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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
James Robson

Royal Shrovetide: This ancient form of football has a rule forbidding players from murdering each other

Players try to grab the ball from the Henmore Brook during the annual Shrovetide medieval match in Ashbourne - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

For two days of each year, a market town in the Derbyshire Dales, transforms into a scene of barely controlled chaos.

Thousands gather in Ashbourne to witness Royal Shrovetide, a centuries-old "football" game that resembles a riot more than a sport.

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