Brods in postponement row

Old Brodleians RUFC chairman Richard Turner has mounted a staunch defence of his club's decision not travel to Beverley on Saturday.
Brods chairman Richard TurnerBrods chairman Richard Turner
Brods chairman Richard Turner

On a day when much of the outdoor sport in the county was postponed after heavy snow, the Beverley pitch was passed fit to play.

However, the Hipperholme club declined to make the trip, sparking a lively debate on the Yorkshire One online forum,

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Some contributors said all the roads the Brods players would have had to travel on were clear according to the RAC and another that Beverley should be awarded the points.

Turner said he was “very disappointed” by some of the criticism aimed at a club “trying to safeguard its players and travelling supporters.”

He said: “We very simply made a decision not to travel due to the weather conditions prevalent at the time.

“After a week of snow and dreadful road conditions there was no guarantee that it would not snow again.

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“There was still a weather warning in force and after a lot of consideration we decided on safety first and declined to travel.

“It was not just a matter of getting to Beverley but also the possible problems to be faced on the return journey.”

Turner said he had been in contact with a Beverley official on Thursday and Friday and had been told that the pitch looked playable then, although lines would need to be cleared and volunteers were being sought.

More snow was forecast and a pitch inspection was to be made on the Saturday morning at 9.30am by a society referee. After that inspection the pitch was deemed playable.

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Turner added: “After previous due consultation by the officers of the club we made the decision that we would not travel.

“This was decided in the knowledge that we may face sanctions from the league. However, these were not considered as safety was our prime concern.

“We advised the league of our reasons for not travelling, the game has been rescheduled and we have not heard anything else at this stage.”