Weather disrupts weekend football and racing fixtures
The weekend's sporting programme has been further afflicted this morning with six more football fixtures falling foul of the icy weather conditions which have swept the country.
The arctic blast has already accounted for the postponement of the Championship games between Watford and Southampton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace and Charlton and Cardiff. Also off are the Bristol Rovers v Huddersfield, Hereford v Brighton, Yeovil v Northampton, Peterborough v Carlisle, Colchester v Stockport, Scunthorpe v Cheltenham, MK Dons v Crewe and Swindon v Southend matches in League One.
In League Two Accrington Stanley v Luton, Barnet v Rotherham and Chesterfield v Lincoln have also fallen by the wayside as have the matches between Port Vale and Aldershot, Darlington and Wycombe, Macclesfield and Notts County and Rochdale v Morecambe.
Aberdeen and Airdrie's respective Scottish Cup clashes with East Fife and Dunfermline have succumbed to the snow, along with the Scottish Third Division game between Elgin and Dumbarton, while more fixtures are set to be called off as pitch inspections take place throughout the day.
In racing, Newbury and Warwick are off today, but both Kempton and Ayr passed morning inspections. Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman makes his seasonal bow at Kempton, where 13-time champion jockey has four rides in his ongoing and frustrating attempt to surpass 3,000 jumps winners with four rides. Tomorrow's meetings at Exeter and Hereford have, however, fallen victim to the weather.
The cold has also affected the start of rugby league's Super League season, with tomorrow's game between Harlequins and Bradford at the Stoop off due to a frozen pitch.