The weekend was wet, but is this football match in a river taking it too far?

As a rule, football matches are normally called off if the pitch is waterlogged. But the rules don’t seem to apply in the Cotswolds – particularly over the August Bank Holiday.

Tue, 26 Aug, 2014 - 01:00

Every year two teams brave freezing water to take part in the Football In The River match, which takes place in the aptly named Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire. (Ben Birchall/PA)

The 30-minute five-a-side match is played in the ankle-deep water of the River Windrush, with the mighty Bourton Rovers 2nd XI going head-to-head with the unassailable Bourton Rovers 1st XI.

Almost as brave as the players this year, hundreds of spectators also turned out in the heavy rain – whipping out the waterproofs and huddling under umbrellas to watch the action from the river banks. Football in the River match at Bourton-in-the-Water, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA) (Ben Birchall/PA)

No one knows where this bizarre tradition came from, but it’s reportedly been going strong for around 100 years now.

The match raises funds for Bourton Rovers Football Club, and regularly draws large crowds. Even on slightly better bank holidays, fans are advised to wear waterproofs if they plan to stand close to the side of the “pitch”. (Ben Birchall/PA) Football in the River match at Bourton-in-the-Water, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA)

Yesterday’s match ended 2-0 to the 1st XI. Two second-half goals sealed a win, even though the team had a player sent off in the dying minutes of the game. Football in the River match at Bourton-in-the-Water, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA) (Ben Birchall/PA)