As you may know, Ashbourne in Derbyshire hosts a famous Shrovetide Football game, which is played over two days. Full details can be found HERE, but in passing I spotted a display of previous game balls in an antiques shop which I thought I'd share with you.

Each ball is made of leather stuffed with cork (so it's a lot harder and heavier than a football) and is only used once. Early one's weren't decorated............

..... but later they were beautifully painted.

The game is started by the ball being "Thrown Up" from a special platform on the edge of a car park in the town............

............... and the ball is given to the person who "goals the ball" by touching it on the millstone which marks the goal.

If the ball is not goaled, it's given to the person who threw it up in the first place, and whose name is painted on the ball.

The shop keepers all board their shops up, to stop the glass going in...................

............. and people are happy to duck under the boards to get in and out of the shops.

A little investigation took me to the Mayfield goal for the Game.........

............. which has an informative notice.................

............. and a new goal, built when the watermill on this site was demolished. To goal the ball, you have to tap it 3 times on the round millstone: to do this, you have to stand in the river!