In Pictures: Pancake races and unusual ball games mark Shrove Tuesday

The Atherstone Ball Game in Warwickshire dates back to 1199, while the Royal Shrovetide Football Match in Derbyshire has some unusual rules.

A boy chorister of Winchester Cathedral takes part in the Shrove Tuesday pancake race at Winchester Cathedral (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Wire)

A choristers’ pancake race and ball games with a twist were among the events held across the UK to mark Shrove Tuesday.

The Atherstone Ball Game, in Warwickshire, honours a match played between Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1199, when teams used a bag of gold as a ball.

In Winchester, choristers in their robes were among those contesting the traditional pancake race.

In Derbyshire, the Royal Shrovetide Football Match was held in Ashbourne.

The rough-and-tumble match sees two teams battling to get the ball to goals three miles apart in a relatively lawless rugby/football hybrid that dates back centuries.