Atherstone Ball Game chooses it’s starter for 2022
The Atherstone Ball Game is one of Warwickshire’s most historic and quirky events – where thousands gather every year for a rowdy and chaotic game of medieval football in the streets. The raucous event always starts and ends at Atherstone Conservative Club – and it’s seen as an honour to be chosen as the person who throws the over-sized ball from club down into the waiting crowd below. Organisers have now selected their starter for the event in 2022 – and it’s one of the stewards who narrowly escaped death the last time the event was held in 2020.
:Atherstone Ball Game – the things you ought to know Martyn Kellegher-Burton was one of a hardy bunch of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and donned a hi-vis vest in an attempt to keep the peace during the last ball game in 2020. But when he was making his way back to the Conservative club for some refreshments, he collapsed.
The father-of-two suffered two cardiac arrests as first responders and police officers worked frantically to save his life before an air ambulance landed on a bowling green and took him away. A quiet hush of uncertainty and dread spread among those present as the ball was removed from the streets and the game was called to an end. Martyn then suffered three further cardiac arrests and spent 50 days in critical care at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.
It was here that family members learned that an undiagnosed blood clot on his heart was the trigger for the cardiac episodes.
Martyn Kellegher-Burton with mum Gene Randle and stepdad, Bob Randle. (Image: Bobby Bridge)
On October 1, 2020, he was moved to the Central England Rehabilitation Unit in Leamington and final, a long stretch at Hunters Moor Neurological Rehabilitation Centre in Birmingham before his discharge on June 1, 2021. The last time I saw Martyn, he was technically dead. He lay lifeless on a car park as a police officer desperately performed CPR and a defibrillator was deployed on multiple occasions.
Nearly two years later, he sat before me, with a smile on his face and twinkle in his eye, clutching the ‘Atherstone Ball’ in his hands after being chosen by a small but dedicated committee that organises the event which dates back to the 12th century, when Warwickshire won a bag of gold, used as the ball, in a game against Leicestershire. “I stopped the last Atherstone Ball Game, now I get to start the next one,” Martyn said. “I couldn’t believe it when they asked me.
I’m made up. I’ve had a big smile on my face ever since. It’s the tradition, what it means to the people of Atherstone, I can’t wait.”
Martyn’s recovery remains ongoing. He still suffers with short-term memory issues but, day by day, he is rebuilding his life with his occupational health visitors saying he gets ’30 per cent better’ with each assessment. He is even planning a phased return to work at Fed Ex, where he worked as a truck mechanic for more than a decade prior to the incident that went so close to ending his life.
“He’s doing amazingly well,” said his mother, Gene Randle. “After what happened, we’re just glad he’s made it through. There’s been some tough times. We’re so grateful to all the amazing healthcare workers, right from the day itself, to the hospitals and to the present day, who’ve helped him get to this stage.”
Just days after the aborted Atherstone Ball Game in 2020, the next obstacle for the event arrived. Coronavirus spread and lockdowns were put in place, meaning the 2021 edition was a non-starter. But with the situation far different to 12 months ago, organisers got the go-ahead to bring back the ball game this year with the support of Atherstone Town Council for a road closure and the local police.
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The committee has clicked into overdrive to get everything in place for Tuesday, March 1, which will mark a welcome return for the event after last year’s game was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Time has not been on the committee’s side to get such a big event organised in a short space of time, but one decision over who should start the game was a straightforward one. “It had to be Martyn throwing the ball out,” said Atherstone Ball Game chairman, Rob Bernard. “We’re so glad to see him fit and well after what happened. It was a horrible day for everyone but, thanks to the incredible work of the first responders, police officers, ambulance and air ambulance crew, he left Long Street alive.
“Martyn was a long-serving and brilliant steward, who didn’t mind rolling his sleeves up and getting stuck in even though he’s not the biggest bloke. He won’t be doing that this year for obvious reasons but we’re delighted to have him throwing the ball out. It’s a big honour to do so but he deserves it, the guy nearly lost his life at an Atherstone Ball Game.”
Martyn’s mother Gene and stepdad Bob donated GBP100 to the ball game organising committee, which is run entirely by volunteers.
Since getting the thumbs up for March 1, it is an example of the multiple individuals, groups and businesses who have showed their financial support to get the event back on.
Anybody interested in supporting the Atherstone Ball Game’s return can email [email protected] or make contact via the Atherstone Ball Game Facebook page.