UK's Shrovetide soccer match is as crazy as ever

The annual Royal Shrovetide football game is said to be the world's oldest, largest, longest and angriest kickabout.

The game is played in Ashbourne in Derbyshire between the Up'ards, those born north of the River Henmore that divides the town, and the Down'ards, those born south of the river.

The game is played with a hand-painted, cork-filled ball.

The pitch is a no-man's land between two watermills, Sturston Mill and Clifton Mill, which serve as the goals at either end of the town about three miles apart.

Any number may play in this thinly refereed game, providing they can claim to be Up'ards or Down'ard's. The game can last for up eight hours and rarely is there a goal scored. This is not surprising considering the size of the pitch and the number of players involved.

Not many things have interrupted the Shrovetide game since 1891 and it continued through two world