IT is a rare thing for a rugby league match to be cancelled due to rain but that was the case in Group 11 on Sunday when Nyngan's fixture with Dubbo CYMS was abandoned.
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The recent rain around the region gave the Bogan Shire Council no option but to close the sodden Larkin Oval in order to not only protect the playing surface, but also the players' safety.
The match between the competition leading CYMS and the Tigers will now be rescheduled, most likely to the weekend of July 16.
Neither Group 11 secretary Ross McDermott or CYMS president Kevin Walkom were critical of the decision but both are now left to work alongside the Tigers to come up with a new date for the match.
"I know they were umming and ahing about it out there but the Nyngan boys rang me at around six-thirty this morning," McDermott said on Sunday.
"Council looked at it and they have the final call and they had no option but to close the ground.
"We've now basically said to Nyngan and CYMS they can organise an alternate date."
The weekend of July 16 is scheduled to be a general bye for all clubs, allowing them to run social and/or fundraising events.
Walkom confirmed CYMS have a club function set down for the 16th and added he he could scarcely remember a Group 11 match being washed out.
"In my tenure I think there's only ever been one and that was on a Friday night back when it was the floods and I can only remember that vaguely," he said.
"Of course it's disappointing and as we said the boys had a good four weeks of competition coming up at the right time so they were all ready to go out and have a good day.
"And it was Nyngan's home game so it affects them too, they'd prepared to play as well."
While it's not ideal for the Fishies for the match to go ahead on the weekend of the general bye, Walkom admitted it looks like there are few other alternatives.
In years gone by matches cancelled for various reasons were often replayed during the week, but that appears to be very little chance of happening in this situation due to almost everyone involved with both clubs having work commitments.
Walkom stated when speaking with Nyngan officials on Sunday morning, the bye weekend was suggested as a date for the match but nothing is confirmed as of yet.
The clubs will discuss the matter more during the week.
"We just have to try and get both clubs to come to an agreement with the Group so we can still play the game and still also have our function that we've well and truly planned for," Walkom said.
Despite the match not going ahead, CYMS remain two points clear at the top of the ladder.
McDermott confirmed the match between CYMS and Nyngan must definitely go ahead and if the two clubs can't come to an agreement then he and Group 11 president Derrick Hoe will intervene.