Current weather conditions across the country continue to claim fixtures from all sports and it got me thinking of postponements and games played in similar conditions down the years.
I recall a couple of really cold snaps in the mid 90s that forced games to be postponed.
There was a spell from 27th December 1994 to 14th January 1995 when Leigh couldn't get a game on for love nor money, I think they were due to play Swinton twice in this period and ended up finally playing the fixture at a sub freezing Gigg Lane on 25th January. Unsurprisingly the game was finished after 68 minutes and the result allowed to stand. It would be fair to say the Centurions were not red hot that night, they crashed 28-4 and the programme notes from the coach for the following home game suggested there were players being treated for hyperthermia!
I also remember the following year, Leigh had been due to play Carlisle on 31st December but a frozen pitch put paid to the original fixture. Leigh then played Swinton and York in quick succession before the Carlisle game was rearranged and eventually played on 17th January 1996.
Poor weather at the end of January 1996 saw Hilton Park under snow and there was a picture postcard shot printed on the back of that week's Leigh Journal. A heavy snowfall, not too dis-similar to the recent one, ruled out Leigh's trip to Hull KR who had finished League Champions a few days earlier. It was a daunting trip but the Centurions had a plan and sponsored coaches to take an army across to East Yorkshire. Of course it didn't happen on the original date and which I'm sure was 28th January and as a result the game was played on 4th February. I remember there still being some residual snow around the ground and Leigh played out of their skin to beat Rovers 24-0. If I stop long enough, I can still hear the strains of the fans anthem at the end "Let's all have a disco".
I recall the 2001 and 2002 seasons when Leigh played Oldham (at Boundary Park in '01 and Hilton Park in '02) it was touch and go whether the fixtures would take place due to ice. Leigh wanted to play both and it's no wonder - they won!
A couple of years ago, Halifax refused to play on the original date arranged for Paul Rowley's testimonial game. Leigh were ready, the fans were ready, the pitch was deemed playable by the referee, despite cold water being jetted onto it from a hose, but Fax took one look and their team boarded the coach and returned to Halifax.
Leigh got their revenge in the rearranged fixture, winning 37-6 with a certain Mr Rowley playing a cracker!
That same season, Leigh played Strela Kazan from Tatarstan on a snow covered Hilton Park. It wasn't to the visitors liking as Leigh won 80-0.
Another pre-season friendly Boxing Day 2004 saw Leigh play St Helens on a snow bound Knowsley Road. And Leigh were pipped 16-17 thanks to a drop goal from Scott Moore.
Talking about snow covered pitches, there is of course a famous game people refer too still around the town when during the club's Championship winning season they took on Widnes and won 18-5 in a blizzard that saw a number of roads closed leading out of the town and led to an extended journey home for brave visiting fans.
Of course even this all pales into insignificance when you look at Leigh's record from the 1962-63 season. Leigh played Doncaster at home on 22nd December 1962 and then didn't play another game until 2nd March 1963!
Let's hope it warms up a bit over coming days, although it was tipping on the radio that the temperature would be -12 tonight! Where did I put those thermals?
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