Ashbourne's annual Shrovetide football game in pictures
- Published
Thousands of people have descended on the Derbyshire town of Ashbourne for the annual Shrovetide football game
Shops are boarded up every year ahead of the chaotic event which is thought to date back centuries
Players are divided into two teams known as the Up'ards and the Down'ards, depending on which side of the River Henmore they were born
The game is started when someone throws the ball into the crowd - known as "turning up". Competitors then battle for possession of the ball as it breaks from the hug
Despite its name, the game resembles a huge, disorganised rugby scrum. The two teams compete to "goal the ball" at their own end by banging it three times against one of two old millstones - at either Clifton or Sturston
There are few rules and the game can be played almost anywhere, but competitors must not enter churchyards, cemeteries and memorial gardens
Under the rules it is also forbidden to transport the ball in cars or to kill your opponents
There is even a traditional Shrovetide song, which features the line: "Tis a glorious game, deny it who can that tries the pluck of an Englishman"
Competitors can sometimes find themselves going to extreme lengths to get the ball
The game is played over two days - Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday - and scoring or "goaling" means you will be carried back into the town by your team
- Published4 March 2014
- Published13 February 2013