THE freezing conditions in Ireland and Britain wreaked havoc with the New Year's Day sporting programme with soccer and racing both severely hit. However, there appears to be little threat to the big domestic event at the weekend - Saturday's rugby international at Lansdowne Road between Ireland and Italy.
IRFU executive officer Tom Kavanagh said yesterday that the pitch has not been covered. "But we do not have any anxiety about the playing surface. If it is thought necessary we will put covers on the ground and that will protect it and take out any frost that may be in the surface."
The first two race meetings of the year at Fairyhouse and Tramore yesterday were cancelled because of snow while the Punchestown card, rearranged for today after being postponed on New Year's Eve, also fell victim to the bad weather.
In Britain, only one of the day's seven racing meetings - the all weather at Southwell - survived. The meetings at Catterick, Cheltenham, Exeter, Leicester, Uttoxeter and Windsor were all called off.
Today's meetings at Ayr and Market Rasen are off taking the total of abandonments to 33 since St Stephen's Day, but racing will go ahead at Lingfield on the all weather track.
Soccer lost three English FA Premiership and 25 English League games while 10 matches were called off in the Scottish League.
It left just 18 matches in England, of which seven were in the Premiership. The biggest casualty was the Premiership clash between Southampton and third placed Wimbledon at the Dell. The fixture joined those at Derby and Leicester on the list of top flight casualties.
The weather also put paid to Frank Clark's first match as Manchester City manager yesterday against Birmingham at St Andrews. The postponement of Birmingham's game means the midlands side have become the only club not to taste any action during the festive programme.
Their St Stephen's Day game at Oldham was called off and the home game with Tranmere on Sunday met the same fate.
In GAA, the annual New Year's Day challenge matches between Dublin footballers and hurlers and the Blue Stars were cancelled when the Kilmacud Crokes grounds in Stillorgan were declared unplayable.
Up to 1,000 athletes were also disappointed when the Oman and de Loughrey Cups at the Phoenix Park met a similar fate, with the organisers unwilling to allow the races to proceed because of the treacherous underfoot conditions. The hockey pitch at Grange Road was icebound, too, resulting in the postponement of the Leinster under 21 cup final between Three Rock Rovers and YMCA.
