Thousands of rival players are today (Tues) taking part in a bizarre two day football match that sees opponents compete to move a ball to the opposite ends of a town.<br /><br />The historic Royal Shrovetide Football Match kicked off in Ashbourne, Derbys., at 2pm and will finish tomorrow, Ash Wednesday.<br /><br />The ancient tradition is said to date back to medieval times and Shrovetide ball games have been played since at least the 12th century from the reign of Henry II.<br /><br />If the goal is scored before 6pm, a new ball is released and play restarts from the town centre, otherwise play ends for the day. <br /><br />While it is legal to kick, carry or throw the ball, it generally moves through the town in a series of hugs, like a giant rugby scrum, made up of hundreds of people.<br /><br />This year's match - contested by around 5,000 people - was started by Paul Cook, a National Farming Union agent who asked organisers to cancel the game in 2001 due to a national outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
