A historic football game dating back to the 1100s was played again in the north of England this Shrove Tuesday.
The Royal Shrovetide football event has been held annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, since at least the 1660s.
Shrove Tuesday ball games have their roots in England during the reign of Henry II (1154-1189).
The exact date of the match's start in Ashbourne is unknown as a fire broke out in the committee's office in the 1890s, destroying early records, but this has not stopped locals from attending matches every year to keep the tradition alive.
In fact, the match has only been cancelled three times since 1891: in 1968 and 2001 due to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Each game lasts a total of 16 hours, from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Maslenitsa and Ash Wednesday.
Sourse: metro.co.uk
