3 Mile Wide Goalmouths

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Fake ball probe 'clears' players The game is noted for its physical natureA traditional mass football game in Derbyshire was not tainted by cheating, an unofficial investigation has found.

The allegations over the Royal Shrovetide Football Game in Ashbourne surfaced after a replica ball was spotted during the game.

The two-day event involves a mass scrum with the ball moving slowly from one side of the town to the other.

Peter Robotham, committee member, said a dummy ball was used but "not to the detriment of the game".

"There was a dummy ball, but this has been done before when I played years ago. People stuffed a ball up their shirt and ran away as a distraction," he said.

He added the dummy ball was used at a distance of 300m from the main scrum.

'No real rules'

The committee does not want this to happen again as it "does not look well on the game".

But the whole issue was "blown out of proportion", he said.

The game dates back thousands of years and takes place on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The goal mouth is three miles long, and hundreds of players take part.

Local pub landlord Mark Harrison said: "I don't think there is much action that you can take really because there's no real rules in Shrovetide."

Hundreds of people take part in the game which involves scrums pushing through the town's streets.

The Up'ards team won the second day of the two-day event on 6 February one-nil. The official ball is specially made, with a painted crest to identify it.

BBC News

[Drogba11CFC 108]

Maybe Liverpool could sign them.