Postponements snowball over concerns for supporters' safety

Matches and meetings up and down the country were called off yesterday due to safety concerns over fans and competitors' access to venues on Britain's icy travel network.

Football, racing and rugby union have been worst hit with more fixtures postponed than are going ahead this weekend in what is one of the worst winters for 30 years.

Sheffield Wednesday's vital game with Peterborough at the foot of the Championship and Huddersfield Town's long trip down to Southampton in League One were among the first football matches to be called off yesterday morning.

As the day progressed the fixtures involving Rotherham United, Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City and Sheffield United were all postponed with treacherous travel conditions rather than the state of pitches being the predominant cause.

"The safety of our supporters is the club's main concern in these circumstances," said Sheffield Wednesday chief executive Nick Parker, in a statement that echoed the sentiments of clubs throughout the country.

"We would not want to put fans in danger by encouraging them to use icy roads and pavements around Hillsborough."

Hull City are confident their Premier League game with Chelsea, which kicks off what is left of the weekend programme tomorrow lunchtime, will go ahead, while the League One match between Leeds United and Wycombe Wanderers, and Barnsley's trip to Coventry City in the Championship are still on with groundsmen at the KC Stadium, Elland Road and the Ricoh Arena all praying for a let-up in the snow.

Twenty-four pitch inspections were held in the Football League yesterday with only six of the games involved surviving.

In rugby union, Leeds Carnegie's match at Harlequins also fell foul of the weather yesterday due to the surrounding concourse area at Twickenham Stoop and the stadium's terracing being deemed too dangerous for spectators.

Even the rugby league friendly between Huddersfield and Halifax scheduled for Sunday has fallen foul of the weather, delaying Eorl Crabtree's testimonial and Brett Hodgson's attempt to get match practice ahead of the new season.

Racing in the north has been frozen out since December 15 and there will be no National Hunt racing in Britain until Tuesday at the earliest.

There has been no racing on turf since Plumpton's meeting on Sunday and it appears not even the all-weather cards are safe from the elements after both Lingfield and Kempton were forced to call off their fixtures yesterday.

Although the surface at both venues is raceable, the meetings had to be called off due to a shortage of ambulances with the National Health Services prioritising other areas in the treacherous conditions.

Kempton's clerk of the course Barney Clifford said: "In the eyes of the NHS Trust, the country is on red alert.

"They therefore had to issue a 'force majeure' which meant we were unable to be provided with ambulances. It's such a shame as the course is perfectly raceable."