Icy conditions hit Sussex non-league football programme

Worthing’s National South game at Hornchurch, called off after a Saturday morning pitch check, was the highest profile casualty of the latest icy blast to hit the country.

Crawley Down Gatwick’s big FA Vase fourth round tie at home to Fleet Town was also off – a great shame for the Anvils as they’d have hoped to attract a sizeable crowd today with Crawley Town not playing, and the game is now likely to be rearranged as a midweek fixture.

In the Isthmian premier division, Dover v Lewes, Dartford v Chichester City, Carshalton v Hastings and Whitehawk v Hendon all fell victim to the wintry conditions.

It looked like Bognor v Hashtag had survived but that was called off by the referee shortly before 2pm.

In the Isthmian south east division, matches called off included Broadbridge Heath v Ramsgate, Deal v Steyning and East Grinstead v Sheppey – and Eastbourne Town v Littlehampton, which was postponed around midday after two pitch inspections.

An even later call-off was for Burgess Hill Town’s match in the same division at home to Croydon Athletic.

Matches on 3G pitches at Eastbourne Borough and Horsham were the highest-level non-league matches involving Sussex teams to survive.

Many matches in the Southern Combination, West Sussex League, Mid Sussex League and East Sussex League were also postponed, leaving some clubs looking at fixture pile-ups if the weather does not improve quickly.

Games in the SCFL involving Haywards Heath, Pagham, Wick, Hassocks, East Preston, Copthorne, Shoreham, Lingfield, Rustington, Eastbourne United, Billingshurst and Arundel were among those called off – though this is not an exhaustive list, so if you are going to a game, check with the host club as to whether it is on or off.