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Sport

Dover Athletic, Maidstone United and Thamesmead Town the only Kent football clubs to get their games on after more bad weather

By: Steve Tervet

Published: 00:00, 04 January 2014

Updated: 12:43, 04 January 2014

Herne Bay's pitch was badly waterlogged (Pic: @Herne_Bay_FC)

Another week of bad weather wiped out almost all of Saturday's football.

A waterlogged pitch meant Welling United's home game against Braintree Town in the Skrill Premier had to be postponed, and it was a similar story in the Skrill South.

League leaders Bromley were due to host Concord but Hayes Lane failed a pitch inspection on Saturday morning. Tonbridge Angels and Ebbsfleet United, due to travel to Basingstoke and Chelmsford respectively, also had their games called off.

Dover Athletic, however, did beat the weather. The referee inspected the Crabble pitch on Saturday morning and gave their fixture against Bishop's Stortford the all-clear.

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In the Ryman League Premier Division, Margate's trip to Harrow Borough fell foul of the weather, so Terry Brown's side played a friendly against Maidenhead at Bisham Abbey.

The Gallagher Stadium's 3G playing surface meant Maidstone United's home game against Hendon was never in doubt, despite heavy rain in the county town.

Thamesmead Town were the only other Kent club to defy the elements, getting their game against Billericay on.

Bottom side Cray Wanderers were due to travel to AFC Hornchurch but that fixture was one of the many postponements.

It was a bleak picture in the lower divisions.

Herne Bay's game against Worthing in Ryman League Division 1 South was called off on Friday night, while Ramsgate v Guernsey and Sittingbourne v Merstham were also postponed.

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It wasn't just the rain causing problems. Storm damage to Reachfields Stadium forced Hythe Town to postpone their game against Walton & Hersham as early as Thursday - heavy winds having wrecked a section of terracing.

Storm damage at Reachfields Stadium (Pic: www.hythetownfc.co.uk)

Whitstable Town, Faversham Town, Folkestone Invicta, VCD Athletic and Chatham Town were all to to play away from home but the weather meant they all stayed at home.

All the games in Southern Counties East and the Kent Invicta League were called off.

Kent's rugby clubs also bore the brunt of the appalling conditions.

Canterbury made the long trip to Cornwall to play Launceston in National 2 South and their game did go ahead, but back at home it was a miserable picture.

The clash between Westcombe Park and East Grinstead in National 3 London & South East was called off, as were Dover and Sidcup's home games in London 1 South.

Gravesend, due to visit Haywards Heath in the same division, were also thwarted by the weather, as were Maidstone, Deal & Betteshanger and Tunbridge Wells in London 2 South East.

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