Wintry weather plays havoc with Boxing Day sporting schedule

Several Boxing Day fixtures have been postponed as a result of the current wintry weather, including Gloucester's rugby union Premiership game against the leaders, Northampton, at Kingsholm, and Tranmere Rovers's football League One match against Sheffield Wednesday. Wednesday will not now play until 3 January, after taking the early decision to postpone their home games against Yeovil on 28 December and Peterborough on New Year's Day, because of delays in repairing broken pipes in all areas of their Hillsborough ground. Although Gloucester had covered the playing surface at Kingsholm since their Challenge Cup match against La Rochelle last weekend, the surface has still frozen. And with conditions for the Gloucester area predicted to plummet to -10C on Christmas Day, there will be no opportunity for the pitch to thaw. "We felt that it was only fair to try and make an informed decision as soon as possible as to whether the game could proceed or not," said Gloucester managing director Ken Nottage. "The protective dome that allowed the La Rochelle game to proceed is unfortunately no longer at Kingsholm, and the freezing conditions have just been too much for our frost covers. Premiership Rugby has access to three sets of pitch kits which include hot-air blowers. For the next round of Premiership games on December 26 and 27, the kits are at Kingston Park for Newcastle's scheduled game against Leeds Carnegie – which has been put back 24 hours from Sunday to Monday – plus the games between Harlequins and London Irish at Twickenham and Leicester versus Sale Sharks at Welford Road, both of which are also to be played on Monday. The only surviving Boxing Day fixture in the Premiership is at Wembley Stadium, where the undersoil heating should enable Gavin Henson's return to rugby when Saracens meet Wasps to go ahead. Connacht's Magners League clash against Munster in Galway, originally scheduled for Boxing Day, has been moved to Monday, kicking off at 6.10pm. The switch, made following a pitch inspection today, is because of a frozen playing surface at the Sportsground. In racing, meetings at Huntingdon, Wetherby and Wincanton on Boxing Day have been abandoned due to frozen tracks. "We have had frost covers down all week, but we suspected frost had crept under the covers," said Andrew Morris, clerk of the course at Huntingdon. "We started to remove them first thing in the morning, and it became pretty evident the frost was deep and widespread." In addition, Leopardstown's meeting on Monday has been cancelled with the Irish track currently covered in a foot of snow. The four-day Christmas festival, which was due to start on Sunday, will now run from Tuesday until Thursday, pending a further inspection on Monday. Boxing Day postponements Racing Huntingdon Leopardstown Wetherby Wincanton Rugby union Premiership Bath v Exeter Gloucester v Northampton Newcastle v Leeds Carnegie Magners League Connacht v Munster Football League One Tranmere v Sheff Wed League Two Bradford v Chesterfield Macclesfield v Morecambe Accrington Stanley v Crewe Stockport v Rotherham Blue Square Bet Premier Forest Green v Kidderminster Scottish First Division Queen of South v Dundee Stirling v Morton Scottish Second Division Peterhead v Stenhousemuir Airdrie Utd v East Fife Brechin v Ayr Dumbarton v Forfar Scottish Third Division Annan Ath v Berwick Elgin v Clyde