KIRKWALL, Scotland — William Thomson’s family had played this sport for centuries, so he understood that he needed to choose between two strategies for the annual Christmas Day ba’ game. The scrawny ...

KIRKWALL, Scotland — William Thomson”s family had played this sport for centuries, so he understood that he needed to choose between two strategies for the annual Christmas Day ba” game. The scrawny ...

The ba’, which refers to both the game and the ball with which it is played, can last anywhere from four minutes to nine hours in freezing temperatures and hurricane-force winds. The ba’ is played ...