BFI

Less than two months after introducing their audiences to the delights of mass street football in Fiercest Football (599-1), Topical Budget returned to the fray in 'Uppies' and 'Downies'. These films depict two out of the three traditional British annual street football matches - in Ashbourne, Derbyshire and Workington, Cumberland, respectively. (The third takes place somewhat further afield, in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands).

The origins of the games have not been recorded, but this may be because there were essentially no rules to set down. Any number can play, there is no time limit, and the first team to score a goal wins the match. This is less straightforward than it sounds, as the whole town becomes the pitch and the 'goals' are two miles apart. The winner has to get to the goal area and 'hail' the ball by throwing it above his head three times.

The team names come from their geographical location in the town - 'Uppies' are the miners, and 'Downies' the sailors, though anyone else is welcome to take part, their team depending on where they hail from. The Cloffocks, the central open-space recreation area, is recognised as the dividing line, and this is where the kick-off takes place.

The Workington games take place every year on Good Friday, the following Tuesday, and the Saturday after that, and the tradition continues to this day. As the footage shows, it's a rough sport, with injuries frequent and deaths not unknown - there have been at least four on record, the most recent in 1983.

Michael Brooke

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