Latest news with #Shrovetide
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Down'Ards win Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football game
An ancient football game in Derbyshire has finished with a victory to the Down' of players turned out again for Royal Shrovetide Football in Ashbourne, which is held on Shrove Tuesday and Ash game has taken place nearly every year since 1667 and features rival players in teams called the Up'Ards and Down'Ards competing to move the ball to opposite ends of the Down'Ards "goaled" on day one, which ended up being the only goal during the two-day affair. Ashbourne farmer David Bott had the honour of "turning the ball up" to get play under way at 14:00 GMT on Wednesday, the honour had fallen to another local farmer, Brian the ball to be "goaled", the teams must attempt to manoeuvre the ball across their respective sides of the town, before tapping the ball three times against the goals at either end. On day one, after going missing for nearly two hours, the ball was goaled by Martyn Taylor at around 20:20 GMT. After scoring, Mr Taylor was lifted on to the shoulders of his teammates down to the Greenman pub as day one ended: Down'Ards 1-0 Up' spending most of the first day in the centre of Ashbourne, the game headed into the fields on day two - which included a mischievous "rogue ball" that entered the the Up'Ards best attempts for an equaliser, they were not able to "goal" the ball in time, and the Down'Ards came out as year of Shrovetide may be over, but it is now only 52 weeks until it happens all over again...
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Photos as mad Shrove Tuesday football match ends in players jumping into river
Hundreds turned out for a mad Shrovetide football game in Northumberland, which ended with players jumping into the River Aln to claim the ball. The annual match with almost no rules and no referee was held for the 207th time on Shrove Tuesday, March 4. It starts when the Duke of Northumberland throws the ball from the turrets of Alnwick Castle ahead of a 2.15pm kick off. The Duke of Northumberland puts the ball into play. (Image: PA) Players and spectators formed a procession down to a field on the banks of the Aln where two huge goals, known as hales, awaited them a furlong apart, forming a supersized pitch almost double the length of a normal football field. (Image: PA) Two teams, formed of the old parishes of of St. Michael's and St. Paul's, compete over two 30 minute halfs. (Image: PA) At the end of the game, first held in 1762, the ball was kicked into the river for a one player to claim and bring out on the other side as 'the ball winner'. Players jump into the River Aln to retrieve the ball. (Image: PA) (Image: PA) (Image: PA) (Image: PA) Read next: Man whose car ruined in 'arson' on his fright as resident recalls 'flames everywhere' Cat dies after coming home seriously injured in 'deliberate act of cruelty' Tragedy as man, 18, dies in County Durham woods after 'welfare' concerns lick here to join our WhatsApp community and get breaking news updates direct to your phone. The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland on the procession with the ball. (Image: PA) (Image: PA) (Image: PA)
BBC News
04-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Plea for players to join term-time Shrovetide game in Alnwick
The organiser of one of five remaining Shrovetide football games to take place around the country say he hopes a decent number of players will still turn up, despite the event falling in term-time this event, in Alnwick, Northumberland, dates back to at least 1762, and is played on the fields by the River Aln, following a procession from Alnwick Castle. Around 80 players took part last year when Shrove Tuesday fell in the school Archie Jenkins said: "We do get a few less when the date falls in term-time and we do worry, but hopefully they'll go up again the following year." The historic Shrovetide game has virtually no rules and no played in many towns and villages around England, just a handful of places continue the tradition - including Alnwick and Sedgefield in County Alnwick, players representing the parishes of St Michael's and St Paul's attempt to get the ball through large homemade goals known as 2024, St Michael's were the winners with the final score being the end of the game, the ball is kicked into the river with the person who dives in to retrieve it and take it to the other side known as 'the ball winner'. Since 1976, St Cloud State University, Minnesota in the United States has had a base in Alnwick Castle and many of its students have taken part in the match."We usually have up to 15 Americans play but lots of the others come to support their friends," Mr Jenkins said"Last year Aileen Miller, one of the American students, became the first female ever to score a hale," he added. The game was originally played in the streets of the town, but moved to the area known as Alnwick Pastures below the castle in 1828."We're already looking ahead to how we're going to celebrate that 200th anniversary," Mr Jenkins said, adding: "That will be a really big year". Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
03-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Arsenal's silverware hopes on edge in festive Eindhoven challenge
It may be carnival time in Eindhoven this week but Arsenal are definitely not in town to party. Having seen their hopes of chasing down Liverpool in the Premier League title race slip away, Mikel Arteta knows that it is Champions League or bust for their chances of bringing home silverware this season. The Arsenal manager was in a positive mood before the first leg of their last-16 tie against PSV, even if he refused to contemplate the prospect of a quarter-final showdown with either Real or Atlético Madrid should his side progress. After a campaign that has been repeatedly knocked off course by injuries and ill-discipline, matching last season's achievement of reaching the last eight of this competition for the first time since 2010 would at least be something for Arteta. Yet perhaps it was a recognition of the mammoth task Arsenal face just to get past the Dutch champions given their lack of options in attack that he was hardly convincing when asked whether his players had recovered from the mental blow of dropping points against West Ham and Nottingham Forest. 'In the last two results, it's been very different in terms of performance as well,' Arteta said. 'Not getting the result that we want, but certainly being better, especially in the last game than the opposition. And the fact that we have still gears, even with the players that we have, some other gears to take the game to a different level. 'When it comes to that stage, it's about lifting the level and the standards. Every individual has to be at their best. And when we do that, with the team that we have and the connection that we have between us, we are a really strong team.' PSV had been hoping Uefa would allow them to schedule Tuesday night's game 24 hours later to avoid clashing with the Shrovetide festivities. But having overturned a first-leg deficit against Juventus in front of a raucous home crowd to reach this stage, the Dutch champions will certainly be no pushovers despite trailing Ajax by eight points in the Eredivisie standings. The Philips Stadium is an arena this Arsenal team know well after meeting Peter Bosz's side in the group stage of this competition last year and the Europa League in 2022. But having been inspired to a 4-0 victory on their first visit here in 2002 by two goals from Thierry Henry, Arteta will be aware that they have not recorded a victory since then in four attempts. PSV have lost several of the players that helped them beat Arne Slot's Feyenoord to the title last season but remain dangerous opponents. They have scored in every home match so far in this campaign and will fancy their chance of keeping out Arsenal's makeshift attack. However, Arsenal's record of five clean sheets from their eight league-phase games should give their supporters hope that they can at least stay in the tie before next week's second leg. 'That's the biggest reassurance because this doesn't happen at that level of consistency for that many months for a random reason,' Arteta said. 'It's because we have it in us and there are certain things we're going to have to adapt. That's obviously unquestionable, but we can still be very efficient and a top team. 'Regardless in what situation you are in the league, when you start to come to this stage of the Champions League, there is something else. You feel it in the atmosphere and the energy of the place. It's something else because it's a competition you don't play weekly and you play in a moment where you are in or you are out. And that gives you urgency, and it gets the best out of you. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'The reality is, being a coach, I just look at what is ahead. And what is ahead is a team that has eliminated a team like Juventus with a history. So, I know the difficulty. We played against them a lot in recent years and we know the difficulty of the match.' Arsenal have only reached the last four of this competition on two occasions and were eliminated by PSV the last time they met them in the knockout stages in 2007 – a year after losing in the final under Arsène Wenger. That side was managed by Ronald Koeman and featured the future Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. The former Spurs winger Ivan Perisic was their hero against Juventus in the last round and Jurriën Timber is wary of the threat his side will face. 'It's a big challenge,' he said. 'PSV have showed everyone that they have a lot of quality, not just up front, but as a team they are very strong. I didn't need to tell Mikel much because we already played here twice. It will be very difficult.'
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ashbourne artist who painted a Shrovetide football for King Charles III
"All the nerves we had that day just melted away because he was such a great person to be with."Tim Baker recalls the moment that he presented the future King with the Royal Shrovetide football that he had painstakingly was 2003, and King Charles III, who was Prince of Wales at the time, was starting the game or "turning the ball up", and like all those who are given this honour, the ball had been carefully painted with images that represented his Baker, 52, had been painting balls for the game since 1991 when he was asked by the game's secretary - who was also his milkman - to paint one for the future King. The Royal Shrovetide Football game in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, is traditionally played on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday and has been held nearly every year since at least game sees thousands of players - in teams called the Up'Ards and Down'Ards - compete to move the ball to opposite ends of the Mr Baker said he would meet up for a chat with the person due to "turn the ball up" - but this was not possible with a senior member of the Royal Family - so he submitted drawings that were given the go-ahead."The current King is an accomplished artist, and one thing he asked was how we painted on a sphere," Mr Baker explained. To begin with, he starts by measuring the ball, which is bigger than a normal football and heavier because it is filled with cork are particularly tricky to paint on a round surface, and everything needs to line up because the balls are hung up on Shrovetide is played over two days, and Mr Baker always paints the Wednesday ball - and this year it is for the farmer Brian Pegg and features a bull's head and a said that some of the fine detailing can cause a headache, and each ball involves at least 50 hours of work. Within two hours of play, all this paintwork is gone."It's awful," he added. "People will grab me by the collar or give me a nudge to say 'your paint has come off quick this year'."They'll tell you that, but there is nothing you can do." Mr Baker said that he was not "player material" and had never played, but he was a fan who loved the history of works at the Historical Centre in Ashbourne, where Royal Shrovetide Football features heavily. One of the repainted balls on display is one that was scored, or "goaled", in 1902, the year King Edward VII was is particularly special to Mr Baker because it was goaled by Joseph Burton his is much more relaxed about it all compared to when he was first asked to take on this role."I was extremely nervous to start with, because it is such an iconic item in Ashbourne," he added."I was not very old, and I had never done anything like this before. I also knew what I was up against because being a fan of Shrovetide, it was important to get it right."
