Haxey Hood: Hundreds take part in ancient rugby-style game

The Kings Arms were the victorious winners of this year's contest

Hundreds of people have turned out to take part in an ancient rugby-style game involving rival villagers.

The annual Haxey Hood game between pubs in the North Lincolnshire villages of Haxey and Westwoodside dates back to the 14th Century.

It involves large crowds of people facing off in a mass scrum to push a leather tube - known as the hood.

This year's event was won by the Kings Arms in Haxey.

The game begins with the ceremonial "fool" delivering a speech while a bonfire is lit behind him covering him in smoke.

The ceremonial fool James Chatwin delivers a speech marking the beginning of the competition

As the fool speaks a bonfire is lit behind him

The Hood is then thrown into the crowd and rival teams compete to get it to their pub, however no-one is allowed to run with the hood and they are not allowed to throw it.

The tradition is said to have started when Lady de Mowbray was out riding between Westwoodside and Haxey - between Gainsborough, Scunthorpe and Doncaster - when her silk riding hood was blown away by the wind

She is said to have been so amused to see local farm workers chasing it, she rewarded them land - on condition the chase be re-enacted every year.

The Lord of the Hood (c) raises his staff to begin the Haxey Hood.

Rival teams battle it out to gain control of the hood

The legend says that the worker who caught the hood was too shy to approach her and handed it to a fellow worker to return.

Lady de Mowbray thanked the man who returned the hood and said he had acted like a lord.

The worker who caught it and had not returned it to her was labelled a "fool".

The contest is held annually on the twelfth day of Christmas except when 6 January falls on a Sunday.

The victorious pub is allowed to display the 3ft (1m) hood for the rest of the year.