This is crazy.
Each year on Pancake Tuesday, the Atherstone Ball Game takes place in Atherstone, Warwickshire, an event which dates back to Medieval times.
The two-hour game is played in the town’s main street, Long Street, and sees groups of players compete for possession of a giant ball.
The game honours a match played between Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1199, when teams used a bag of gold as a ball, and was won by Warwickshire.
The game starts at 3pm and the aim of it is to be in possession of the ball when the final bell goes at 5pm.
While the game clearly has created with good intentions, the game this year descended into violence and chaos with disturbing footage from the historic event showing players trying to gain possession of a blood smeared ball.
Punches are thrown and brawls break out in many areas as people try to wrestle for control of the ball with one of the only rules stating you can’t kill anyone during the game.
Clip via Urban Pictures UK
The game was eventually won by Jonathan Slesser who, with the help of his team, won the event for the fourth time.
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