Uppies and Downies

Last updated

Uppies and Downies is a version of Hand Ba game, with roots in even earlier games, [1] [2] [3] [4] played in Workington, West Cumbria, England. The modern tradition began some time in the latter half of the 19th century, with the match played annually at Easter to raise money for local charities. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

The game

The object of the game is to "hail the ball" (throw it up in the air three times) at the team's goal. The Downies' goal is a capstan on the Prince of Wales' dock, while the Uppies' is the gates of Workington Hall Parklands.

Curwen Hall. Curwen Hall - geograph.org.uk - 571432.jpg
Curwen Hall.

There are no other ostensible rules of play and the game is primarily a rough and tumble scrum interspersed with break-away sprints by members of one team or the other, with some similarities to rugby. Some players from outside Workington take part, especially fellow West Cumbrians from Whitehaven and Maryport, resulting in about a thousand players on each team. [8]

The ball

Uppies and Downies balls hailed in 1871 and 1950. Uppies and Downies balls.jpg
Uppies and Downies balls hailed in 1871 and 1950.

An Uppies and Downies ball is made from four pieces of cow leather. It is 20 inches (51 cm) in circumference and weighs about two and a half pounds (1.1 kg). Only three hand-made balls are produced every year and each is dated.

Prizes

The player who hails the ball gets to keep the ball and will take the ball into the Town centre for people to get photos with for donations.

Socioeconomics

Uppies and Downies refer to the residents of the top (East) and bottom (West) of the town, which slopes down towards the sea. In the modern incarnation of the game, the Downies were originally residents of the marsh and quay, a working class area of the town demolished in the early 1980s and traditionally looked down at by the more affluent top of the town.

Safety concerns

Due to its unpredictability, the game can spill over into the town centre. In the past, police have issued safety advice to visitors and local parents warning of getting caught up in the inevitable rough and physical encounter. [9]

Statues

A pair of coal-black iron-ore coloured figure statues created by Maryport sculptor Colin Telfer depict the Easter mass event; one stands outside Workington Hall, and the other at the town harbour. [10] [11]

Threat from supermarket development

In 2009, a proposed development plan to build a Tesco Extra store on the Cloffocks threatened the future of the event. [12] The plans were dropped in 2011. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbria</span> County of England

Cumbria is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Carlisle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workington</span> Coastal town in Cumbria, England

Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in Cumberland, Cumbria, England. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allerdale</span> Former non-metropolitan district in England

Allerdale was a non-metropolitan district of Cumbria, England, with borough status. Its council was based in Workington and the borough has a population of 93,492 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 96,422 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryport</span> Town in Cumbria, England

Maryport is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ba' Game</span> Scottish version of medieval football

The Ba' Game is a version of medieval football played in Scotland, primarily in Orkney and the Scottish Borders, around Christmas and New Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumbrian Coast line</span> Rail route in North West England

The Cumbrian Coast line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workington railway station</span> Railway station in Cumbria, England

Workington railway station is a railway station serving the coastal town of Workington in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flimby railway station</span> Railway station in Cumbria, England

Flimby railway station serves the coastal village of Flimby in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryport railway station</span> Railway station in Cumbria, England

Maryport railway station is a railway station serving the coastal town of Maryport in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. It is unstaffed and passengers must buy their ticket on the train or at an automatic ticket machine outside the platform. Step-free access to the platform is available; train running information is provided by digital information screens and timetable posters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigton railway station</span> Railway station in Cumbria, England

Wigton railway station is a railway station serving the market town of Wigton in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalston railway station (Cumbria)</span> Railway station in Cumbria, England

Dalston railway station serves the village of Dalston near Carlisle in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

CN Group Limited was formerly an independent local media business based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England, operating in print and radio. It is now owned by Newsquest and their newspapers are printed in Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eppie Gibson</span> Former England international rugby league footballer (1927–2018)

Edward "Eppie" Gibson, was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for England and Cumberland, and at club level for Workington Town, as a centre, or stand-off, and was player-coach for Whitehaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B5300 road</span> A road on the Cumbrian coast in England.

The B5300 is a B road which runs for approximately twelve miles between the towns of Silloth and Maryport in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, United Kingdom. From north to south, it passes through the villages of Blitterlees, Beckfoot, Mawbray, Dubmill, and Allonby. It runs through the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, passes close to the Salta Moss Site of Special Scientific Interest, Milefortlet 21, a Roman archaeological site, the salt pans, a remnant of the Solway plain's medieval saltmaking industry, and the village of Crosscanonby. It is an important route for carrying goods to and from Silloth docks and Maryport harbour. It is also the major road connecting smaller coastal settlements with Maryport and Silloth, from where other roads lead to Workington, Whitehaven, Wigton, and Carlisle. A short section of the road between Dubmill and Mawbray was closed in February 2019 due to coastal erosion, and reopened in June 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workington North railway station</span> Former railway station in Cumbria, England

Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent. The station was located 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Workington station on the Cumbrian Coast Line.

Callum Phillips is a Scotland international rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker or scrum-half for Whitehaven in Betfred League 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunmail Park</span> A shopping centre near Workington, England

Dunmail Park is a shopping centre located in Siddick, near Workington, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located one-and-a-half miles north of the centre of Workington on the A596, and four-and-a-half miles south of the town of Maryport. It is named after Dunmail, a legendary king of Cumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papcastle railway station</span> Disused railway station in Cumbria, England

Papcastle railway station was on the single track Derwent Branch of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) in the then county of Cumberland, now Cumbria, England.

Dovenby Lodge railway station was on the single track Derwent Branch of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) in the then county of Cumberland, now Cumbria, England.

Dearham railway station was on the single track Derwent Branch of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) in the then county of Cumberland, now Cumbria, England.

References

  1. ↑ Hugh Hornby; Simon Inglis (2007). Uppies and Downies: The Extraordinary Football Games of Britain. English Heritage. ISBN   978-1-905624-64-5.
  2. ↑ "The Uppies and Downies of England's Great Traditions". The Whitehaven News . 15 February 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Football Extraordinary (Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2977, 14 June 1899, Page 4)". National Library of New Zealand .
  4. ↑ Thomas S. Henricks (1991). Disputed Pleasures: Sport and Society in Preindustrial England. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   0-313-27453-3.
  5. ↑ Andy Byers (3 September 2009). "Don't View Uppies and Downies Through Rose Tinted Spectacles". Times & Star . Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  6. ↑ Safira Ali (2 May 2008). "Uppies and Downies raise £7,000 for RNLI". Times & Star . Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  7. ↑ P Cram (24 February 2006). "Uppies and Downies Worldwide". Times & Star . Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Uppies & Downies" (PDF). Played in Britain .
  9. ↑ "Police Issue Uppies & Downies Warning". Times & Star . 21 April 2006.
  10. ↑ "Artist Captures Uppies and Downies". News and Star . 9 May 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "Workington's Uppies and Downies Statues Will be Repaired". Times & Star. 20 April 2009.
  12. ↑ Martin Wainwright; Helen Carter (11 January 2013). "Uppies beat downies – but Tesco plans threaten medieval sporting tradition". The Guardian .
  13. ↑ "Tesco U-Turn Over Plans for Store in Cumbrian Town". Times & Star. 30 June 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.