The Uppies were victorious in the first game of 2023 – and their hailer was someone who wasn’t even playing the game!
After a fraught three hours of play in which the ball seemed to move only yards, with neither side giving an inch, a late break saw players quickly move into the tunnel by Wilkos.
While in the tunnel, the ball was thrown and caught by an Uppie called Leon Dymatrowski. The 21-year-old was reported not to have been playing this year because of an injured ankle, but caught the ball and then ran all the way to Workington Hall. We have not been able to confirm this.
There, he threw the specially made ball in the air three times – signifying he had won the game for his side.
The ball had been thrown off on the Cloffocks bridge at 6.30pm by 13-year-old Darcie Saffill, whose family sponsor the Good Friday ball, and was hailed three-and-a-half hours later.
Downies put up a good fight, but early on, the ball moved towards the leisure centre early and stayed in that area for the duration.
Did you hail the ball tonight? Get in touch with us – email [email protected]
There are two more games in the 2023 series – on Easter Tuesday and the following Saturday. Downies will be out in force to make sure they are not victims of a whitewash this year.
We were there tonight, bringing you live updates as they happened – and we’ll be at the games on Tuesday and Saturday. Join us from 6pm then!
