YOUNG and old have come together to celebrate their town’s ancient tradition.

Shrouded in secrecy, hundreds turned out for the annual Sedgefield Ball Game - also known as Mob Football - which has taken place every Shrove Tuesday for almost 1,000 years.

It saw scores of burly men and boys converge on the town green at 1pm for the ceremonial passing of the small cricket-like, leather ball through the bull ring.

A 20-minute battle then commenced with young and old chasing, scuffling and muddying themselves simply for the chance to touch, kick, or throw the sacred ball.

From there the ball disappeared on a route known only to those who pursued it until it returned to the bull ring and was passed through at about 4.30pm by winner Tom Adcock, of Sedgefield.

Organised by a so-called secret committee, Sedgefield Ball Game is believed to date back to the 13th century when St Edmund’s Church was completed and the stonemason challenged the townsfolk to a celebratory game of football.

Each year an elder from Sedgefield is chosen to start proceedings and this year the duty fell to Geoffrey Wright. After doing his duty surrounded by a crowd of participants, the 73-year-old said he felt privileged to have been chosen.

“I have been in Sedgefield all my life and been to every Ball Game – I don’t think I have missed one, but I have never won it,” he said. “It’s a great honour to start it.”

Despite the riotous nature of the game there is a gentler side as it pauses to allow children and the elderly to have a chance at kicking the ball.

It is governed by well–established conventions, which include a free drink for the first player to take the ball into any of the pubs, a battle for possession in the local beck and several breaks in play to allow the ball to be taken to pubs in nearby villages.

PC Keith Todd, of Sedgefield police, has been overseeing the event for more than 20 years and said it passed with no trouble. “It has been a successful day which passed without incident,” he said. “It’s a bit of rough and tumble but it’s good to see the community coming together especially the older and younger generations.”

PC Todd said the Game had become a popular tradition for the town and had been a pleasure to watch-over during his career. He said he had picked up some of the rules that teams must follow to ensure their chosen candidate is victorious. “There’s a few fisticuffs, but it’s definitely a tradition,” he said. “The winner always has to be from Sedgefield and must be dipped in the stream.”