The Ba’ 街头群伙足球
[audio]http://file.24en.com/bbc/tae/assets_2636615/bbc_tae_244_the_ba_au_bb.mp3[/audio][color=#3f3f3f][font=Verdana, 宋体, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=12px][p=21, 2, left]Imagine a game of football played not with 11 but hundreds of players on each side; contested not on a soft field of grass but on cold, hard [b]flagstone[/b] streets; and where there are no rules and no referee to control the [b]surging mass[/b] of bodies.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Though it might sound like something from the [b]Middle Ages[/b], in fact just such a game of [b]mob[/b] football is played every year in Scotland.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Known as The Ba’, the game is played each Christmas Day and New Year’s Day through the narrow, [b]winding streets[/b] of the town of Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland.[/p][float=right][img=226,170]http://www.24en.com/d/file/bbc/bbc2/2010-01-05/f0610b3602b6bbbf4d641fa3842b9148.jpg[/img][p=30, 2, left]Steam rising above the ruck of players[/p][/float]
[p=21, 2, left]To onlookers it can be impossible to tell where the ball is amongst the[b]huge scrum[/b] of players who risk of[b]cracking ribs[/b] and [b]breaking limbs[/b]to try and score a match-winning goal.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The men and boys of Kirkwall are divided into two teams of ‘Uppies’ and ‘Doonies’ depending on which part of the town they come from.[/p][p=21, 2, left]There are no [b]goalposts[/b] or goalkeepers, and the two sides compete to score a goal by transporting the Ba’, which is a [b]cork-filled[/b], leather ball, to the other end of town.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Games can last for hours as the [b]heaving [/b][b]ruck[/b] of players struggle to [b]gain ground[/b] in either direction, though the ball can suddenly [b]burst out[/b] of the[b]pack[/b] and into a small side street.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The game [b]has its roots[/b] in more violent forms of street football which have taken place in towns across Britain since Roman times, though these days injuries are surprisingly uncommon.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Nonetheless, shopkeepers whose [b]premises[/b] line the streets take no chances and [b]board up[/b] their doors and windows to prevent them being smashed by the [b]sheer weight[/b] of bodies who [b]funnel[/b] through the narrow streets.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Finally, when a goal is scored, the Ba’ itself is awarded to a key member of the side who can proudly display the trophy in their window, but not before a celebratory [b]festive[/b] drink with the team.[/p][/size][/font][/color]
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