Like the Irish elves, who were adepts at ball-play, our fairies greatly delighted in all kinds of diversion. A South Northamptonshire legend tells of a young fellow who was fortunate enough to witness one of their sportive encounters. Returning home one moonlight night from a neighbouring village, where he had been partaking in the festive revelry of the feast-day, he fell in with a ‘vast o’ fairy-folk,’ who, divided into two bodies, were fiercely contending at foot-ball. Undaunted at the strange scene, he joined their ranks, and mingled in the scuffle; but no sooner did he succeed in striking the ball than it burst with a loud sound, — the elves vanished, and himself fell stunned to the ground. When he awoke liis strange adventure appeared like a dream, but the scattered remains of the ‘bursten ball,’ thickly stuffed with golden coin, agreeably convinced him to the contrary. Sternberg, 137