Yesterday was my baptism of fire into the annual west Cumbrian tradition that is the Uppies and Downies. Now, while it may sound like medication for various mental health conditions, it is actually a no rules football match which is completely bonkers.

I covered a similar event in 2005, when I was working at the Scunthorpe Telegraph, called the Haxey Hood where two opposing sides tried to get the hood to a certain point. Basically the hood was a three foot leather object and the event resembled a bizarre mix of rugby, football and mud wrestling. Needless to say I witnessed a few participants limping off needing medical attention.

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The Uppies and Downies is very similar as it features a rivalry between two separate factions in Workington and they have to get the ball to two separate destinations.

Having said that I made a rookie error by parking in the car park near Allerdale House, which is a council building which is right by the start of the event, because I was informed that my vehicle may get trashed by the strength of numbers of the scrum. And, if I had not have moved it, I would have been trapped all night as the crowd occupied the main access. However, I managed to park it in a nearby residential street.

I wandered around and tried to get on the other side of the beck but I did find myself a bit unsteady on the uneven ground due to the weight of my kit. Having said that I did find a good vantage point on a nearby bridge to get a few pics of the participants in the beck. It was quite funny when a kid asked me how much my cameras cost and I told him to mind his own business.

And I did bump into a couple of west Cumberland councillors and they advised me to head towards where I had parked my car to get some shots of the crowd. A few of the other photographers were getting amongst it but I reckoned, due to the unpredictability of the crowd and the quickness of its movement, I reckoned that if I got involved my bones would have been broken.

Having said that it was good to see the local community embrace the tradition and it was good to chat to local residents who were enjoying the occasion.