At the bottom of this page click on more to get to next page . Click on links at end of page then right click and choose save target as to save a copy of the video clip . I am on my way to Workington in England to cover the uppies and downies ball games played there at easter . Its played on good friday (14th April) easter tuesday (18th April) and the following saturday (22nd April) . I will be doing live photos and videos and a text commentry click on links below to see videos . I am having a problem with the gallery photo page . Its now wednesday night i am staying in Glasgow and driving down to Workington on thursday morning . I am in Workington and have uploaded photos and videos of the throw off bridge and the river Derwent . Also uploaded photos and videos of Curwen Hall the Uppies goal and the harbour the downies goal . Met Bob Daglish his family goes back hundreds of years with this game and used to throw off all three balls his son still throws off the tuesday ball . All three balls are made by Mark Rowlandson and by pure coincidence it was his daughter that gave me directions to Mcdonalds . Have met several players spectators and past players . Uploaded photos and videos of Joe Clark and his son Paul getting interviewed for American TV with two of the balls the other was being used for charity fundraising before the game . This years chosen charity is breast cancer . Thousands of pounds are raised showing the ball in supermarkets and pubs . The ball is smaller and lighter than the Kirkwall Ba and its now filled with woolflock horses hair used to be used in the past . They sell twelve year old Highland Park in the bar of the hotel i am staying in . The barman told me the winner of the ball gets a free half pint in all the bars at their side of the town afterwards . In the past the ball was given back for a half a crown dont know how much thats worth nowadays . Workington is near Maryport where a roman fort and hadrians wall is roughly about the other side from Newcastle . I went in by Gretna Green on the way down then came out the way and i was in England a few miles later i was in Carlisle then thirty miles later i was in Workington . Its now friday morning and i am just about to go for breakfast I usually have porridge but am going to try the full English breakfast when in Rome do as the Romans do . Its good friday and the weather is good its a bright and sunny morning with lovely blue skies . Uppies and Downies was mentioned on the BBC news this morning they said it could be the last games as they are building a supermarket in the middle of where its played . Its been played for three hundred years and the players say they will be going ahead and playing anyway . The supermarket have bought the land but no building work has gone ahead yet . The BBC news said it could be the last games i aint a betting man but i would bet they will go ahead and play anyway if building work does go ahead . You cant believe what they say on TV . Its friday afternoon and i have just uploaded photos and videos of Mark Rolandson the ball maker he makes all three balls and has done since 1979 . Each ball has his name and date on it .
I have been going over the game and the goals with Joe Clark uppie and Joe Sandwith downie Joe Clark has been playing for forty years and has never hailed a ball . Joe Sandwith has won two balls for the uppies one on friday in 1979 and one on saturday in 1983 he changed sides when the downies didnt have many players and the uppies were winning all the games and gave up his right to hail another ball . He said he got several smacks for it . Around the same time many players followed their fathers and grandfathers allegiance and now the downies win most of the games except for last year when the uppies won the series two one . Originally hundreds of years ago it was the dockers against the miners and your team was decided by where you lived whether up or down when people moved house they decided their own allegiance . The uppies have more players but the downies have an easier goal often using the river to take the ball down to the harbour . Often boats are used they are hijacked and cars are used too unofficially they are supposed to be banned . Its a bank holiday and some shops are shut but most are open . There are no barricades anywhere the police are used for traffic control only as the roads are busy with cars . Its just after six oclock and theres lots of youngsters here most wearing trainers and tracksuit bottoms several smoking and drinking out of cans and bottles . More and more spectators arriving .Its been thrown up and went into a field on the river side then it was thrown up into the air towards me .There was another huge throw its now beside the trees at the edge of this field its 6.43 . Its been stuck in the same place now for about ten minutes its on the ground i think its 6.55
Its a quarter past seven the ball broke free out in the open for a few seconds now its in amongst the trees . The uppies have the advantage now its over the brook past the car park the uppies have made about two hundred yards i think its on the ground now .Its now quarter to eight its moving upwards into a field i got some good close up video coverage will try to get the video uploaded asap tonight but dont know when . Its right in the middle of a field looks like its walls and fences all around its on the ground been told players often stop and ly down on the grass for a break in the middle of the pack . Its almost eight oclock and its getting darker . Most players are wearing track suit bottoms and trainers . Its quarter past eight and the call was thrown up in the air again i have lost count how many times its been thrown up in the air . Its after half eight and its getting darker the street lights are on up at the road its still in the middle of the field . Its getting darker its quarter to nine its still in the field on the ground .It was making headway up the way now its away down dont know how far but its away its ten past nine . Its gone missing and its very dark its not at the downies goal its been seen in the river its nine twenty .The ball has been lost in the water its nine thirty five . I have uploaded the video of the throw off its at
http://www.walterhaywood.com/Video262.mp4 the ball is still missing . The ball has been hidden and buried somewhere and he is hiding . Its half past ten i have been told the ball was found by a fourteen year old boy and he took it to the downie goal and hailed it and will get to keep it this is unconfirmed he is supposed to be coming to the bar i am in right now . I dont know whats happening for sure . Someone hid it at the dog track then a fourteen year old found it but they are not sure if they will let him hail it or if its the boy that hid it at the dog track . David Petrie hailed the ball Sam Wadsworth the fourteen year will be keeping it . The two had a discussion one wanted to keep the ball the other wanted to hail the ball so David Petrie hailed it and Sam Wadsworth the fourteen year will be keeping it . I am in the lake district i will be back in Workington for tuesdays game . Its tuesday and i am back in Workington for tonights game its a lovely day bright and sunny .
Its ten past six some players and spectators are arriving at the cloffocks there are lots of teenage girls . Its maybe going to rain its clouded over it was a nice day earlier its also a little windy . Its six twenty five more players arriving its getting cold and wet . Its five minutes into the game and there was an uppie run now the downies have its now in the middle of the football pitch probably nearer the penalty box this used to be the dog track .Its on the edge of the field its been up in the air a few times caught it on video in the air its now 7.07 . Its 7.15 and the ball is back in the field it was over the fence then it was thrown up in the air a few times then back into the field . Its 7.30 and the ball is near the football goals in this field its moving about in the field . Its 7.50 and its raining heavy its roughly in the middle of the football pitch that used to be a dog track .
Its 8.12 and the ball is on the edge of the field its raining heavy . Its 8.25 and a break for the uppies dont know how far they have got . Its 8.35 the uppies are up near the tunnel near the opera bingo building . Its been thrown in the air again slightly down the way its uphill to get it in the tunnel . Its 8.45 and the ball is near the tunnel it was up in the air again I have uploaded the video of the throw off its at
http://www.walterhaywood.com/Video305.mp4 its 8.50 and a good break for the uppies they have got it in the tunnel its in the middle of the tunnel its still uphill to get to the goal curwen hall . Its still going upwards its past a building site now its in the town where all the shops are its 9.07 . Its now 9.15 and a downie made a break through the streets non its on upton street its dark and raining . Its 9.25 and the ball is still on upton street it was round the corner outside a jewellers shop . None of the shops are barricaded . Its 9.35 and its outside the henry bessemer pub on oxford street . This is in uppie territory a shopping street . Its 9.40 the uppies are now going downhill down the end of oxford street getting nearer to their goal its been thrown in the air a few times .
Its 9.50 its on washington street its about two hundred yards to the gates of curwen hall . Its just after ten and its getting near the uppie gates its still on washington street its at the traffic lights near the curwen arms pub . Its nearly in the grounds of curwen hall the downies have just made a break its away down dont know how far down its gone its now 10.12 its getting near the castle grounds and its been thrown down the way again .Its down by the police station now its away up the way again its 10.20 . Its 10.20 its up the uppies have won i can hear the cheers i am on my way up there now. Tony Berwick took the ball into Curwen Hall grounds then he gave it to his son Tony junior to hail Tony senior has already won two balls . Tony junior is twelve years old . I am up in Uddingston near Glasgow for a couple of days will be back in Workington for saturdays game . I am having a few problems with video uploading will get them all sorted out when i get home . Some videos won't upload and i can't get them in order properly just now. I will be coming back to Workington in 2007 and will be doing a website
http://www.uppiesanddownies.co.uk soon thanks to sponsorship from several of Workingtons businesses. A big thanks to the Orkney businesses for sponsoring this event this year . I am hoping to go to Atherstone in Warwickshire and Ashbourne in Derbyshire next shrove tuesday and ash wednesday to follow their games also . To watch videos you really need a broadband connection and must have a suitable video player use apple quicktime , reelplayer or nokia multi media player . For broadband you can use tiscali for 14.99 inc free weekend local and national calls or talk talk are doing a very good deal right now . There should be a lot more broadband users by next year . I am also having a problem with one of the live photo pages i should be able to take a lot more live photos and they should be going straight into a photo gallery will get that sorted out soon . There is a prize raffle in aid of this years charity which is breast cancer the draw takes place on saturday afternoon in Workingtons Royal British Legion . Its all tied at one all with the downies winning on good friday and the uppies winning on tuesday the deciding rubber (even though the ball is made of leather) taking place this saturday at 6.30 pm it should be a big game and a big crowd watching .I have just found out that on the saturday game there is a prize for the winner of £200 four individuals put in £50 each . This has been happening now for five years and the money is put into a kitty for drinks afterwards . The tradition of mooching the ball still goes on the winner and his teammates go round the pubs collecting free drinks and money for drinks . The winner takes home whats left . In the old days the winners were given a barrel of beer . The prize raffle takes place on saturday afternoon at 2 oclock in the royal british legion i have been asked to pick out the prize winners . The charity is in aid of breast cancer this year . Tony Berwick tuesdays ball winner put in £50 into the charity fund . On friday the 28th of april there is a fund raising night at the station road working mens club at 7.30pm . The winner of the five hundred pounds first prize is J Wilson 14 Whitecroft Court Maryport
Its after six oclock and there are spectators arriving its quite cold and windy . Its 6.15 more and more spectators arriving .Its 6.45 and the ball is up slightly by about a hundred yards the ball was thrown a few times at the start across the car park .Its 7.10 and the ball is moving slowly upwards the uppies have the weight its just moved over to the brook its now been in the beck and thrown about a few times . Its 7.30 and the ball is on the ground in the middle of the road about two hundred yards from the cars parked at the bingo hall . Some cars were damaged on friday looks like theres twenty parked there tonight . Its 7.55 and the ball is at the side of the beck a burn in orcadian . The downies have got the ball over the brook into the field its just after eight oclock .Its 8.15 and the ball is back over on the road near the car park at the bingo hall its raining heavy now . Its half eight the ball has been over the beck and in the beck a few times and thrown up in the air a few times its now in the car park where the bingo cars are parked . Its 8.35 and i just got a photo of the ball in mid air its still in the car park .Its 8.45 and the ball is still in the bingo car park its been thrown up in the air a few times some slight damage to some of the parked cars .
Its 9.15 and the ball has been smuggled away dont know where its gone everybody is running everywhere .Uppie David Shepherd smuggled it away just before 9.30 and hailed it at curwen hall . Now in the curwen arms pub taking photos and videos will get videos uploaded asap . It was Davids girlfriend Caroline and his oldest son that hailed the ball . Some players are coming up to Kirkwall at new year . I am away home now . I have uploaded the video of the throw off its at
http://www.walterhaywood.com/Video362.mp4 David won the good friday ball in 2005 . I am uploading a video of David Shepherd at curwen hall at
http://www.walterhaywood.com/Video392.mp4
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