Championship game called off at last minute for bizarre reason
Cougar Park, the home of Keighley Cougars
Keighley Cougars’ Championship fixture with Dewsbury Rams was postponed on Sunday – after the playing surface at Cougar Park was deemed unsafe to play on.
The Cougars and the Rams were due to meet in a significant local derby in West Yorkshire, in which a win for Dewsbury would have solidified their spot inside the top ten in the competition. Keighley themselves would have moved to within two points of the Rams had they been able to secure victory.
But the game ultimately never managed to go ahead – and it is hard to remember the last time a game was postponed at the height of summer due to playing conditions being deemed unfit for professional rugby league.
Matches can occasionally be called off early in the year due to low temperatures causing a frozen pitch – but this time, it was the heat that seemingly was the issue.
Keighley’s pitch was deemed unsafe by the RFL’s match commissioner following a pre-match inspection on Sunday afternoon. It looked as though the contest would initially be delayed while the pitch was watered but ultimately later decided the surface was not conducive to a professional rugby league fixture.
The Rams were first to confirm the news on X, saying: “Unfortunately due to unsafe pitch conditions the game against Keighley has been cancelled and will have to be rescheduled. Thank you to all of you who made your way out to the try and support us.”
The Cougars initially said on Facebook that they were unsure whether or not the game had simply been delayed or whether it had been postponed.
But shortly after 3pm, they appeared to concede defeat and said: “Apologies. The game has been called off. Safety concerns has given the ref no choice due to the pitch being too hard.”
The game was due to be the second half of a double-header on the day. Earlier on Sunday morning, the Cougars’ women were heavily beaten by 70-6 and a video posted to the Roughyeds’ social media accounts shows how dry the Cougar Park pitch was.
The RFL have been approached for comment.
