Freezing conditions force postponements

The freezing conditions began to take their toll as the first weekend football fixtures were called off on Friday morning.

The npower League One games at Scunthorpe, Crawley and Bury all fell victim to frozen pitches while the League Two matches at Accrington, Rochdale and Southend were postponed for the same reason.

The racing programme has also been hard hit, with Saturday's scheduled meetings at Taunton and Haydock called off along with Towcester on Sunday, while Lingfield and Ascot are under threat.

Both Ascot and Lingfield were called off around midday, meaning no turf racing in the UK this weekend.

Meanwhile, the League One matches at Hartlepool and Crewe joined the list of postponed games along with League Two's clash between Torquay and Chesterfield, which succumbed to a waterlogged pitch.