The ins and outs of playing up and down in Britain
Kirkwall (Christmas Day and New Years)
What is known is that the form of street football that makes up the Kirkwall "Ba" has probably been played in Britain for hundreds of years, consisting of a largely unstructured pushing and shoving match in which the hands are actually used more than the feet to convey the ball to a specific destination.
Kirkwall is the furthest north city in the British Isles and is the capital of the Orkney Islands and home to the Kirkwall Ba game . On Christmas Day and New Years Day the Ba game takes place unless Christmas Day and New Years day is a sunday then its played on the monday . The Boys Ba is thrown up at 10.30 and the Mens Ba is thrown up at 1 oclock
Similar games are still played in 10 or so UK towns, and all involve various sections of the community, often hundreds strong, competing against one another in roads, alleys and lanes.
Ashbourne (28 Feb-1 March)
The football game played in the streets of this Derbyshire town each Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday can trace its roots to the 12 century, making it one of the oldest ball games in the UK. The contest between the Up'ards and Down'ards is open to everyone brave enough to have a go.
Jedburgh (2 March)
The Hand Ba' game in this Scottish Borders town is rumoured to have originally been played with the heads of English raiders - they now use a less messy leather ball tied with ribbons. A series of 10 to 15 games, open to all, is played over the course of a day. The Uppies score by throwing the ball over Jedburgh Castle wall, the Downies by getting the ball into Skiprunning Burn.
Sedgefield
Shrove Tuesday Football still takes place here; locally it is known as the Ball Game. "According to the old custom, the parish clerk is obliged to furnish a football on Shrove Tuesday, which he throws into the market place, where it is contested for by the mechanics against the agriculturists of the town and neighbourhood."
The ball is made from leather, its maker is a secret for fear of prosecution. At 1.00 pm it is passed three times through a bull ring in the centre of the village. The object of the game used to be to "ally" the ball at two goals at either end of the village. However the ball can not be allied until 4.00 pm. due to the expansion of the village it know only has one "ally", which has been slightly moved from its original setting. The ally is a beck at the south of the village. During the time between 1 and 4 the ball is played around the surrounding villages, and it is a great privilege to get even a kick, as it can get quite physical. The first person to get the ball to any of the local pubs by tradition receives a free drink.
Once the ball has been allied it must be returned to the bull ring in the centre of the village and passed through it three times. The whole task is quite difficult as this is an individual and not a team game. The most successful family in the ball game's history must be the "Ison" family, of which most of the males have succeeded on more the one occasion.
Atherstone
An annual tradition in Atherstone is Shrove Tuesday Football or (mob football) played on public highways with large crowds. The game celebrated its 800th anniversary in 1999.
Alnwick
A Shrove Tuesday football match, known as Scoring the Hales is played on the fields below the castle between the parishes of St. Paul and St. Michaels. The ball is fetched from Alnwick Castle in procession, preceded by the Duke of Northumberland's piper. The game is won by whichever team is first to score 3 "hales" or goals.