'Making ball for ancient game is an honour'

Since Royal Shrovetide Football began in the 12th Century, hundreds of balls have been made, carried across fields and fought over in rivers.

For the first time, Carl Spencer has stitched and crafted one of the balls that will be used in the game, which has taken place in his hometown of Ashbourne in Derbyshire every Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday since at least 1667.

Spencer's ball will be touched by thousands of players on Wednesday - in teams called the Up'Ards and Down'Ards - who compete to move the ball to opposite ends of the town.

"Having the honour to create the Wednesday ball is brilliant, and the entire family are all over the moon", said the 36-year-old.

For many years, the balls for Royal Shrovetide have been made by Terry Brown, but Spencer said he had now been brought in as a new addition to the ranks of ball makers.

"I wanted to play my part in it [the game], and I'm interested in how things are made, so I just approached the Shrovetide committee to see if I could get involved in making them.

"The committee had a meeting where they decided that the ball makers need to go down to the next generation to keep the game going.

"They had a vote on it, and Terry Brown, who took me under his wing, has taught me how to make them.

"I'm immensely proud to be making the Wednesday ball."

This year, Brown has made the ball for Shrove Tuesday's game and Spencer has made the ball for Ash Wednesday's battle.

Spencer said he had made "tester and presentation" balls previously, but this is the first ball he has made that will be used during the game.

The balls have been made in the same way for "hundreds of years", he said.

"The ball still consists of leather, in three panels. Two round panels and one band that runs all the way around.

"It can vary in different thicknesses and vary in different weights and sizes.

After finishing the ball, Spencer said they were approved for use by the committee and then passed over to the "ball painters" for decoration.

Tuesday's ball has been painted by Up'Ard Simon Hellaby and Wednesday's ball has been painted by Down'Ard Tim Baker.

Spencer said some of his family were split between Up'Ards and Down'Ards due to his grandmother giving birth to his father and uncle in different places.

"My father was born in Clifton, on the south side of the river, and my uncle was born north side of the river on Union Street, so he's an Up'Ard," he said.

"All the Spencer side of the family are all Up'Ards, but my dad became a Down'Ard and he has stayed as one ever since.

"Me and my brother have followed suit and the rest of our own family have gone on our side."

As a proud Down'Ard, Spencer said he would try and "cradle" his ball back to Clifton on the south side of the river.

"To me there is no significance until they (the balls) are played with, then when they are used they are a prized possession.

"It's nice to have a Down'Ard ball maker, a Down'Ard ball painter and a Down'Ard turner upper for Wednesday's game.

"Hopefully, it will be a Down'Ard scorer too."

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