Just been reading an article "The big freeze" Apparenly the winter of 1962/63 saw Britain covered in snow on boxing day, with no thaw in sight until March. The country was battered by blizzards, freezing fog and temperatures as low as -22c. It was so cold that lakes and rivers froze over and a 1 mile stretch of sea was covered in ice. At times winds reached force 8. A 36 hour blizzard caused heavy drifting in many parts of the country causing drifts as high 20ft. Wind speeds of 81mph were recorded and on the Isle of Man 119mph. It was the coldest winter in Britain since 1740.
Football did'nt escape, all fixtures cancelled, some of the bigger clubs, to keep the players fit played friendy matches in Dublin which had escaped the worst of the weather. Some of the others managed to defrost their pitches only for them to freeze again leaving them in an even worse condition. Norwich City used flame throwers on the pitch and flooded it. Halifax Town turned their pitch into an ice rink and charged to use it.
The football pools, faced with the losses due to the cancellations formed the pools panel and is still going today. Under soil heating used today ensures less matches are cancelled and forecasters are predicting that the winter of 1962/63 is now expected to occur about once every 1000 years compared with every 100 years before that, but don't worry, , by 2962 football will re played im indoor stadia with central heating and sliding roofs.
PS. and players will be on £100,000,000. a week.
Football did'nt escape, all fixtures cancelled, some of the bigger clubs, to keep the players fit played friendy matches in Dublin which had escaped the worst of the weather. Some of the others managed to defrost their pitches only for them to freeze again leaving them in an even worse condition. Norwich City used flame throwers on the pitch and flooded it. Halifax Town turned their pitch into an ice rink and charged to use it.
The football pools, faced with the losses due to the cancellations formed the pools panel and is still going today. Under soil heating used today ensures less matches are cancelled and forecasters are predicting that the winter of 1962/63 is now expected to occur about once every 1000 years compared with every 100 years before that, but don't worry, , by 2962 football will re played im indoor stadia with central heating and sliding roofs.
PS. and players will be on £100,000,000. a week.
