Match Abandoned

When you have planned an event for nine months, travelled 17,000 kilometres and made a substantial payment to attend an event the last words you want to hear over the arena stadium PA are Match Abandoned.

English soccer matches are played in pouring rain, sleet and even snow. There are stories of players donning nylon pantyhose under their shorts to keep their legs warm.  No matter what the calamity the game will always go on, except for the middle weekend in May which saw not just one, but two soccer games abandonded for unprecedented reasons.

By now the news of the device found at Old Trafford which caused the evacuation of 70,000 (including six somewhat disappointed Australians) from the game has reached the world. You will now also know that the device was in fact a training item left behind after an explosive sniffer dog exercise. Talk about red faces all over Manchester. There will also be a sniffer dog out there worried about his contract extension. Such a shame, we were having a ball at the pre-match lunch (roast beef and Yorkshire pudding) soaking up the atmosphere, and the wine. I even made friends with the Norwegians on the next table who excitedly told us that they had voted for Australia in Eurovision the previous night. We were just getting ready to take our seats in the stadium when we were ushered outside and into the carpark.  I have to say, the Brits certainly do a well organised and composed evacuation, but then it is just another form of queuing isn't it, and queuing is the British people's superpower.

You will surprised to learn that this was actually our second Match Abandoned incident on this weekend.  Yes, totally true, I am not making this up, the day before we had intended to catch up with friends of Drew at the local St Joseph's team last match of the season at the Stakesteads oval.  Oval may be overstating it - what we are talking about here is a pitch behind the Rose and Bowl pub where players have to rush to retrieve the ball when it goes out on the river side before it rolls into the water and someone has to jump in to recover it. After enjoying a pleasant beer in the pub we wandered down to the lush green pitch.  Take note of those words lush and green because they come back to bite.  We knew this was just a small local game but we were surprised to find the pitch entirely empty, not a footballer in sight.  A few phone calls later revealed why - Match Abandoned. Reason ? - the ref called it off  because the grass was too long.  It seems the council had neglected to mow and in the referee's opinion it was too dangerous to play on.  At the time we had no idea this whole exercise was going to be repeated on a much larger scale the next day.

Stakesteads oval. I reckon when the dandelions are in flower on your football pitch it is well and truly time to mow. 

The long grass did not deter the children from enjoying a kick