- The Observer, Sunday April 22 2001
But fears over liability for personal injury and property damage mean this ancestor of football and rugby may have been played for the final time.
Until now the islands' council has covered the cost of damage to property incurred as a result of the event, played each Christmas Day and New Year's Day. But on Tuesday councillors will vote on whether to cease all involvement in a game steeped in history and legend.
Mr Gibson told The Observer: 'I'm disgusted. There is no doubt that this is a threat to the game if they insist on withdrawing their support.' The Ba's roots are embedded in ancient midwinter sporting celebrations. Similar mass football games were played across Britain for centuries.
Numerous legends surround the Ba's beginnings. The best-known claims it stemmed from the defeat of a mainland tyrant, Tusker, so called because of his protruding canine teeth. A young Orcadian rowed across the Pentland Firth and travelled south on horseback until he met and defeated Tusker.
The boy severed Tusker's head and was taking it back to Orkney tied to his saddle when a tusk punctured his leg. The wound became infected and the boy died, but not before staggering to Kirkwall's Mercat Cross and throwing the head into a crowd of townsfolk, who were so outraged that they kicked it through the streets in anger. A sport was born.
Now the townsfolk's rage is aimed at Orkney Islands Council, which in the past has paid for barricades to protect private and commercial property during the game. David Robertson, the council's director of finance and housing, said insurers would not entertain the idea of allowing claims arising from the Ba.
'The council's involvement has been limited to ex-gratia payments in the event of damage being done to property. The worry is that there could be implied liability on the council,' he said. There is also concern that anyone injured could claim against the council.
'The Ba is like a big rugby game without rules or restrictions on numbers,' added Mr Robertson. 'While we do not believe that the council would be liable for personal injuries sustained during the Ba, we realise that times have changed and that there has been an Americanisation, if you like, of the way people view liability.'
Mr Gibson, who is on the committee responsible for making the Ba, remains unconvinced. He maintains that there are few bad injuries because players wear strong boots and clothing to protect them as they scrape against the walls of the town.
'Most of the injuries come from that and are just cuts and bruises. You get the occasional broken bone, but not frequently. Maybe the odd rib or even ankle is broken.
'The players are all friends, they're not going to really injure one another. OK, you get the odd burst of temper and the odd clout, but they'll be round each other's houses as pals the next day.'
He blames 'outsiders' who fail to appreciate the depth of feeling in Kirkwall for the traditions of the Ba. 'This is about people in officialdom getting weak-kneed. They are scared of getting sued. Nobody playing the game would sue. Everyone is well warned of the dangers.'
The idea of the game, which is open to anyone foolhardy enough to want to take part, is that men are either 'Uppies' or 'Doonies', depending on family loyalty or which end of the town they first entered by. Uppies must touch the Ba against a wall in the south end of the town whereas Doonies must get the Ba into the water of the harbour to the north.
A typical game can last for hours, with a heaving throng of players pushing and pulling to try to gain a few yards. When the crowd breaks, the man with the Ba will try to get as close to the goal as possible before being stopped. Numerous tactics are used. Players have been known to smuggle the Ba through winding lanes and even to attempt to reach their goal via the rooftops. Spectators travel from around the world to watch.
Robert Leslie, of the Orcadian newspaper, said: 'People are really worried about this.
'Every year we bring out a supplement, in conjunction with the committee, which charts the history of the game. It includes a safety warning, but that's mainly for spectators.
'The players tend to know how to look after themselves, but spectators might be inclined to climb on to a wall. They probably cause more damage than players.'
Even then, the costs are minimal - just £1,494 between 1996 and 2000.
Mr Gibson, an Uppie whose two sons take part, warns: 'In the nineteenth century the Ba encountered establishment opposition. Sheriffs were alarmed at this riot in the streets and tried to stop it, yet the game went on.'
