Rock-Hard Pitches Put New Campaign on Temporary Hold.
By Our Football Staff
EAST ANGLIA – The East Anglian Combination League has postponed the beginning of its new season after weeks of dry weather left football pitches resembling bushfires in the Australian Outback.
Fixtures had been scheduled to start in one week, but an emergency meeting of the league committee concluded that play should be delayed until August 29. Officials said the decision was taken to safeguard players, referees, volunteers, and anybody else required to spend time standing beneath an unreasonably energetic sun.
League chairman Brian Dale informed clubs that July had been the hottest and driest since national records began in 1836, when football grounds were apparently softer, despite organised football not yet existing.
Digestive Biscuit
Most clubs in the competition play on grass pitches, though the prolonged heat has made the distinction between grass, concrete, and digestive biscuit increasingly technical. Surfaces are reported to be exceptionally hard and dry, with a small number said to have caught fire. This has complicated the pre-match inspection, particularly where the center circle is smoking.
Several friendly matches have already been abandoned, while those that proceeded produced an unwelcome collection of injuries during the close season. The league therefore judged that beginning on the original date, August 15, would raise serious questions about its commitment to player welfare.
Officials acknowledged that postponement would not satisfy every club. Starting as planned, however, would also have attracted criticism, leaving the committee to select the version of events involving fewer grazed knees and fewer calls to the fire brigade.
The league has confirmed that competition will begin on August 29 whatever state the pitches are in. Any further delay would create fixture congestion towards the end of the campaign.
By then, officials hope rain will have restored the playing surfaces. If not, clubs have two weeks to acquire shin pads, watering cans and suitable industrial footwear.