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We're not very good at football in the grand scheme of things but here's three very old sports that no one else would consider. It defines us as the eccentric lunatics of the world who have yet to grow up entirely

Well, I think the third one is fairly self-explanatory, but I confess to being completely clueless on the first, and absolutely befuddled by the second.

You forgot Gurning........

Here's my local equivalent :-

Bottle Kicking - YouTube



Strange what some people will find eccentric. Most of these are everyday events :-

10 Eccentric British Traditions - YouTube

Of course. I forgot about gurning.

I attended the annual World Bog Snorkelling Championship at Llanwrtyd Wells some years ago as a spectator, in the rain. It was a grand affair. I'd not survive participating.

LarsMac;1450067 wrote: Well, I think the third one is fairly self-explanatory, but I confess to being completely clueless on the first, and absolutely befuddled by the second.


Both are a mass participation "sport" with very few, if any, rules.

The first is, pretty much the whole village, or those fit enough to take part, attempting to get the ball to the other end of the village.

2 teams. Up'ards and Downards.

Its a battle to score by striking the ball 3 times against the old mill wheel goals, which are 3 miles apart at Clifton and Sturston Mill.

Takes hours.

From Wikipedia....Royal Shrovetide Football - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are very few rules in existence. The main ones are:[39][40][40]

Committing murder or manslaughter is prohibited. Unnecessary violence is frowned upon.

The ball may not be carried in a motorised vehicle.

The ball may not be hidden in a bag, coat or rucksack, etc.

Cemeteries, churchyards and the town memorial gardens are strictly out of bounds.

Playing after 10 pm is forbidden.

To score a goal the ball must be tapped 3 times in the area of the goal.




2nd one is just chasing the cheese down the hill. Only rule is don't get a broken neck. The prize is the 9lb cheese you've been trying to catch

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is also Welly Wanging. A straightforward throwing event to see how far you can throw a wellington boot

And just when you thought it couldn't get any more bizarre....

Dwile flonking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I'd never heard of this one. Until I read that it was invented in Norfolk and that explains everything

I seem to recall the health and safety nazis managed to stop the cheese rolling a year or two ago, don't know if it still happens.

The Official Cheesey site

I can never understand how this annual event escapes closure.