MOB FOOTBALL: UPPIES & DOWNIES (3/4)

Article taking in full from our friends at www.uppiesanddownies.info .

Workington is home to a tradition known as "Uppies and Downies", an historical version of football, dating to Medieval times. The goals are about a mile apart, one being a capstan at the harbour, and the other the park wall of Workington Hall. There were traditionally no rules, except those suggested by cunning and skill, while brute force is of the greatest importance.

The 'Uppies' attempt to hale the ball over the park wall; the 'Downies' over the capstan. Whoever is successful in doing so wins a sovereign, given by the owner of Workington Hall. Workington still holds annual Uppies and Downies matches every Easter, raising money for various local charities.

Three matches
The Uppies and Downies are traditional a series of , played on Good Friday, the following Tuesday, with the final game played on Easter Saturday.

A brief history...
Workington is an old market town and seaport situated at the mouth of the River Derwent. Its history dates back to Roman times when during the Roman occupation Workington was the site of a Hadrianic fort which formed part of the Roman Coastal defences. After the Romans had left, Anglian invaders started to harry the coast and the town is said to derive its name from ‘Wyre’ a small stream that flows into the sea at Harrington and ‘Weork’ an Anglian Chieftain.

The area of land between the Hall and the Harbour known as the Cloffocks is the venue every Easter Tuesday for a game known as the Uppies and Downies. Played between the colliers and the sailors, no one knows how the game started, but it is a tradition, which is carried on to day. Hundreds of spectators travelled from the surrounding countryside when at four o’clock a ball was thrown off from the middle of the field. Sailors aimed to take it to the Merchants’ Quay by means of carrying, kicking or throwing. The colliers tried to prevent this and by gaining possession themselves, attempted to convey the ball towards Workington Hall.

Though there are two other mass football celebrations - at Kirkwall in Orkney and at Ashbourne in Derbyshire - Workington's is the only Easter game and is unique in other aspects.

Uppies and Downies does not have any organisers, no rules to speak of, no time limits and no restriction on numbers per side. Uppies were traditionally born above The Cloffocks and downies below.

In the pre-television era, crowds of 30,000 were not unknown, especially for a deciding rubber.

It is rough, sometimes very rough, but rarely violent, though injuries are common and death not unknown.

Four players are known to have drowned but the number is probably higher because newspaper reports of the games only go back to 1775.

The game is under threat, as the building of a Tesco Extra store looks set to get the go ahead on the playing area of the Uppies and Downies.