First women's Ba' carried home by winner's sons
(from The Orcadian dated 31 August 2000)

Brian and Ronnie Clitheroe, who travelled to Orkney from London to hand over their late mother, Barabara's Yule's, ba' which she won in 1945. (Picture: Orkney Photographic)

One of the only two women’s ba’s in existence is now on display in the Orkney Museum.

The 1945 Christmas Day ba’ was handed over to the museum last week by the sons of the first Women’s Ba’ winner, the late Barbara Yule.

Shortly after winning the ba’ Barbara moved to London, taking her prized possession with her. She passed away earlier this year, but it was her wish that the ba’ be brought back to its homeland.

Two of her sons, Brian and Ronald Clitherow, travelled the length of the country last week to personally add the ba’ to the musuem’s display.

“We knew how important it was to our mother,” said Ronald. “And now that she has passed away, she would have wanted it to return to its home here in Orkney.”

He said that Barbara was extremely proud of her ba’ and it was always kept in a prime position in their home.

Tom Muir from the Orkney Museum said it was an honour for the museum to have such a rare piece of Orkney’s history on display.

“It’s of great importance, both to the general history of Orkney and its traditions. The Women’s Ba’ lasted for such a short period of time, only one season, that there are only two ba’s in existence that were played for by women. For the museum to receive one of them is a great honour.

“It’s an item of great interest to both local people and visitors to Orkney.

“Tourists spend a really long time looking at and reading the museum’s ba’ display and it’s the display that we get asked the most questions about.”

Mr Muir added: “We were first contacted back in January by Brian, who said that his mother had passed away and that it was her wish that her ba’ should be returned to her native Orkney.

“The story of the Christmas Day Women’s Ba’ itself was such high drama. The whole thing is just such a wonderful story and a lovely piece of local history.”

The first ever Women’s Ba’ was played on Christmas Day, 1945. Town librarian David Flett threw the ba’ up at 11.30 am, but play only lasted a matter of minutes before hostile male supporters picked it up and smuggled it through the crowd.

After some confusion the New Year’s Day ba’ was sent for, but the original ba’ was found hidden in the Cathedral graveyard and the game was re-started.

However, the ba’ had to be thrown up for a third time after it got stuck at the old police station on Junction Road. The game reached the Uppie goal just before 1pm, where it was awarded to the then Miss Barbara Yule. A second game was played on New Year’s Day, 1946, which was won by Violet Couper – once again for the Uppies.

The ba’ itself was not a new one at the time. It had been donated by Andrew Shearer who had won it for the Uppies on Christmas Day, 1934. Wartime rationing had made it difficult to obtain the materials needed to make a new ba’ every year until 1952.

Shortly after winning the 1945 Christmas Day Ba’ Barbara and her good friend Jessie Newland left Orkney to live in London. It was here that she met her husband, John Clitherow, a cousin of her sister Rose’s husband.

They were married in 1950, and made their home in Enfield, Middlesex. They bought a grocer’s shop in Tottenham where they worked for several years before the site was bought by the local council for development. Later they bought another shop in Tottenham, opposite Tottenham Hotspurs football ground. Barbara and John had five children before they moved to Edmonton – Edward, Paul, Ronald, Brian and Sheona, and she later saw 21 grandchildren born.

Barbara was very proud of her ba’ and always wished it to return to Orkney after her death.

Now it can be seen along with the other ba’ items on display in the Orkney Museum, Broad Street, Kirkwall.