Birthday boy Keith Hunter celebrated in style when he brought a victory home for his side in the first Uppies and Downies match of 2017.

Downie Keith, 26, of Seaton, hailed the ball at Workington harbour two-and-a-half hours after the game began at The Cloffocks tonight.

He said: "I feel brilliant."

It was the second time he hailed the ball.

His last hailing was on Easter Tuesday three years ago.

Hundreds of people gathered in West Cumbria for Workington's annual mass football game Uppies and Downies last night.

The no rules three-game series has been played for hundreds of years over the Easter break.

Uppies have to get the ball to Workington Hall and Downies to the town's harbour to be declared the winner.

Uppies won last year's series so Downies had it all to play for in the Good Friday game.

The ball was thrown off at 6.30pm by Liam Boyd, 19, of Coopers Walk, grandson of match sponsor Townsley Boyd, 67, of Park Head.

The match got off to a slow start, with the ball going in the Uppies direction almost immediately but the Downies giving it their all to bring the ball back to the beck to ease it towards the harbour.

Players spent at least an hour-and-a-half in and around the beck, pushing hard to get the ball towards their side of town, but neither side was giving an inch.

A surge by the Uppies lifted the scrum onto the piece of land behind Borough Park and it looked like the Uppies had taken the advantage to move the scrum nearer towards their hailing point.

Veteran Uppie Joe Sandwith was not playing last night as a knee injury forced him onto the sidelines. He said: "It's broke my heart not to play this year."

Almost two hours in, a dramatic throw from the static scrum saw the ball go towards the town side of the beck and was then thrown again.

A massive run by the Downies saw a surge towards the river towards the harbour.