Rugby and football matches across the country have been called off as Storm Eunice causes chaos throughout Britain.
The Met Office issued two rare red “danger to life” weather warnings on Thursday, urging the public to stay indoors as Storm Eunice made landfall.
Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power and a raft of train companies have urged the public to postpone their travel plans.
Sport has not been spared by the chaos, with supporters’ travel plans thrown into disarray and various rugby and football fixtures cancelled.
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Passengers trapped on train for hours during storm kept upbeat sharing Kit Kats and sandwiches18 February, 2022South Wales has been especially hard-hit by the storm. Cardiff’s United Rugby Championship (URC) Friday night clash with Italian side Zebre was the first sporting fixture to be pulled, being postponed to an unspecified future date.
The away side’s inability to guarantee their air travel and other “logistical and facilities challenges” prevented the match from being replayed on Saturday or Sunday. A new date is yet to be fixed.
The region’s two Football League clubs playing at home this weekend, Cardiff City and Newport County, told i that they do not expect to call off their respective fixtures against Blackpool and Mansfield Town.
West Ham United intend to fulfil Saturday’s Premier League midday kick-off against Newcastle United, informing i: “The game is going ahead as planned, and if anything changes we will communicate that with our supporters on our official channels.”
On the south coast, AFC Bournemouth’s clash with Nottingham Forest was postponed just after 3pm on Friday after structural engineers deemed the Cherries’ Vitality Stadium unsafe for supporters due to storm damage.
Full list of postponed matches
Football
- Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest (Championship)
- Exeter City vs Barrow (League Two)
- Altrincham vs Weymouth (National League)
- Halifax Town vs Dover Athletic (National League)
- Southend vs Grimsby Town (National League)
- Dunfermline vs Partick Thistle (Scottish Championship)
Rugby
- Cardiff vs Zebre (United Rugby Championship)
Having travelled to the south coast on Thursday evening, Forest were furious that the decision was made only hours before kick-off and had offered to play the game on Saturday morning instead, though Bournemouth declined.
Concerns over structural integrity were also why League Two Exeter City called off Saturday’s match against Barrow. In a statement the club said: “We do not have a sufficient window of opportunity to inspect the high level structure to confirm if any lasting damage has been done by the persistent high winds.”
In the south east, Southend’s Friday night National League match against Grimsby Town was postponed after high winds blew advertising boards, screws and other debris onto the pitch. Southend said in a statement: “In light of this deteriorating position, the league have agreed to call the fixture off.”
It joined Altrincham vs Weymouth and FC Halifax Town vs Dover Athletic in the fifth tier’s postponed list, with those called off earlier on Friday because of safety concerns and a waterlogged pitch respectively.
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Chinese media begin to downplay ski star Gu after complaints over her 'privileged' upbringing18 February, 2022Heavy rain also led to the postponement of Dunfermline Athletic against Patrick Thistle in the Scottish Championship. The only Friday night fixture north of the border, this was pulled because the East End Park pitch is waterlogged.
In League One, Friday’s top of the table clash between Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic is set to go ahead despite concerns over heavy rain leading the club to warn fans of a potential cancellation earlier in the day.
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