THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

Gutball is a team sport in which two teams of five players pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the opposing team. It is similar to handball, but is played with a smaller ball that is not allowed to touch the ground.  Players control the ball using a single protective glove which is decorated in their team’s colours.  Full body contact is permitted, and injuries are frequent. Gutball is purported to be the fastest ball sport in the world. 

Gutball is played almost exclusively in the North Riding. Early forms of the sport were played amongst farmers in the region, using sheep folds or farmyards as pitches, and balls made of animal intestines. The modern version of the game is played on grass or mud pitches, using hard rubber balls. The North Riding Gutball League currently comprises six teams, of which the top two contest the Sprule Cup final each St Mark’s Day.  The 1988 final was featured extensively on Channel 4’s Trans World Sport. The reigning champions are Fryup Black Hands.