SATURDAY saw a big day planned for Okehampton RFC. A lunch for life members, vice presidents and past players was laid on, and was to be followed by a Western Counties (West) league game against Saltash who were to visit the club for the first time in many years.

Saltash, promoted last season, are fighting relegation while Okehampton are in the top four of the league with four games in hand, and in line for end of season honours

A pitch inspection at 8.30am ruled that the pitch, while not perfect, was playable for the first time in weeks. The weather had allowed the pitch to dry out considerably since the downpours of previous weeks.

Saltash duly arrived, and while the small but select group of guests sat down to an excellent lunch with club president Maxwell Turner, the players went through their pre-match warm up routines.

This was the signal for the weather to turn against us and, with a strong Westerly wind blowing, a quite heavy rain come drizzle fell worsening pitch conditions.

The home side were still keen to play despite the conditions but the Saltash team manager and coach were of a different opinion and thought the conditions were not fit to play.  It takes both teams plus the referee to agree to play when conditions are marginal and without the agreement of Saltash the game had, regrettably, to be called off.

This disappointed not only the Okehampton players and supporters but also those who had travelled from Saltash for the game.

This is the third first XV home game that has been cancelled at Oaklands, along with four more away games — including twice at Saltash and is giving the club a huge problem with how to fit in the remaining league games, let alone the Devon Intermediate Cup competition. There are now two more league games to play than we have available weekends before the April 30.

The team is now faced with playing twice over the Easter weekend and possibly into May if agreement can be reached with the RFU. The Second XV has also suffered cancelled games and the juniors teams season has been decimated by the weather. It is probably the worst from that point of view in living memory

Club secretary Dave Potter said: ‘A lot of clubs are suffering financial difficulties because of the effect that the weather is having on games and therefore on revenue earned, and it is regrettable that the day’s events did not go as planned. 

‘Members and supporters of the club are being very generous in their support for the club and we are grateful to them.’