New Year Ba’ games to take to the streets

Uppies and Doonies will fill Broad Street today for the annual New Year Ba’ games.

The two sides will meet for the Boys’ Ba match at 10am, and then the Men’s Ba’ beginning at 1pm.

Both ba’s will be thrown up at the Mercat Cross outside St Magnus Cathedral to the waiting throng of players.

George Mowat, will have the honour of launching   the Boys’ game, and Davie Flett will throw up the Men’s.

Mr Mowat won his Boys’ ba’ on New Year’s Day 1973 in what proved to be a controversial contest resulting in two winners. Anthony Rees had the privilege of keeping at day’s ba’, while George — who had initially claimed it — was given a replacement a decade later.

Mr Flett, meanwhile, is a double Ba’ winner, having won his Boys’ game in 1982, and his Men’s during the first senior contest of the millennium.