Brentford and Colchester matches called off as weather plays havoc with football schedule again
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The League One encounters at Brentford and Colchester United have been postponed because of waterlogged pitches.
Heavy overnight rainfall in Essex left the pitch at the Weston Homes Community Stadium unplayable, despite covers being in place since Thursday.
Match referee Brendan Malone told Colchester’s official website: ‘I turned up for the 8.30 pitch inspection and met with both management teams to walk the pitch.
Scroll down for a full list of postponed football fixtures
Waterlogged: The League One fixture between Colchester United and Rotherham United has fallen victim to the weather after heavy overnight rain in Essex
Soggy scene: Despite last minute efforts from ground staff on Saturday morning and covers being in place since Thursday, the pitch was still unplayable
Verdict: Referee Brendan Malone inspects the pitch alongside representatives from both teams
‘We took the covers off and underneath it was very wet. With the forecast of more rain to follow later today, I had the safety of all three teams paramount in my mind along with the consideration for the supporters and called the match off in agreement with both management teams.’
It is the second League One fixture to fall victim to the soggy weather after Stevenage Borough’s match with Wolves was called off on Friday.
And following a 10am pitch inspection, Brentford’s home clash with Crawley Town was postponed because of a wet and muddy surface.
‘The Griffin Park pitch is sodden,’ a club statement read. ‘There are puddles on the pitch, the water table is very high and water is not draining as well as previous days.
‘Match referee Stephen Martin inspected the pitch and deemed that it would not clear in time for Buy Google Ads VCC play.’
The League Two fixture between Torquay United and Bury was also called off just over two hours before kick-off.
A number of fixtures are off in the Skrill Conference Premier as Britain continues to be deluged by rain, and the non-league programme in the south of the country has been badly affected.
Quagmire: The state of the pitch at Griffin Park made the postponement of Brentford’s match with Crawley inevitable
Muddy: Part of the pitch at Stevenage’s Lamex Stadium, meaning the League One fixture with Wolves was called off
However, Saturday’s big race meeting at Newbury has passed a 7am precautionary course inspection.
Heavy rain throughout the week had put the jumps fixture, featuring three Graded races, in jeopardy.
But clerk of the course Richard Osgood was happy with what he found upon assessing conditions early this morning.
Osgood said: ‘It’s very good news as we are racing. We had 7.6 millimetres of overnight rain.’
Saturday afternoon’s jumps fixture at Warwick has survived an early-morning course inspection and goes ahead.
Waterlogging had been a major issue, but track officials were heartened after just 3.8 millimetres of rain fell overnight.
FOOTBALL FIXTURES OFF
LEAGUE ONE
Brentford vs Crawley Town
Colchester United vs Rotherham United
Stevenage Borough vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
LEAGUE TWO
Torquay United vs Bury
CONFERENCE
Aldershot vs Chester
Braintree Town vs Nuneaton Town
Forest Green Rovers vs Barnet
Hereford United vs Macclesfield Town
Kidderminster Harriers vs Cambridge United
Luton Town vs Tamworth
Welling United vs Gateshead
CONFERENCE SOUTH
Bromley vs Sutton United
Chelmsford City vs Gosport Borough
Concord Rangers vs Ebbsfleet United
Eastleigh vs Maidenhead United
Farnborough Town vs Bishop’s Stortford
Havant and Waterlooville vs Boreham Wood
Hayes & Yeading United vs Basingstoke Town
Staines Town vs Tonbridge Angels
Weston-Super-Mare vs Dover Athletic
CONFERENCE NORTH
Altrincham vs Bradford Park Avenue
Gloucester City vs Workington
Oxford City vs AFC Telford United
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER
AFC Totton vs Redditch
Banbury vs Biggleswade Town
Burnham vs Chesham
Cambridge City vs Bideford
Frome Town vs St Neots Town
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE
FC United of Manchester vs Stafford Rangers
Rushall Olympic vs Trafford
Stocksbridge Park Steels vs Barwell
Worksop Town vs Nantwich Town
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE
Dulwich Hamlet vs Bury Town
East Thurrock vs Harrow Borough
Enfield Town vs Lewes
Grays Athletic vs Cray Wanderers
Hendon vs Hampton and Richmond Borough
Leiston vs Kingstonian
Metropolitan Police vs Billericay Town
Wealdstone vs Lowestoft Town
Wingate and Finchley vs Margate
LEAGUE OF WALES
Airbus UK vs Gap Connor’s Quay
Bala Town vs Afan Lido
Bangor City vs Carmarthen