Pancake Races too dangerous!

I don't believe it! Apparently a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Race in Ripon, Yorkshire, was cancelled because of 'health and safety' concerns.

Those mamby pamby Tykes ought to come down to Derbyshire for a few lessons in how to have a bit of dangerous fun. Yes, for the second week running I'm back in my home town of Ashbourne, to enjoy the centuries old annual Royal Shrovetide Football game.

This picture should give you a rough idea of what it's all about:-



click on photo to enlarge

Somewhere in the middle of that steaming mass of humanity, called 'the hug', is a large brightly coloured leather covered solid ball. The game starts when the ball is 'turned up' at two o'clock and finishes when a single goal is scored, or when time runs out at ten o'clock in the evening. Play takes place anywhere in the town or surrounding countryside, with just a few areas like churchyards and cemetries out of bounds.

The two opposing teams are the 'Up'ards' and the 'Down'ards', determined by which side of the town they were born on. Up'ards attempt to score a goal at what used to be Sturston Mill, a mile and a half up the River Henmore, while Down'ards attempt the same at what used to be Clifton Mill, a mile and a half down river

The ball spends most of the game in the middle of the hug, which is pushed and shoved all around the town, or in the river, usually moving quite slowly or even getting stuck in one place for minutes on end. Then all of a sudden the ball can be thrown out of the hug and all hell breaks loose as hundreds of players attempt to kick it, pick it up and run with it, or form another hug.

Because the hug has no respect for a few square feet of plate glass the shops in the town centre have to take precautionary measures as shown below:

The scorer of a goal gets to keep the ball, and these are treasured possessions for those who do get them. My grandfather and two of my cousins have scored in the past, one cousin gaining some notoriety by putting the ball in the back of a van and driving it down to the goal! This gave rise to a new rule (one of the few) that motorised transport can not be used. The notoriety did him no harm, however, as in later life he became a JP and chairman of the Shrovetide Football Committee.