Atherstone, The Shrove Tuesday Ball Game

By Celia Parton

This year (2013) 12th February was Shove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which denotes the start of Lent in the Christian calendar. In France they celebrate it as Mardi Gras whereas in this country it is ‘Pancake Day’ when we traditionally eat pancakes.  Many towns across the country hold pancake races, but not in Atherstone, in Atherstone they have the Ball Game.

The Ball Game is now Atherstone’s main claim to fame following the closure of the hat factories. The origins of the game are lost in the mists of time.  One version is that it started in the 12th century in the reign of King John as a contest between the lads of Warwickshire and Leicestershire but John Austin, in his book “Hats, Coal and Bloodshed”, suggests that its origins may be even further back in time.  He thinks it may have originated as a form of football called camp-ball played over 2000 years ago by Roman soldiers and they may have brought the custom to Britain, maybe even to Mancetter or Manduessedum as the Romans knew it.

The game takes place in Long Street and the only rule of the game is that it must be confined to Long Street and not stray elsewhere.  Long Street closes down for the afternoon and all the shops are boarded up for protection. The game actually starts at 3.00pm but there are certain traditions which take place before that.  At about 2.45pm the children (local schools close for the afternoon) all gather underneath the upstairs windows of Barclays Bank and sweets are thrown out to them, followed by coins including the special “golden penny”. The lucky child who finds this is rewarded with a ten-pound note.

The ball is much larger than an ordinary soccer ball. It has its own unique shape, which has been described as a squashed sphere or globe. A new ball is made each year for the occasion.  It has ribbons attached to it and these are prized souvenirs to the men who manage to grab them from the ball.

The Ball is thrown out from the first story of Barclays bank usually by a local personality.  In the past many stars of stage and screen have done the honours.  In the fifties and sixties many stars appeared in pantomime at theatres in Coventry and Birmingham and they were asked to come to Atherstone to throw out the ball.  Some of you of a certain age may remember such names as Eve Boswell, Beryl Reid, and Shirley Abicair (famous for playing the zither), who all came in the fifties. In the sixties there was Sid James, Jimmy Tarbuck and Mike Yarwood and then Ken Dodd in 1970 and Nuneaton’s own Larry Grayson in 1977. The ball is then kicked up and down Long Street.  Things start to get serious at about 4.30pm when teams get together and try to ensure that one of their team has the ball when the klaxon sounds at 5.00pm as whoever has the ball in their possession is declared the winner and gets to keep it.  Later in the evening the ball is taken round the local pubs and money is collected for charity.

The Ball Game is a fiercely held tradition in Atherstone and nothing is allowed to stop it going ahead, not even two world wars. The weather has on occasions threatened to spoil things but not even snow, bitter cold or pouring rain has stopped large crowds turning out.  In the past shopkeepers have complained of losing trade but it still goes on.  Most now accept it as it is only one afternoon a year.

It’s a real free for all with men brawling and fighting to get the ball. Although there are marshals and policemen keeping an eye on proceedings to make sure it doesn’t get too out of hand, many end up battered and bruised but still turn up to do the same again the next year – it’s tradition!

Photographs taken by Celia Parton 2009

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