Shrovetide balls used in Ashbourne game sell for £12,500

All four balls were bought by private buyers living in Derbyshire

Four balls, used to play the ancient game of Shrovetide Football, have sold at auction for a total of £12,500.

The famous game has been played in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday since 1667.

The game is started when the ball is "turned up" into a crowd of players, who then compete to move it to two different ends of the town.

One of the balls sold at auction was turned up by the Prince of Wales in 1928.

Hansons Auctioneers said the balls - that went under the hammer on Friday - were all bought by private buyers in Derbyshire.

The ball turned up by the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VIII, was bought by a family in Ashbourne for £4,200.

They plan to keep it in the town and display it at the Heritage Centre.

One of the balls sold at auction was turned up by the Prince of Wales in 1928

The Jack Smith memorial ball sold for £1,700 and balls dating back to 1906 and 1926 each made £3,300.

The balls were sold by Roy Twigge, who said: "Having lived in Cheshire for many years, and as the four balls had no direct family connection, I decided to go ahead and give other people the chance to own a Shrovetide ball, since very few people get the chance."

The brutal game has been played in Ashbourne since 1667

The balls are filled with cork to keep them afloat if they end up in the river.

They are hand-painted with a design that usually relates to the person given the honour of turning up the ball.

If a ball is goaled it is repainted with the name of the scorer.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: "Ashbourne's Shrovetide football match is famous not just in its home county but across the world - and the balls are at the heart of the magic.

"They are historical works of art and it was an honour to help them find new homes."