Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide football game 2002

Photographs of the 2002 Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide football game Derbyshire, England

This page features pictures and historical information about the following:
Ashbourne Royal shrovetide football game in 2002

For photos from the 2004 game click HERE.
For photos from the 2005 game click HERE.

If you would like to see photos of other Areas of Derby, Derbyshire and the Midlands then click on the main index button at the bottom of this page.
To view a large version of any of the photographs below, simply click on the thumbnail version and this will open a new full screen window into which the picture will load.
All images © Andy Savage & © www.derbyphotos.co.uk
If you have any comments for the guest book or questions to ask then click HERE.
Please wait until all the thumbnail photos have loaded before you click on one.

• Photos of the Annual Ashbourne shrovetide football game.
Ashbourne in Derbyshire is host to one of the Oldest Shrovetide football games in England.
It was first recorded in 1682, though thought to date back to the 12th Century ,various attempts were made to suppress it over the years.
It has continued unabated ever since, and by 1928 it had become so respectable that the then Prince of Wales was invited to start the game. From that year on it was known as the Royal Shrovetide Football game.

The Game is played annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, and consists of two teams, one from anyone born to the North of the River Henmore, and one from people born South of the river, these are known as Up'ards and Down'ards.

The Goals are on the sites of Old mills, one at Clifton and one at Sturston, these are three miles apart.
A goal is scored by a player striking the mill wheel three times with the Ball.
The ball may be kicked, carried or thrown, but generally proceeds in a series of 'hugs' invisible to the spectator.
The game can last for many hours, finishing well after dark.

The game starts at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when a specially prepared ball - larger than a football and filled with cork which weighs around 4lbs is thrown in by a visiting guest of honour. The balls used for the Shrovetide games are made by Ashbourne man John Harrison.
The hand sewn leather balls are filled with cork chippings.

Local artists Stuart Avery and Tim Baker have painted the balls for this year's games.
Balls are usually painted in a design relevant to the person turning up the ball.
The balls are a work of art and take a few weeks to paint.

If the balls are goaled, then it will become the proud possession of the person who has goaled it. If no-one goals it, then the person that turned-up the ball gets to take it home.

The game starts in the Shawcroft Carpark (back of Somerfield supermarket).
This year Tuesday's game was won by the Up'ards when Kirk Maskell goaled the ball at 9.20pm.

The ball for Wednesdays game was turned-up by The Mayor of Ashbourne, Tony Millward.
That game was a draw as no one had scored by 10pm which meant he could take the ball home with him.

Here is a list of dates when Shrove Tuesday falls.

2003 March 4
2004 February 24
2005 February 8
2006 February 28
2007 February 20
2008 February 5
2009 February 24
2010 February 16
2011 March 8
2012 February 22

	Photo Description : The "Turning up" stand in Ashbourne town centre. Exact Map location : Click HERE Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This brick plinth is located in Shaw Croft car park near Park Road, (back of Somerfield supermarket). Notice the Central News at Six Television van, When the game was under way I was standing to the left of it, until the crowd came that way!
	Photo Description : Ashbourne Town prepares for the game. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This is St Johns street 40 minutes before the game is due to start. Notice how all the shops have been boarded up in case the ball comes this way.
	Photo Description : Pre-match meeting in the Green Man. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This is the green Man pub in St Johns street, before the game is played a few hundred guests meet here for lunch and speeches. Here you can see the crowds outside. The game starts in 25 Minutes so best to get back to the car park.
	Photo Description : Wide view of St Johns Street prior to the game. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This is St Johns Street, the green Man pub is on the right side by the black archway going over the road.

	Photo Description : Presenting the ball to the crowd. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This is Simon Plumbley, a local farmer who was invited to turn-up the ball for Tuesdays 2002 game. The time is now 14:05 and the crowd are getting anxious.
	Photo Description : The ball being thrown to start Tuesdays game Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 14:08 Other Information : This is the moment that the ball was "Turned-up" into the crowd and just about the last time I got to see the ball.

	Photo Description : The game gets under way. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This is about a minute into the game and no sign of the ball. From time to time a trainer gets hurled into the air to cheers from the crown.
	Photo Description : The ball comes closer. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : After about 10 minutes the crowd started to move towards Park Road. The van you can see to the left had a camera man on the top filming for Central news but when the ball came towards it, the cameraman had to be helped down by policeman because it was getting rocked by the crowds.
	Photo Description : The game moves across Park Road. Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : The game has now moved across Park Road towards the Fire Station. The game stayed here for quite a while as there was a wire fence which had to be navigated.

	Photo Description : The game continues Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : This is the scene viewed from the fire station. The ball is in there somewhere!
	Photo Description : The game in Park Avenue, Ashbourne Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : After about 1 hour 20 minutes the game had moved through Lakeside and onto Park Avenue (at the bottom of Cullen Avenue.) I took this shot while standing on a wall in Lake side.
	Photo Description : The game still in Park Avenue Date photo taken : 12th February 2002 Other Information : After 1 hour 40 minutes the game was still on Park Avenue as you can see here. This shot taken from the end of Park Avenue. At this time I decided to leave the game to go and find one of the Goals.

Photo Description : The Clifton Goal
Exact Map location : Click HERE
Date photo taken : 12th February 2002
Other Information : This structure is The Clifton Goal and it is located in Henmore Brook. This can be found by going to Clifton village (A515) and turning down Watery Lane, You will see the goal on your rightside just before you go over the bridge. This goal is 1.5 miles from the start of the game, It's hard to imagine that such a tranquil scene could soon look like it did in the town centre!
The other goal which looks the same as this one, is located 3 miles upstream at Sturston Mill.

Photo Description : The old Clifton Goal
Date photo taken : 12th February 2002
Other Information : This structure is the old Clifton Goal and is about 3 metres behind the current Clifton goal. It is made of stone which was part of Clifton Mill.
The current goal was sited in the water to make scoring a goal more challenging.

What a great time, I'm Glad I witnessed this great derbyshire tradition for my self.
I would recommend you see this at least once in your lifetime.

Click the button below to go to the main index of www.derbyphotos.co.uk