Atherstone Ball Game descends into violent chaos at Pancake Day tradition

23 February 2023 , 08:23

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Chaos broke out in the Atherstone Ball game (Image: Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)

The Atherstone Ball game descended into chaos on Tuesday, after violence broke out on the streets throughout the two-hour medieval tradition.

The game is an historic one, and has been played out for centuries on Shrove Tuesday in the town of Atherstone between two rival counties in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. The 2023 edition however has been tainted.

Thousands of people turned up to compete, with the aim of the game being the one to be holding onto the ball come the end of the final whistle after two hours. Tuesday saw the 823rd edition of the event, with just one year missed since being formed in 1199 which came two years ago in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The game involves two brutal rules - it must be contested on Long Street, and competitors are not allowed to kill other players. The game has often been labelled for offering people the chance to take part in unrestrained violence and this was seemingly the case on Tuesday, after mass brawls broke out throughout the game.

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Most notably, a large group were seen fighting outside a William Hill betting shop as they squabbled for the ball. Following the incident the shop was reportedly damaged. Ahead of the annual tradition, shops, cafes and bars on the street board up their windows - which was adopted by William Hill - to prevent any damage.

Mass brawls broke out towards the end of the game (Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live)

In the clip that surfaced on social media and has since been viewed over 3.7million times, a group of men can be seen climbing on top of each other whilst throwing punches and landing kicks on those below them.

One competitor is also seen having his t-shirt wripped from his chest whilst trying to land a number of blows himself, whilst another brings down a large bar that was attached to the William Hill shop, which he swung and fell from.

The winner of the game is the one holding the ball when the final whistle is blown (PA)

Amid the chaos, a break in play was taken to allow children the children of the town to join in, before the violent clashes descended again as the game came to a conclusion near the bookmakers. Following the final whistle, three players were confirmed as the 2023 winners.

Named as Scott Wright, Lewis Cooper and Kieran Marshall, the group of friends told the Birmingham Mail: "It's a group of us, all mates from Atherstone and we all want to win it. If we win it again next year, we'll let all the lads take it until we all get one."

Joshua Lees