Is this the most ferocious ball game in the world ? Sedgefield Ball Game.

The game at Sedgefield has been played for hundreds of years, supposedly since the masons working on the church challenged the locals back in the fourteenth century. It starts when an honoured guest passes the small ball (just bigger than a cricket ball) through the Bull Ring and throws it to the players. Unusually this is not a team game – after it has been dunked in water at the Town Goal,whoever has possession of the ball and can pass it back through the Bull Ring, gets to keep it. Play is fast and takes place around the greens by the Bull Ring and the church further east, and sometimes the ball goes to neighbouring villages during the game ; it always comes back around 4pm ready for dunking and the final ferocious struggle to win. At 1.00 p.m, the game's leather ball 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 p.m.. due to the expansion of the village it now has only one "ally", which has been slightly moved from its original setting.[citation needed] The ally is a beck at the south of the village. Until 4pm 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.[citation needed] 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 and not a team game.[citation needed] #sedgefield #codurham #durham #shrovetuesday #ball #ballgame #fighting #ferocious #football #rugby #tackle #punching #kicking