One of the oldest, strangest and most fiercely-contested local sporting engagements will take place this Christmas.

The traditional game of Cammag will see two teams of an indiscriminate number, taken from the north and the south of the island, will go head to win the coveted trophy and the all-important bragging rights for the next year.

The game takes place on Boxing Day at 2pm on Tynwald Green, the only time it gets contested all year.

Cammag is an early form of hockey, much in the same vein of the Irish sport of Hurling or the Scottish sport of Shinty, and consists of three ’halves’ of around 20 minutes, with the players armed with a peculiar array of sticks and implements, instead of the more familiar hockey stick.

The teams are separated by whether or not they identify as being from the north or the south of the island, although there is always some debate as to where the players from the east or west should join in.

The clearest dividing line has so far been claimed to run from slightly north of Ramsey through to Dalby in the west, making Peel players part of the north team and those from Douglas and Laxey for the south.

The Boxing Day Cammag match is a relatively new Christmas tradition, with the current match up being conceived by a group of individuals in the late Twentieth century.

The idea has caught on and large numbers now turn out each year, with the contest being keenly contested.

The North are the reigning champions, after beating the southerners by four goals to two in a cold and damp meeting last year.

Following the match there is a traditional ’debrief’ in the Tynwald Inn Hotel, where the tactics and matchplay will be carefully analysed, along with a Manx folk music session.

More information on the sport of Cammag can be found at culturevannin.org