Shrove Tuesday is here – a day that’s also well-known as Pancake Day – and the Derbyshire town of Ashbourne will be taking part in their annual Royal Shrovetide Football game. This isn’t just any old football game, it’s an unusual, centuries-old tradition that the town has hosted almost every year since its creation in the Medieval times. All sports, no matter how quirky or bizarre, deserve appreciation, and we Brits are anything but conventional. With centuries of rich history, our little island has some ancient, offbeat sporting traditions and games that we still enact today so we thought we’d share some of our favourites.
Royal Shrovetide Football
Played over two eight-hour days, this unique football match features two large teams battling over a ball that they need to send towards goals that are miles apart in order to score. It’s played in the streets with very few rules, allowing the players to advance the ball towards the goals by any means necessary. Shops through the town centre tend to board up their windows as the game can get a little lawless! The earliest recorded game occurred in 1667, though it is considered much older (previous records were lost in a fire, leaving its origins a mystery). The game ends once one team has successfully scored.
World Conker Championships
Taking place on the second Sunday of October in Northamptonshire, The World Conker Championships is a conkers tournament that dates back to 1965 (the game conkers originally hails from the Isle of Wight in 1848). Using conkers threaded onto string, the game consists of two players taking turns swinging their conkers into their opponent’s conker, attempting to smash it. The player whose conker lasts the longest without breaking is declared the winner. Over the years, the WCC have grown in popularity, with 400 participants taking part and up to 5,000 spectators turning out to watch the games.
Cheese Rolling
A game that we think Gromit would get involved in, the world-famous Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake sees entrants racing downhill after a large wheel of cheese. This Gloucestershire-based event involves a dangerous descent, making it a thrilling and often risky competition. The winner is the participant that reaches the finish line at the bottom of the hill first or the racer that is lucky enough to catch the cheese – though this is pretty tricky as the cheese is given a one-second head start and can reach hurtling, volatile speeds. Thousands of spectators gather to watch the chaotic tumble of competitors chasing the cheese. And, in case you’re wondering, the cheese is Double Gloucester – yum!
Bog Snorkelling
This quirky event requires participants to complete two 60-yard lengths of a murky, water-filled, peat bog trench. The winner is the person who completes the course in the fastest time. Donning snorkels and flippers, competitors must finish the course without using their arms above water, propelling themselves on flipper power alone. Taking place in Wales, bog snorkelling is a grimy test of endurance. Think of bog snorkelling as swimming’s unglamorous, muddy relation.
Caber Toss
A traditional Scottish Highland game, the Caber Toss involves throwing a tall, heavy wooden log (the caber), end over end, so that it lands with its small end pointing away from the thrower. It requires significant strength, technique and balance to flip the caber successfully. The centrepiece of the Highland Games festivals, the caber is normally between 16 and 20 feet long and weighs 40 to 70 kg – participants are known as ‘tossers’.
Welly Wanging
Originating in the West Country in the 70s, Welly Wanging is all about lobbing a Wellington boot as far as you can. It is a quirky family favourite at village fetes, summer fayres and local celebrations, though rules differ between regions. In Welbury, North Yorkshire, the size of the boot being thrown must comfortably fit the foot of the ‘wanger’. Meanwhile, in Somerset, the Wellington must be filled with water before it is wanged.
Toe Wrestling
This unusual competition sees two participants locking toes and attempting to force each other's foot to the ground. Played out like a wrestling match (but with a focus on toe strength and strategy), the competition begins when the referee shouts ‘toes away’. The Toe Wrestling Championships are held annually in Derbyshire and winners are awarded with a Golden Toes trophy.
Dorset Knob Throwing
This kooky sport involves throwing a type of hard biscuit known as a ‘Dorset knob’ as far as possible. It takes place in the village of Cattistock, where participants compete to see who can throw their knob the furthest. The annual event is a celebration for locals, complete with food and craft stalls and other knob-related games.
When sports like football, netball, rugby or cycling start to get a bit repetitive or their season comes to an end, maybe check out some of these wild and whacky Great British games to keep things interesting. #withgrangersyoucan
*Header image taken from BBC International website
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