FA Cup ties and racing hit by freeze

Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Southampton and Bolton were the four biggest names to have today's FA Cup matches called off yesterday as the big freeze tightened its grip on Britain.

Glenn Hoddle's side should have been at Coventry, but the Highfield Road pitch failed an afternoon inspection yesterday.

Middlesbrough's game against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park also fell foul of a week of sub-zero temperatures which has left the pitch frozen solid.

An icy surface at Rotherham's Millmoor ground accounted for their third-round tie against Southampton, although it has already been rescheduled for Wednesday January 16th, with Bolton's game at Stockport also off.

In spite of his disappointment, Southampton captain Jason Dodd said it was the right decision to postpone their game against the Division One club.

"It is a shame because we wanted to carry on from where we left off at Stamford Bridge (where Southampton won 4-2). We are playing well and we're keen to keep it going," he said. "But I have seen the pictures of the pitch, and to be fair there did not look any way the game could go ahead. It appeared to be frozen solid."

Five other FA Cup ties have been postponed, along with two games in Division Two and two in Division Three which had already been called off. Last night's Hull v Carlisle match in Division Three was also postponed.

Numerous matches in England and Scotland face pitch inspections today - and, with the cold weather showing no signs of abating several more games are in doubt, including Leicester's FA Cup clash with Mansfield.

City have employed their all-weather pitch balloon in an attempt to ensure the fixture is played, but referee Paul Durkin will take a look at the pitch in mid-morning.

In Scotland, seven of 15 third-round Cup games have fallen victim to the weather - including Premier League leaders Celtic's trip to second division Alloa and Rangers' visit to Berwick.

Ibrox manager Alex McLeish insisted it was right to make a decision yesterday rather than wait until today. McLeish said: "The players' safety is of paramount importance."

In rugby union, yesterday's European Shield game between L'Aquila and London Irish in Italy was called off 15 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time, which had been brought forward from 7pm. The game has been rearranged for today at 2.30 at the ground of Roma Rugby Club.

In racing, Southwell's all-weather track was the only course to beat the freeze yesterday after meetings at Hexham and Ludlow had to be called off.

Southwell and Lingfield, also an all-weather course, race today - but meetings at Sandown, Musselburgh, Haydock and Uttoxeter have all fallen foul of the frozen conditions. "We had a much sharper frost than was anticipated," explained Sandown clerk of the course Andrew Cooper.