scottinfrance139347

Posts: 2,312

April 2012 looks like the town out of  hot fuzz

ToffeeCup

Posts: 3,160

April 2012
Last post from me on bottle kicking as it appears that the BR is, on the whole, far more fond of conkers than generally odd British traditions:

Best injury, broken legs and sprained ankles and knees are par for the course.... but being hit on the head by a bottle (small barrell full of beer weighting roughly 6kg) is fairly unusual:

http://twitter.com/#!/dexter_2345/status/189457995304943616/photo/1


And the glory for team Medbourne:

http://twitter.com/#!/edsando88/status/189436581382332416/photo/1

http://twitter.com/#!/JackBurrows10/status/189456280103038977/photo/1

ToffeeCup

Posts: 3,160

April 2012

sambo applecart said:

hahahahahaha, to add an extra twist can they do it naked next year TC?? Looks a right 'barrell' of laughs! :)

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Someone did actually. Striped off, tucked their tackle between their legs and pretended to be a girl for a bit in the middle of a muddy field in the rain.

To be fair its a prtty regular thing given the amount of drink involved. First pint for most people is about 9am. First bottle is at 3pm and its best of three, as you can see in the last link above, it was getting dark by the time one of the victorious team climb up on butter cross in Hallaton to hold a bottle aloft:

Butter cross on a summer day:







This is the scene in 1900:







For a lot of people, myself included, I have a few pints, go and 'push' for whoever I feel like on the day for a bit, then go back to the pub for a pint or two more. Repeat a couple of times, pain/injury depending.

Excessive beer and nudity seem to make natural bed fellows.







 

ToffeeCup

Posts: 3,160

April 2012
It is lovely, and out that way is expensive property wise as you'd guess along with the rest of Rutland.

Its just a fun thing to get involved with, and one not many people from further away know about.

ToffeeCup

Posts: 3,160

April 2012

Hahaha, I'd advise anyone to come along, but its not something a stranger can get too involved with really.

There are many positions, pushers, carriers, runners and those calling the play too. The teams themselves put in a lot of planning in. Medbourne planned for rain, and took it fairly comfortably given the starting position is very much against them.

For example, in the pictures in the first post, number 26. It might look like chaos to most people but the guy with the hand up in the foreground is liking what he is seeing in front of him and is waving on the pushers behind him (probably a crowd six or seven men deep) to push into the back of him and into that situation ahead.

He'd be waving them back or to stop with his palm if the situation didn't demand it or there was someone in trouble, etc. You can see another guy with ginger hair doing the same on the other side trying to fight back.

But the general idea is to break through, which will involve the a sudden lurch thought the other sides pack, trampling over them as you go, and then getting the bottle into the hands of one of your 'runners' to see how far they can run with the bottle, who will then be chased and dragged down where the whole ruck will start again.

Strangers are encouraged to take part (pick a side and 'push' for them), but its impossible to have any meaningful impact as a group coming along to visit.

There have been a many that have tried, but its unsurprising how finding yourself being trampled by under a bottle kicking ruck more than once puts you off the idea in a big hurry! Especially as there is a beer garden at the bottom of one of the fields to help you decide... 

ToffeeCup

Posts: 3,160

April 2012

sambo applecart said:

It sounds regimented! Almost like a war, but with out the weapons!

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It is surprising how small the local teams actually are that pull all the strings. And how much effect they have on the game. But its man and boy stuff for the locals with fathers teaching their sons all the tricks they've learnt and some families are represented down numerous generations.

For an outsider such as myself, I just push for which ever side takes my fancy.You basically lend your strength to one village or the other, while the locals make the decisions.

That said it does other descend into complete and utter chaos quite often and a run away ruck can go through a farmers fence (2007), there is quite often the odd nutcase outsider who turns up to try his hand at being the big man (they generally shine quite brightly for a very short period of time) and there has been a case of everyone losing sight of the actual bottle only to see a single bloke walking away quickly and then running toward Hallaton with it under his top...

As an outsider you probably won't touch the bottle all day, you might not even see one for hours or until its thrown over a fence.

It is war, drunken war and you are right. The rules are, no weapons,no metal studs/spikes or protective items.