‘It’s like the Winter Olympics!’ ‘Beast from the East’ batters UK sports fixtures

The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics may be over, but footballers in England was forced to do his best curling impression in a match dogged by severe weather conditions plaguing the UK.

Frosty conditions caused by winds from Siberia, dubbed the ‘Beast from the East,’ have wreaked havoc in the UK and affected the nation’s sports calendar. One game that bore the brunt of the snow was the English League One match between Peterborough and Walsall.

With the pitch at Peterborough’s London Road Stadium caked in snow, and the home side leading 2-1 in the late stages of the game, the players were ordered off the field to allow grounds staff time to clear the turf.

Desperate to avoid seeing the game abandoned and ensure his side claimed victory, dutiful Peterborough defender Steven Taylor took on sweeping responsibilities – darting off to grab a brush and returning to clear away precipitation, much like a Winter Olympic curler.

“It’s a bit like the Winter Olympics, isn’t it? It’s a bit like the curling here,” exclaimed the match commentator as Taylor, his Posh teammate Junior Morias, and the ground staff desperately tried to clear the pitch.

The grounds staff and Taylor, a former Newcastle United player who was dressed in just short sleeves and wore no gloves in the -3 temperatures, succeeded in making the lines of the pitch visible, and the match continued with Peterborough held on to claim three points.

Peterborough manager David Oldfield said the incident “showed the togetherness this football club has.”

However, other fixtures have suffered due to icy ‘Beast from the East’ temperatures, including the match between Peterborough’s League One rivals Wigan and Bristol City. Separately, Tuesday’s racing fixtures at Ludlow, Catterick and Musselburgh were all called off.

In Ireland, many Gaelic football and hurling fixtures over the weekend were reported to be in jeopardy because of the conditions, coupled with problems caused by Storm Emma.