Rabbits 1, Waterloo Rovers 0

Waterloo Rovers face one of their toughest challenges in recent years, but there won’t be any silverware up for grabs… just the safety of their players.

What appears at first glance to be a light hearted issue is no laughing matter as rabbits have been blamed for two serious injuries to players, and matches could be called off if the problem persists.

“It has never been so bad,” said Rovers boss Dave Proctor. “The pitch is really badly damaged. There are huge holes which we are constantly filling in before matches but the rabbits just keep coming back and creating more. It has become very dangerous and something drastic has to be done or more players are going to get hurt.”

Ian Macleod was the latest player to receive a serious injury after sustaining a suspected broken foot on Tuesday night. He joins Will Pritchard who was a victim last season.

“Sometimes we spend up to two hours filling in holes before a match which surely can’t be right?” added Proctor. “Players safety is the most important thing and I have sent an official letter today to the Town Council who own the pitch so fingers crossed something can be done.”

But the town council admits it has run out of options. Over 200 rabbits have been captured already this summer and they have identified a patch of land, not belonging to them, where they believe the rabbits are breeding.

“The rabbits seem to be everywhere,” said town clerk Robert Robinson. “We have a rabbit catcher who is constantly catching them but they come back in greater numbers. It’s got to the point where we ask ‘what on earth can we do?’ There is a patch of land behind Maes-y-Dre School which we don’t own that has become very overgrown and it seems to be the location where the rabbits are breeding.”