The Waiting Game

Saturday 27th November - Parkhouse (Cup, home) - Match Postponed
December - Month Postponed!

I'm dreaming of a...

Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a sucker for a White Christmas as the next man. 
Ever since we used to sit as a family in front of the coal fire listening to  Bing, Frank, Perry and co. on Dad's old cassette player, the image of snow accompanying Santa has been one I've clung to.  Of course, back in the days of my youth, such hopes normally disappeared at least three weeks in advance; a "Wet" Christmas would be the more likely scenario.
Even once the belief in Father Christmas had waned, simply watching It's A Wonderful Life or Alastair Sim as the classic Scrooge was enough to have me yearning for a white-clad Yuletime...only to once again see it all end in disappointment.

"So what are the chances Dave...?"

Recent years, however, have brought with them a wintry blast although it's usually been towards New Year's Eve so as just to feck everybody's plans up for a hassle-free night out.
But this year, it was nailed on.  We would be having a White Christmas in Easington.  Indeed over the whole of East Yorkshire and most, if not all, England.  I should have been delighted and in some ways of course I was; especially when the big man himself came bounding down our street to deliver the Slushettes "those presents he'd forgotten the night before" (nudge nudge).  But, that lovely Festive image aside, I've got to be honest and say...I'm fecking sick of it!

The Parkhouse game almost made it in November...

...But not a chance a week later

Oh it was alright for a start.  I could just about take postponement of the Parkhouse game at the end of November...as a one-off.  The chance to get the sledges out and watch the Slushettes enjoy a bit of fun in the snow is something (I used to think) we rarely have.  I didn't expect the same scenario to repeat itself for each of the next three Saturdays as well.  The "novelty" has worn off now!
Three times we've tried to stage the Parkhouse game, only to be defeated by the elements.  Meanwhile, the one Saturday on which we appeared certain to play (11th December courtesy of an away trip to Nottingham United's 3G pitch) we missed out again due to our opponents fulfilling an outstanding cup-tie of their own.
Not that 3G's have proved immune to the early onset of winter.  The lads have been unable to train at South Holderness for the past three weeks due to the venue being closed "for safety reasons".
And so when the "Cold Snap" eventually confirmed there would be no fixtures for the whole of December, the Club had endured its worst run of pre-Christmas postponements in living memory.

How very feckin Festive!

To put the (ice) cap on things, we then learnt first of a problem with the generator (leak - now fixed...hopefully) followed by a burst water pipe, leading to flooding in the Tea Hut and visitors shower area.  As I type this, this problem is still to be rectified.  Merry bloody Christmas!

Meanwhile, on notifying CML Fixture Secretary Tony Baugh of yet another no-go for the Parkhouse tie, he informed me that the season is now "likely to continue to the end of May".  Given a repeat of last year's wintry blast in January and February even that date might have to be revised again.

Anyone for summer football...