As Mid Wales braces itself for another weekend of sporting inactivity, JT Hughes Montgomeryshire Amatuer League secretary Bernie Jones says he is not losing any sleep… just yet.
Local sport has been ravaged by the harsh weather, with cancellations galore resulting in no league games being played since November 13. And with Saturday’s two matches already in doubt, it is unlikely that we will see any further action until the New Year.
It has been frustrating for players, officials and fans alike and some teams have still only played five league matches to date. Not ideal but there’s no need to panic, according to the secretary.
“I would say it has been awkward rather than difficult,” said Jones. “We have reduced team numbers this season in both leagues so we should be OK but it will be a problem if we have another three or four weeks of it.
“We asked all the clubs if they wanted a fixture this weekend and nine came back to say yes but due to the volume of reserve teams in the league, we could only arrange two matches because of first teams playing at home.
“This could be our main problem later in the season if Spar teams suffer a lot of cancellations too because they take priority on the pitches over their reserve teams. For now though I am not too concerned.”
Jones, who is celebrating his 50th year in local football, says he has faced prolonged pre-Christmas cancellations before when three weekends were scrapped due to waterlogged pitches “many years ago”.
Another headache for Jones is trying to organise last season’s Montgomersyhire Cup final. It was carried over from last season due to fixture congestion and the match between Berriew and Montgomery has been penciled in for January 2.
“It is not confirmed but we hope to have it played at Latham Park,” said Jones. “This season’s cup will be starting on Tuesday night when Welshpool play Llanrhaeadr.”
Jones confirmed that this weekend’s Ladies League fixtures have also been postponed.