The first of the Presteigne Otway Cup semi-finals has been postponed after Leominster Town confirmed late on Saturday afternoon they were unable to raise a side for their scheduled tie against Newbridge on Sunday 28 March.
Leominster were first in touch on Friday evening when they had their doubts that they would be able to field a team but said they would take stock after their Herefordshire League Premier Division match against Ledbury Town on Saturday afternoon.
Presteigne’s cup secretary Trevor Owens said it was disappointing for all concerned but Leominster are chasing promotion to the West Midlands League and didn’t want to risk picking up any additional injuries at a crucial stage of their season.
“Given the weather we have had over the winter it is inevitable that there would be fixture pile-ups for all of the clubs involved in both the Otway and Sparey Cups,” he said.
“Credit to Leominster’s secretary Bill Bloxsome who has been true to his word throughout this and who has phoned me with updates at the agreed times.
“But it is disappointing for Newbridge in particular as I know they were looking forward to the game, while it has also caused grief for our committee members who had already made arrangements for a referee, post-match food and gate and tea hut staff,” he added.
Leominster’s withdrawal from the competition means Newbridge receive a bye through to the final where they will meet the winners of the other semi-final tie which will be between Presteigne St Andrews and Hay St Marys.
This game is due to be played on Sunday 25 April with the final then likely to be on Sunday 16 May, although this will be dependent on the finalists’ availablity for that date.