Kwalleballen 2004

One of the nicest events every year is Kwalleballen, which occur every third Sunday of April in Valkenswaard. We were early. At home by Ton they don't know about his adventures. He should be back at four, but it become later. The whether was nice as always. A big tent, an empty cornfield with some holes in the ground, covered with plastic and filled with water. A water car riding over the field spraying water. First participants arrive. First playing around starts. Some fully clothed participants ends in the ponds. Not because of the battle, but because of their friends carrying them to the pond and dunk them in the water. Dripping and shivered they return to there beer.

The participants are clothed quiet different. Some are in sports clothing. Others in cut off jeans or long trouser. Some clothes looks brand new. Some of he groups had a lot of spare t-shirts with them. Every game they appear in white t-shirts again. The rest of there clothes are quiet smoothly. Obviously a generous sponsor. Before the games starts a team toke some station photos. With great care the players are arranged around the pond for the best result. Everybody in nice clean clothes. Then one hooligan takes a spurt and plunged in the middle of the pond...

Kwalleballen is a kind of rugby. It is played on cornfields of 16x32 meters, spread with a lot of water to make them muddy. De rules are simple: Most goals wins. Making a goal happens by tossing a bag with sand in the pond of the opponents. For the rest there aren't rules. Switches are allowed as much as you like to. The bag can be thrown in he pond. Pushed together with an opponent is better. Jumping with the bag in the pond yourself is the best. Hitting, kicking, pull on the hairs and other uncongenial behavior isn't allowed. The rugby tackle is. As walking with the bag, pass the bag to another player and scrum. A game last 9 minutes. Teams contains at most 7 guys, ladies or mixed. Everyone hopes, that as much players as possible will become muddy and soaked.

I was there with digital photo and video camera. It is always a struggle between participating and registration. We were with two. So Ton was there when I played in the mud. Within a short time the fields become quiet muddy. The participant who lost his balance in the struggle wasn't happy. I wear kaki trouser, white Nikes, t-shirt, shirt and kaki jumper. The result was spectacular when I jumped in the mud after the first head. A thick layer of mud covered the front. After some extra dives, roll and a bath in the pond there was nothing clean and recognizable anymore on my clothes.

Beneath you see the group with white t-shirts every game. It clearly gives extra push. They reached the half final. While there t-shirts are somewhat white, the rest of there clothing is completely trashed by the mud. The original color of the jeans of the most right player was light bleu. Obviously he visited recently the pond horizontally. So his jeans become nice and shiny. As long as the bag isn't in he water there isn't a goal. So there are sometimes long battles from ten people of more in the pond. Often the decision is forced by a plunge of a heavy attacker in the middle of the scrum. The bag and participants ends in the middle of the pond and all clothes become muddy and soaked.

After the game the players often take a bath in the ponds to get rid of most of the the mud. Ladies foolish not to take enough distance are picked up and thrown in the ponds. When a whole bunch of guys where playing around the ponds and with new fresh clean clothes I make the enormous mistake to push one of the guys in the pond. The result was devastating. Now I was with a grey trouser, grey jumper, shirt, etc. Ton tokes some pictures...

The final was a match between rather heavy rugby players and a very quick moving group with cut off jeans. The fast group managed to go around the defense of the rugby player very often. So they won the tournament. The arbiters escaped from dunking by running away in time. I entered the field for congratulation of the winners. Several other spectators in nice clean clothes did the same. I though, that will not last. In a few moments they will by pick up and dunked in the pond. There was a boy with a photo camera and a light bleu jeans together with a friend in black jeans. They almost asked for a soaking. But nothing happened. Later on the boy in nice light bleu jeans were dunked by his friends.

In the meantime there was a film crew arrived for the television. During the final they shoot some shots of the battle and the upcoming public. After the match the commentator talked with the losers. He wear his best clothes. I though, that can't happen. At some moment he stands for the pond talking against the camera, while the rugby players are behind him. They run and from one moment to the other presenter lay down fully clothed in the pond. And the ponds weren't filled with just water anymore...

Because I want to go home, I had changed to my normal clothes. It should be nice to be thrown in the mud again, but it wasn't the intension. I was in bleu jeans, jacket, shirt and t-shirt. It should be a real accident to be thrown in the mud in such nice clothes. After the congratulation of the winners there were some spatters, but nothing supreme. On the side there are people jelling against me to take a plunge. I was really hesitating. Then the same group, that dunked the presenter, came, picked me up and throw me in the very muddy pond. I was completely trashed , while I had nothing else to wear homewards. Then came Ton to ask what was happening. Of course he struggled but he hadn't a change, when I picket him up for a dunk...

2005