Newmarket's snow pitch battle in vain

An intrepid effort by east Clare soccer club Newmarket Celtic managed to round up 40 volunteers last Saturday morning to clear their pitch of snow for a Munster Junior Cup quarter-final against St Michael’s of Tipperary.

However, after an impressive show of community spirit ensured the pitch was playable, the club were forced to call off the match anyway on safety advice from the gardaí and Clare County Council.

They now argue they shouldn’t have to forfeit home advantage for the refixture, with Clare officials pointing out an orange weather warning was in place for Munster at the time the match was to be played on Sunday.