Uppies And Doonies

Orcadians may be famed for their hospitality, but when the Ba’ game starts, visitors to the Orkeny Islands should leave the playing to those who know which way is Up and which is Down. Part street football, part anything goes, Ba’ is contested every Christmas and New Year in the streets of Kirkwall. Between 200 and 300 players are divided into two teams, “Up-the-Gates” and “Down-the-Gates,” and their mission is to move a cork-filled leather ball, the Ba’, to their respective goal—the harbor, for the Doonies, or a wall on Junction Rd., for the Uppies.

The game begins on the green opposite St. Magnus Cathedral, where a community leader or Ba’ veteran throws up the Ba’. Creativity is an asset in Ba’, played without uniforms and almost without rules. In the past, the Ba’ has been smuggled into cars, hidden in buildings, and sneaked over rooftops. Many businesses erect Ba’ barriers to prevent damage to their shops as the mob rushes through the streets. To the casual observer, the game can appear to be a confused, disorderly riot—until the ball suddenly emerges from the crowd and hundreds of men dash down a narrow, winding alleyway to follow it.

Hours later, when the Ba’ is either Up or Doon, the players elect an individual as the winner of the Ba’ game. His house then acts host to players seeking refreshment, and he receives the ultimate trophy—the Ba’ itself, hanging in his living-room window.