Season’s opening fixtures called off

8:53am Thursday 17th April 2008

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THE wet weather has resulted in the start of the new JCT 600 Bradford League season being put back.

And one man who is more relieved than most at the decision to postpone the opening matches on Saturday is Keighley's star all-rounder Richard Robinson.

That's because Robinson is a groundsman who looks after not only Keighley's ground but those of fellow Bradford League clubs Undercliffe and Baildon too.

The decision also brings back painful memories for Robinson of the last time the league made a similar decision.

Back in 1998 the entire opening day programme was called off and switched to the final day of the season.

"Don't remind me of that day," said Robinson, who was with Baildon at the time. "Our rearranged match became a last day decider for the title.

"We had to beat Bradford & Bingley to pip them by a point but the match ended in a tie. Even now I think about the fact we only needed just one more run."

This time the matches have been rearranged for Sunday, June 22, so they will not have such a direct effect on promotion and relegation.

Within hours of the Bradford League's decision being announced, the Heavy Woollen Cup - a competition Robinson's mother Lesley is secretary of - followed suit by postponing Sunday's first round ties.

Instead of playing at Hartshead Moor in a Division Two game on Saturday and tackling Wakefield City away in the Heavy Woollen Cup on Sunday, Robinson faces two more days of hard graft.

"It has been so wet recently that all I seem to be doing is using the super soaker machine to mop up. It has been too wet to get a roller on to any of the wickets I look after this week," he said.

"Usually you get some warm days at this time of the year, but this time it has been wet and cold. We could do with some wind and sun, but the forecast for the rest of the week is poor.

"Many groundsmen I have spoken to haven't been able to do their normal preparation work. Some haven't even been able to get a mower on to their outfield.

"It's totally miserable and a contrast to last year when it was so dry we were having to water the pitches.

"With the league introducing a system for marking the quality of pitches, it is only right that groundsmen are given time to produce pitches they are happy with. As a groundsman and a player I believe the decision to call off the matches is a sensible one."