Sedgefield, Co. Durham.

Thanks to To: Craig Provett [email protected] For his help on this game

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"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, it's 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. To give you some idea of how competitive it can get my friends and I once got 9 people in a Vauxhall nova to escape the crowds.

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 gain and not a team game. The most successful family in the ball games History must be the "Ison" family, of which most of the males have succeeded on more the one occasion.

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