Yes, my interest is piqued by the remnants of two egg rolling ceremonies in Lancashire - one at Rivington Pike, near Bolton, and another at Preston. Both take place now at Easter (and I have photographs of last year's procession in my website gallery). They could be distant remains of some kind of ceremonial ball game. Given the density of the balls there will have been casualties with serious injury, and it's fair to point out that footballs are quite elaborately made - in patches and with precise stitching ...

Manchester University Museum had one but has - allegedly - lost it. They will not admit to anything but it was certainly there in the 1970's when Dorothy Marshall was surveying them!