Coronavirus: Hallaton Bottle Kicking game cancelled

A historical bottle kicking match played between two villages on Easter Monday has been cancelled for the second year in a row.

Thousands of spectators usually descend upon Hallaton, Leicestershire, to watch the contest.

Organisers said it was "bitterly disappointing" but, with the pandemic lockdown still expected to be in place, cancelling was "the right thing" to do.

It is only the third time in its history the game has been cancelled.

The Hallaton Bottle Kicking game is claimed to be one of the country's oldest sports.

It sees the village battle with neighbouring Medbourne to move small barrels across two streams one mile (1.6 km) apart.

Phil Allan, chairman of the organising committee, said it is "the highlight of the year" for the villages.

"When you talk about Easter Monday, you talk about Hallaton and the bottle kicking.

"It is such a unique event and to have to cancel it two years running is obviously bitterly disappointing for everybody," he said.

It follows the cancellation of Ashbourne's Royal Shrovetide Football that had been due to take place on 16 and 17 February.

Mr Allan said up to 10,000 people flock to the rural Leicestershire villages to watch the event.

He said: "It is a rough sport and there are injuries but with the Covid situation, through no fault of anybody, you could catch it just by coming to be a spectator.

"We have to look after everybody's wellbeing."

The game, thought to date back to Roman times, has only been cancelled twice before - last year due to the pandemic and in 2001 during Foot and Mouth.

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