Coldest ground

[ojx]

Lamport stadium in January would win, hands down.

Thankfully, they have a dome over the field in winter.  When my son has soccer there, and I pop out for a smoke, the wind swept terraces are pretty bleak.

[philipw]

The answer is simply Watersheddings. Close the thread :-)

[dkw]

Just now, philipw said:

The answer is simply Watersheddings. Close the thread :-)

Beat me to it, it had its own weather system, a system that had only one type, bloody freezing and wet. 

[philipw]

2 minutes ago, dkw said:

Beat me to it, it had its own weather system, a system that had only one type, bloody freezing and wet. 

You should have tried living on the next street :-(

[JonM]

Another vote for Watersheddings, although I remember going to Keighley as a kid and the car thermometer showing -14C when we got back to it at the end of the match.

[dkw]

Just now, philipw said:

You should have tried living on the next street :-(

I'm from workington, next to the lake District, which has a lot of lakes, because it rains a lot. Whenever we came to the watersheddings we all thought it was ridiculously rainy. That's how bad it was. I pity you.

[Rioman]

I remember watching Wakefield at Featherstone back end of the 70's or early 80's. It was a night game freezing cold and sleeting. We were stood behind the sticks at the old scoreboard end with the wind and sleet coming from the side.  One side of my face was completely frozen. When I got home the wife said I looked like I'd had a stroke (medical variety!).

[Scubby]

Watersheddings for sure. Coldest ground and the best pies. 

[Damien]

Watersheddings without doubt.

Funnily enough playing Rugby as a kid the coldest I had ever felt was against Royton and Higgenshaw (which from memory was up a huge hill). Funnily they were both Oldham clubs too!

 

[Dave Naylor]

In the early 80s I still still lived at home with my Mum just up the road from Watersheddings.  I worked in Manchester and one winter's day she rang my work and insisted that I set off for home early or I'd never get home because of the arctic conditions.

My Mancunian employers let me off early but were perplexed as I headed north east out of the city in bright sunshine and blue skies.  It remained the same until about half a mile from the old ground when I ran into low cloud, snow drifts and abandoned cars.

So the short answer is 'sheddings but I always reckoned the left side of the Chaddy end at Boundary Park was definitely colder.

[philipw]

7 minutes ago, Dave Naylor said:

In the early 80s I still still lived at home with my Mum just up the road from Watersheddings.  I worked in Manchester and one winter's day she rang my work and insisted that I set off for home early or I'd never get home because of the arctic conditions.

My Mancunian employers let me off early but were perplexed as I headed north east out of the city in bright sunshine and blue skies.  It remained the same until about half a mile from the old ground when I ran into low cloud, snow drifts and abandoned cars.

So the short answer is 'sheddings but I always reckoned the left side of the Chaddy end at Boundary Park was definitely colder.

Yeah I remember Boundary Park being nicknamed Ice Station Zebra at one point; when the wind blew down the George Hill stand (main stand) if could be colder than a cold thing.....I think Oldham played a game there in about 1986 that was ridiculously snow bound....never got called off though! The only time I have ever left a game early was at BP,  when I was about 9, stood in the Chaddy End nearly crying!

[longboard]

The Watersheddings, or Mount Pleasant. 

[lifer]

3 hours ago, Moscow01 said:

One of my first ever away games was Barrow v All Golds in early 2015.

It was below zero, a horrible cold wind was sweeping in from the sea.

As soon as the game started the heavens opened. We had rain, sleet, hail and snowstorms before a set had been completed.

I lost the feeling in my hands which made things hard because I was meant to be providing a live text commentary.

We gave debuts to two Australians that day, they'd never seen snow before.

At full time the players were wrapped in foil to prevent hypothermia.

 

I'll never forget it. 

Ahh, the joys of summer rugby.

[Adelaide Tiger]

Watersheddings by a country mile.

Remember back in 1985 Cas played there in October, not even winter, and gave a debut to Jamie Sandy our Aboriginal signing.

Those who remember Jamie will also remember he was about 5 foot 4 inches in height.

At the end of the game against Oldham it was said that Jamie had onset hypothermia and was quite literally so blue that it looked like we had also given Papa Smurf his debut as well.

[The King Of Leon]

Hunslets present ground has one big stand built on the wrong side so the sun never shines on the afternoon of a game, it has 2 open ends where the wind  whistles straight from Siberia and trust me even on a good day its freezing in that stand and that's in summer. In nearly 20 years since moving there ive never watched  a game in a t shirt,  honestly !

[Snowys Backside]

Coldest game i have attended was Leighs SL opener in 2005 v Huddersfield. The game should have been called off but for the Sky Cameras. Froze my absolute rocks off and got very wet to boot.

Played at many a cold ground. Watersheddings, Thrum hall and Mount (Not Very) Pleasant in the Winter can make your eyes water, but the coldest game i have played in was at New Craven Park.

we played an Academy game and it was freezing and the ground was bone hard. It was only 2 sided at the time. Us poor sods had to play (again because of Sky), in a hope it would soften up the Pitch for HKR to play their championship game (which was being televised).

Tin foil at Full time followed by 12 stitches in a leg wound caused by a bone hard pitch led to the HKR game getting cancelled for a frozen pitch.

Soft Sods !!!

[terrywebbisgod]

As an adult definitely Watersheddings and as a junior it was Underbank. 

[roughyedspud]

Shouldn't even be up for debate this.. gods own watersheddings a wins hands down

[barnyia]

Best thing about playing at water sheddings was the roast beef and pickle sandwich in baps(barms,tea cakes,) with raisins in! 

Then to the sheddings night club! 

 

[Lowdesert]

11 hours ago, Moscow01 said:

One of my first ever away games was Barrow v All Golds in early 2015.

It was below zero, a horrible cold wind was sweeping in from the sea.

As soon as the game started the heavens opened. We had rain, sleet, hail and snowstorms before a set had been completed.

I lost the feeling in my hands which made things hard because I was meant to be providing a live text commentary.

We gave debuts to two Australians that day, they'd never seen snow before.

At full time the players were wrapped in foil to prevent hypothermia.

 

I'll never forget it. 

When Des Hasler played a stint at Hull, he sometimes wore thermal underwear down to his thighs.  V Fev, I think, he came off at half time and his skin was actually a light shade of blue.  Couldn't stop shivering. We took him into the washroom and put the kit drier on as well as rubbing his arms, legs (nowt else!), none stop, put a beany hat on him, blankets and gave him hot tea.  He couldn't get warm to go back on. He didn't want to leave the drier!  He went back on, but, despite running around like a madman, didn't make any real impact. Hypothermia.  Des will verify this, us and still remembers it with horror.  Fittest man I ever knew.

[Moc]

14 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

I don't think Odsal has ever been remotely warm

100% Odsal

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Definitely in the Watersheddings camp here, although it could be a bit parky in Hull in January when the wind was off the North Sea. The coldest ever, though, would be a CC tie between Fulham and Hailfax at Crystal Palace in February '85 when our Aussie fullback George Bryant actually got frostbite - his temper wasn't helped when he rang home and found that it had been over 100F in Queensland and everyone had headed to the beach to avoid the worst of the heat!

[JohnM]

1. There was a gap between the tented roof and the seating in the main stand at the Don Valley Stadium. It allowed the wind and cold air to drift down over the spectators. Even in still air there was a cold draught.  Attended a good few games there and was always freezing, even with the 17 scarves I wore! 

2. Who had the bright idea of building Thrum Hall on the summit of a mountain?

3.. After 3 years full time at college in Oldham, I should have been acclimatised. Still, I expect that global warming has now resulted in the melting of the Watersheddings glacier.

4. The Ricoh Arena,last year.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Moc said:

100% Odsal

I'd have to give a special mention to Coventry last year. Dropped a full cup of tea too which maybe made it worse.

[Wigansnapper89]

13 hours ago, Damien said:

Watersheddings without doubt.

Funnily enough playing Rugby as a kid the coldest I had ever felt was against Royton and Higgenshaw (which from memory was up a huge hill). Funnily they were both Oldham clubs too!

 

I was going to write the same thing about Royton, that is the coldest place i ever played! I remember walking up a grass verge to a pitch on top with no protection from the elements. 

I also played against Oldham St. Annes which was b****y cold too, i actually played against Kyle Eastmond that day. Always remember him ripping us apart