Haxey Hood 2022 cancelled for second year due to Covid

The mass-scrum game is held annually on the Twelfth Day of Christmas

An ancient rugby-style game in which hundreds of rival villagers face off in a mass scrum has been cancelled for a second year.

The Haxey Hood usually attracts crowds who battle to bring a leather tube - dubbed the hood - to the door of a local pub.

Traditionally held on 6 January, last year's event did not go ahead for the first time in more than 100 years.

Organisers confirmed 2022's Hood had also been pulled amid Covid concerns.

Pub patrons from the neighbouring North Lincolnshire villages of Haxey and Westwoodside gather to face off for the annual event.

They compete to push the 3ft (1m) Hood towards one of four local pubs - with the game coming to an end when it is touched by the landlord of the swarmed tavern.

Dating back to the 14th Century, the contest can run for hours and attracts hundreds of spectators and participants.

Organisers said the pandemic meant they had "very little choice" but to cancel the previous event and it was with "great regret" they had taken the decision to do so again.

The event attracts hundreds of people and can run for hours

Responding to the announcement on Facebook, the majority of people said it was a sensible decision, given the current situation.

Some also suggested holding the event at a later date.

More news from across the region

Coronavirus cases reached a new high in England with a further 117,093 infections reported on Tuesday.

North Lincolnshire currently has a rate of 723 Covid cases per 100,000. The average area in England had 1,109.

What is Haxey Hood?

The game - seen here in 1938 - dates back to the 14th Century

• 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 story says the worker who caught the hood was too shy to approach her and handed it to a fellow worker to return

• It is said Lady de Mowbray thanked the man who returned the hood and said he had acted like a lord. The worker who caught it was labelled a fool

• The contest is held annually on the Twelfth Day of Christmas except when 6 January falls on a Sunday

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