ICE BLOCKS CUP TIES

So far, so good as the winter weather slowly fades away and spring is in the air. Well its February and we are no experiencing the shocking weather of 1963 when the FA Cup ties became so delayed the organising committee had to put the final back 3 weeks.
The Third Round tie between Lincoln City and Coventry City was postponed 14 times before it was played on March 6th, with Coventry managed by Jimmy Hill eventually winning 5-1, only to lose in the quarter-finals to Manchester United.
The Third Round took 66 days to complete after 261 postponements. A tar burner at Stamford Bridge, flame throwers at Blackpool, the Shay turned into a skating rink with an admission fee, were some attempts to keep the cup alive and salvage some lost income.
The pools panel was first used on January 26th; Ted Drake, Tom Finney, Tommy Lawton (all English internationals), George Young (a Scottish international) and Arthur Ellis (a senior referee) and of course another high flyer, Group Captain Douglas Bader (RAF hero)! decided who won and who drew. After some debilitating London Smogs, the snow fell in buckets and stayed for two months.
There was no rugby union, horse racing stopped between late December and early March, Bolton Wanderers did not play a competitive match between December 8-March 16th. Chaos.
 Jimmy Hill, always innovative, took Coventry to Ireland to play friendlies where the weather was better. The Lincoln match was helped by a pneumatic drill that broke up two feet of ice covering the pitch. Coventry were fitter as a result of their jaunt and won.
Jack Charlton doing the same at Leeds.