Sedgefield Heritage Trail
You are at the ballgame sculpture (17)
Tradition has it that the townsfolk have competed against the country folk on Shrove Tuesday for at least 700 years. Some say that the game began with warring tribes and that the ball was the head of an enemy. The game starts at 1pm on the green when a hand-stitched leather ball is passed through the bull-ring on the green by a respected village elder whose identity remains a closely guarded secret until the day. Villages then chase and throw the ball through the streets with everyone battling to get a touch. Recent practice has seen the ball kidnapped by neighbouring communities to tour the pubs and enable participants to be refreshed. To finish the game the ball has to be 'alleyed' in the mill stream at the bottom of Spring Lane, this usually happens around 4pm. The winner is the person who returns the ball to the green and passes it through the ring three times. There are no boundaries, no teams, and few rules.
Tradition has it that the townsfolk have competed against the country folk on Shrove Tuesday for at least 700 years. Some say that the game began with warring tribes and that the ball was the head of an enemy. The game starts at 1pm on the green when a hand-stitched leather ball is passed through the bull-ring on the green by a respected village elder whose identity remains a closely guarded secret until the day. Villages then chase and throw the ball through the streets with everyone battling to get a touch. Recent practice has seen the ball kidnapped by neighbouring communities to tour the pubs and enable participants to be refreshed. To finish the game the ball has to be 'alleyed' in the mill stream at the bottom of Spring Lane, this usually happens around 4pm. The winner is the person who returns the ball to the green and passes it through the ring three times. There are no boundaries, no teams, and few rules.
