Sporting fixtures fail to survive Storm Emma and Beast from the East

Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures continue to cause havoc and the sporting calendar hasn’t avoided disruption.

Adverse weather has already forced many fixtures to be postponed, with more events expected to be cancelled this weekend.

While Arsenal’s Premier League match against Manchester City on Thursday night may have survived, a number of other ties – not just limited to football – have had to be rearranged.

Full list of fixtures below 

A tractor clears the snow outside of Celtic’s Parkhead stadium on Friday

Groundstaff clear the pitch with Celtic due to host Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup

Groundstaff clear the pitch with Celtic due to host Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup

Football, rugby, rugby league racing and darts have also suffered as a result of the recent conditions.

Several clubs held pitch inspections on Thursday and Friday ahead of this weekend’s action.

All matches in the Premier League are expected to go ahead, although Southampton claim they are continuing to monitor conditions ahead of Saturday’s game against Stoke at St Mary’s, and planned to issue a further update at 5pm.

Arsenal vs Manchester City at the Emirates still went ahead despite the inclement weather

Arsenal vs Manchester City at the Emirates still went ahead despite the inclement weather

Heaters melt the snow at the Emirates, but other sports such as rugby have been hit worse

Heaters melt the snow at the Emirates, but other sports such as rugby have been hit worse

Saints said in the statement: ‘Following heavy snowfall in the region, the club has been consulting with Hampshire Police, Southampton City Council, the Premier League and Stoke, and will continue dialogue throughout the day with all relevant parties.’ 

Meanwhile, West Ham boss David Moyes expressed his concern about the roads ahead of his side’s flight to Cardiff for their Premier League match against Swansea.

‘The Met office are saying people should not travel on the roads, especially around Cardiff and the M4, so that is a concern at the moment,’ Moyes said. 

After hours of hard work, the Emirates Stadium pitch was finally been cleared of snow

After hours of hard work, the Emirates Stadium pitch was finally been cleared of snow

Staff had been working through Thursday to clear snow brought by the Beast from the East

Staff had been working through Thursday to clear snow brought by the Beast from the East

As well as Sheffield United’s game with Burton, Ipswich announced Saturday’s Championship clash with Hull at Portman Road has been postponed for safety reasons.

The Tractor Boys said on their official website: ‘The pitch is protected and likely to be playable but the areas inside and outside the stadium are hazardous and more bad weather is forecast later today, with freezing temperatures to continue into the weekend.’

Barnsley against Norwich at Oakwell and Brentford against Cardiff at Griffin Park became the third and fourth Championship fixtures to be postponed. 

Volunteers arrive at Newcastle's training ground to help clear the snow from one of the pitches

Volunteers arrive at Newcastle’s training ground to help clear the snow from one of the pitches

Other Saturday fixtures falling foul of the weather were the League One game between Blackpool and Northampton at Bloomfield Road and Cheltenham’s League Two home match against Notts County, which was rearranged for Tuesday. 

In League Two, Swindon against Yeovil in League Two was called off due to a frozen pitch at the Energy Check County Ground.

Mansfield’s visit to Stevenage became another game to fall victim to the weather following a lunchtime pitch inspection at the Lamex Stadium.

Stevenage said on their website: ‘The pitch has been deemed frozen and with worsening weather expected in the area this evening, the safety of supporters has also been taken into account.’ 

‘I’m guessing that’s no different for football clubs or supporters. If they are saying don’t travel I think the Premier League would have to consider that.’ 

Aberdeen and Kilmarnock have both agreed that their William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final should go ahead on Saturday but the South Stand at Pittodrie will be closed.

A Dons statement read: ‘After further discussions this morning which took into account: the readiness of the pitch, condition of the stadium interior, surrounding areas and the latest information available from Police Scotland and Transport Scotland regarding weather and travel conditions, both clubs have agreed to progress with the match as planned.

‘Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions water supplies have been affected in parts of the South Stand. As a result, the decision has been taken to close the South Stand to home supporters for this match.’

The racing calendar was also badly affected on Thursday. Meetings at Newcastle, Ludlow, Clonmel, Taunton and Kempton were all postponed.

Racing at Doncaster, which was scheduled for Friday and Saturday, has also been cancelled.

Doncaster (pictured) has joined Newbury and Kelso on the list of abandonments

Doncaster (pictured) has joined Newbury and Kelso on the list of abandonments

Fixtures in rugby union and rugby league have also had to be moved to future dates.

Premier League darts in Exeter couldn’t go ahead on Thursday night  

Pro 14 games between Edinburgh v Munster, Cardiff Blues v Benetton and Ulster v Glasgow were also not able to go ahead. Exeter Chiefs and Saracens’ Aviva Premiership game has been moved to Sunday afternoon.

Hull KR v Castleford, Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons, Wakefield v Huddersfield and St Helens v Salford were all off in Super League. Wakefield v Huddersfield has been moved to Sunday. 

SPORT CANCELLED DUE TO BAD WEATHER  

FOOTBALL

Championship 

Barnsley vs Norwich City

Brentford vs Cardiff City 

Ipswich Town vs Hull City

Sheffield United v Burton Albion 

League One 

AFC Wimbledon vs Charlton 

Blackpool vs Northampton Town 

Bradford City vs Portsmouth

Doncaster Rovers vs Bury 

Gillingham vs Rotherham 

Oxford Utd vs Fleetwood Town

Rochdale vs Plymouth Argyle 

Shrewsbury Town vs Peterborough

Walsall vs Wigan Athletic  

League Two 

Barnet vs Port Vale

Cheltenham Town vs Notts County

Crawley Town vs Wycombe  

Crewe Alexandra vs Forest Green 

Exeter City vs Chesterfield

Morecombe vs Colchester United 

Newport County vs Accrington

Stevenage vs Mansfield Town 

Swindon Town vs Yeovil Town 

National League 

All games postponed with the exception of Dover Athletic vs Leyton Orient 

Scottish Premiership

Ross County vs Partick Thistle

St Johnstone vs Hamilton  

Scottish Championship 

Dundee United vs St Mirren

Dunfermline vs Livingston

Inverness vs Brechin City

Scottish League One

Airdrie vs Stranraer

Albion Rovers vs Queens Park 

Arbroath vs Ayr United 

Forfar Athletic vs Raith Rovers 

Scottish League Two

All six of Saturday’s fixtures have been called off 

RACING

Newcastle, Ludlow , Clonmel, Taunton, Kempton , Dundalk , Doncaster (Friday and Saturday) 

RUGBY 

Edinburgh vs Munster 

Cardiff Blues vs Benetton 

Exeter Chiefs and Saracens (moved to Sunday) 

Harlequins vs Bath (moved to Sunday)

Ulster vs Glasgow   

RUGBY LEAGUE

Hull KR vs Castleford 

Leeds Rhinos vs Catalans Dragons 

Wakefield vs Huddersfield (moved to 3pm on Sunday) 

St Helens vs Salford 

DARTS

Unibet Premier League in Exeter 

 



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