Barrow Island had to call off this afternoon’s National Cup-tie at home to Orrell St James because the pitch was unsafe.
Baking sunshine across Cumbria for the last week and more has made pitches like concrete.
A winter hazard of iced-up grounds has changed to sun-hardened pitched in the summer months.
Reluctantly the Islanders had to concede the tie to their Orrell opponents and will now concentrate on a winning end to the Cumbria Conference.
It’s been a particularly sad week for the Barrow Island club as one of their stalwart volunteers Terry Irvine died in midweek.
A tribute will be paid at the next home match.
Cumbria Crack’s John Walsh spoke to Perry Singleton, joint head coach for the Islanders, about the National Cup cancellation, the club’s progress in the Cumbria Conference this season and the impact that Terry Irvine had at the club:
There is also the inaugural 1973 Cup introduced this week and Distington are waiting to see who they will meet in the semi-final after they and Fryston Warriors received byes.
They have been left without a game this afternoon as scheduled Cumbria Conference fixtures has been postponed when opponents Hindpool Tigers had to pull-out. It is expected to be played next week.
That leaves just two games in the competition with Hensingham hosting Dalton in what should be a cracking contest, while Maryport are at home to Ulverston.
There are no National League games apart from catch-up fixtures in Division One, but none involving the Cumbrian pair Kells and Egremont.
There are games in the Cumbria Men’s League, though, with probably the stand-out game in the Cup competition with Lowca hosting League leaders Aspatria Hornets.
In the same competition Wath Brow A will be looking for revenge when they host Askam who bet them in south Cumbria in the league.
In the Trophy Roose Pioneers host Cockermouth Titans and in the Shield Hensingham A entertain Glasson Rangers.
Glasson are looking to get to their first final since 2015 and last week’s break means that Jordan Dobbie and Connor Wilson have both recovered from injury.
