JUST when you thought it was safe to go out and strut your stuff on the verdant acres of Powderhouse Lane 'Jack Frost' struck again, with his icy fingers penetrating deep into the playing surface and causing the Vale of Lune's North One West fixture against league leaders, Lymm to be postponed, plus the Vikings' game against Kirkby Lonsdale.
For the Vale this latest postponement puts the number to four, and will certainly mean that the season will be extended past the published date of April 10, with the play-off games also being moved to later in the same month.
Two of the Vale's fix
tures have been rearranged. On Saturday they will be at home to Broughton Park, on February 27 they will travel to Burnage, with the home fixture against Leigh being scheduled for April 17, but the date for the latest postponement against Lymm have yet to be confirmed.
Two league fixtures did take place on Saturday; Broughton Park lost at Wilmslow 24-10 and Sandbach were defeated at home by Northwich, 16-10.
Going back to the middle of December the first tranche of postponements were a minor irritant to both the league secretaries of the national leagues and the North West Intermediate Leagues, situations they take in their stride, but the headaches started to pile up for administrators as the grip of iron tightened during January.
Slowly the backlog has been sorted out, on paper that is, but the return of the severe frost last Friday night and Saturday morning has once more had the administrators reaching for the smelling salts before firing up their computers for another session with the dancing cursor.
League fixtures are usually avoided over the Easter period but it would appear that the four days between Good Friday and Easter Monday are not being ruled out, neither are mid-week fixtures under floodlights or even the season being extended into May.
Despite the cancellation of Vale's home fixtures by mid-afternoon the clubhouse was filling up and outside the playing surfaces, bathed in sunshine, winked an ironic eye at players and supporters.
But of course we live in a world where health and safety, whether at work or play, dictate our actions and as always whatever decision the Chairman of Ground and Directors of Rugby made would not meet with universal approval; unfortunately "my back lawn was okay" type of assessment of the conditions does not have any relevance in this litigious age.
Despite the disappointments associated with another blank Saturday an air of opportunism is bubbling throughout the Vale of Lune.
The two Samoans are due to take up residence in Lancaster at the beginning of the week, a former Caldy prop is on the horizon and last season's leading point's scorer with a total of 284, Neale Foster, is due for a comeback game with the second team following the broken ankle sustained in the middle of August.
Falling at the first hurdle of the Raging Bull Cup and Trophy competition does not appear to have had a detrimental affect on the performances of the Vale's second, third and fourth teams.
Since November 21 they have played a total of 13 games winning 11, losing one, the B team away against Fleetwood 2nds, with the Vikings drawing one away to Thornton Cleveleys 2nds.
In the RUFW, Championship North One the Ladies remain unbeaten after eight games but are currently in third place behind Waterloo and Camp Hill, who have played two games more but these two clubs have both been defeated by the Vale.
The Vale's strong, well organised youth, junior and mini sections, which caters for both male and female players, is flourishing at all levels under the guidance of enthusiastic and qualified coaches.
Enjoyment of the game is a prerequisite for the minis and juniors but numerous tournaments, plus Lancashire Cup competitions throughout the season allow these young players to sample competitive rugby.
Player development through a structured system is reflected in the success achieved this season by the Vale's Senior and Junior Colts.
The Seniors sit proudly on top of the Raging Bull E League, while the Juniors are in second place in League A, with both squads having in their ranks a number of talented players who are destined, hopefully, to make their mark at Powderhouse Lane.
This does not always happen because players move away to continue their education, or because of their skills are recruited by other clubs.
But at the moment the conveyor belt that is helping to increase the quality and quantity of the Vale's resources is going flat out on Sunday mornings.
While everyone rails against the weather there is time yet "To thaw the six week's winter in our blood," then perhaps the talk can cease and the action resume after a "lusty winter" that has so far could not be called "kindly."
