding St John Street, Millennium Square and the Market Place.

The game will start at 14:00 GMT, lasting until 22:00 in the evening on both days.

If one of the teams manages to "goal a ball" before 18:00, a new ball will be released and play will restart, otherwise the game will end for the day.

Last year, the game ended with a victory to the Up'Ards after winning 2-0 over the two days.