Snow Cancellations

[Neil Graham]

That does seem unfortunately daft These split 4NCL weekends can make it very hard to find dates of course.

Don't think the weather this weekend will threaten 3N. Might be fun on the moors.....

On the contrary there is an amber warning for snow and blizzards here and Highways England have issued a severe snow warning for the North which will come into force at 19:00 GMT and run until 05:00 GMT on Saturday morning, with up to 10cm of snow expected on higher routes.
Drivers have been advised to avoid some roads including parts of the M62 (junctions 21 to 25), A66 and A628, the M1 between Rotherham and Garforth, the M606 near Bradford and the M621 near Leeds.

If you think being stuck on the M62 is fun................

[Chris Rice]

Getting bloody ridiculous now on the M62

[NickFaulks]

Where's global warming when you need it?

[Nick Grey]

In the south it may only be a mini Beast from the East. To be safe I'm getting my winter/mountain walking coat & trousers washed and cleaned.
As for global warming - watch the day after tomorrow. Melting of ice cap & fresh water into the North Atlantic drift leads to an ice Age in less than a week. Or you may want to look at Exeter University's climate change research. I keep up to date with the uni & my friends. Hope not too bad.

As for 24th March & the U180 & other County matches, I will be playing 4NCL at Wokefield Park on 24th only. My 4NCL team(s) were one short on the Saturday & had not defaulted in 3 years. Hopefully I'll find the journey easier particularly as his club colleagues will be travelling.

Anyway stay warm & take all the advice.

[Paul McKeown]

It has been snowing here since 5 a.m. If the snow is lying quite nicely here in London, I can only imagine what it must be like out in the wilds.

I hope the three EPSCA U11 Inter-association Zonals today are not badly affected.

The East Zonal at Bromley is organised by Jo Wildman of KJCA. She sent out a wise email last night, which I reproduce here in case anyone who needs it has not been in receipt:

Hi all

Just a quick update as I have had a few concerned emails about the possible weather conditions.

As you are aware, the weather predictions for the south east over the weekend is a drop in temperature and some snow. There is also an amber warning for icy conditions from 4pm on Saturday afternoon.

It is difficult to know what the situation will be tomorrow and, as Bromley is quite a central location, it hopefully won't be too badly affected.

Please assume that the tournament is going ahead as planned.

Myself and the other KJCA volunteers are planning to get to the venue around 9am tomorrow to start setting up.
Therefore, when I get to the venue, if there are issues with accessibility and safety, or the weather is too severe, then I will reassess and email round to all team managers if needed. I will also keep a watch on travel updates from the different counties and areas.

We may also make the decision to try and shorten the breaks between rounds, so that the tournament can finish earlier. If so, then it will be clearly communicated during the day.

I completely understand if your team parents/carers are worried about travelling. Please do let me know as soon as you can if there any any withdrawals.

I know we will all try to do our best to ensure a good tournament, whilst also keeping everyone's safety and travel plans in mind.

I will keep everyone informed.

Best wishes and see you tomorrow

Jo

[Paul McKeown]

Where's global warming when you need it?

It is quite likely that global warming is the actual cause of the recent and present unseasonal weather in western Europe.

[Neil Graham]

Division Three North was without Enniscorthy this weekend. As we understood from the Controllers, their team was on a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead that attempted and failed to dock at the Welsh port on three occasions on Saturday morning because of the weather conditions. After a fourth attempt also ended in failure, the ferry turned round and went back to Ireland.

On behalf of everyone at Bolton which I am sure reflects right across all the 4NCL, we would like to thank Enniscorthy for their efforts to reach the venue, extend our sympathy for what sounds like the journey from hell and hope that they will be back for the final rounds in Doncaster in May.