by Damion Arnold
Shrovetide football in Ashbourne is just days away and every year the balls used for the game have to go through the process of being hand-crafted and painted.
This process can take between one-to-three months depending on who the turner-up – the person who throws the ball in – is and the intricacy of the design.
The man responsible for painting one of the two balls used is Ashbourne local Tim Baker.
Tim, aged 52, has lived in Ashbourne all his life and experienced Shrovetide many times, but he has never participated in the game in the traditional sense, taking up a different role instead.
Ever since he can remember, Shrovetide has been a key part of his life and his love for the game has always been there. Recounting his first experience of the game he said: “I was taken to Shrovetide when I was literally three-years-old.
“I started to go down when I could with my aunt and of course when I was old enough to go alone or with friends, I would. It has always been there in my life, and it is something I have always been interested in.
“Of course, in 1991, I got the chance to paint the ball and there is no greater privilege or involvement than that.”
Tim became a painter of the ball in 1991, alongside a previous ball painter called Stuart Avery. In the early 2000s, Stuart stepped down and the responsibility fell to Tim. Ever since, he has been responsible for painting the ball for one of the two days, with the other ball going to Simon Hellaby, another volunteer painter.
He added: “Ashbourne is the only place to paint the ball for this game so when I create the design, I am creating an Ashbourne icon. I am creating something for the people and the town.”
Painting the ball was not a set career path he had planned, but as a child he would practice designs and test them on other sized balls. “As a kid, I thought it would be nice to do,” Mr Baker added. “I used to draw Shrovetide balls and replicate the designs on paper, and I would buy plastic footballs and paint them.
Describing painting his first ball, he added: “It was lovely to do and a shock to be honest, but I did not set out to do it, no.”
Tim spends his time after Christmas decorating the ball for the turner-up and will usually have it finished by February. Describing the process, he said: “It is a great thing, it is very exciting. I look forward to Christmas as we find out who is being chosen and what they are going to want painted”
Tim is not just the painter of the ball, he works in the Ashbourne Historical Centre full-time as a curator.
“I am employed by the Ashbourne Town Council to look after their artifacts, and we do have a great Shrovetide display all year round, so Shrovetide is never too far away from me even when it is not being played.”
The Shrovetide exhibit opened in January 2022, and it encapsulates the history of the whole town. It is permanently open all year-round, allowing tourists to come and soak in the history of the game.
This year’s ball is designed around the theme of Farming and Agriculture. The ball Tim has designed is for local farmer Brian Pegg and the green leather ball features Sturston Mill, one of the two goals used in the game.
