Our first Ba

Over about the last week or so the shops and houses in the streets around the Cathedral  were getting added Christmas decorations
And then there was an article in the local paper about the Ba accompanied by a notice from the Council and a note of thanks from the Ba Commitee

 

The  goal for the Uppies is  Mackesons corner, a  gable end that happens to be situated on the road on the way to work. So would they be closing the roads, I asked. After all , up to 300 men and a Ba would be quite an obstacle to get around. Or alternatively I'm told if my car  happened to be in the way they  are likely to go over it. Silly me , of course they wouldn't close the road. it could be seen as some sort of encouragement or endorsement of the activity. 

A few minutes before 1pm the Uppies arrived  .

So we found a vantage point. Wind we were all expecting and were dressed appropriately . What we weren't expecting  was the intermittent horizontal sleet.

 So the players waited for the  1pm chimes and the Ba to be thrown. 

an then the pack settled against the Town Hall door and stayed where it was or about 15 minutes 

If you are watching from near the scrum you need to be pretty quick and agile - if it breaks and they all start coming towards you , they aren’t going to wait for you to get out of the way - and quickly.  The pack moved down  and across the Road, but after 30 mins ended up almost where they started 

And it seems to be important that you taper your shoes onto your legs - or perhaps your trousers to your shoes . 

Wet, cold and  shivering  and wet, we left after about 90 minutes. They were still on the Green outside the Cathedral. So home for lunch and then followed the progress  on the  Radio Orkney Facebook  page. 

There are some accounts of the Ba on a number of websites ( try google)

 the Stromness Dragon has an account from the Mens Ba in 2012 and there are lots of photos on the Bagame website

We'll be back in on january 1st ,  and dressed for the sleet as well as the wind