Bad weather hits weekend sporting action

Storm Desmond has hit the weekend sporting fixtures with the Scottish football card badly affected.

Three Ladbrokes Premiership games were called off early on Saturday morning with games at Celtic Park, Tynecastle and Firhill falling victim.

Hearts' clash with Inverness was the first match to go as the Edinburgh club announced extreme adverse weather conditions'' had put paid to the game.

Although the pitch had been wet on Friday, it was actually strong winds that forced the postponement - balls were rolling from the far corner of the pitch right into the dugout.

Partick Thistle followed with confirmation that their meeting with Motherwell was off because of a waterlogged pitch, and Celtic's home clash against Hamilton soon went the same way.

Stark's Park passed a 9.30am pitch inspection but Raith Rovers announced the scheduled visit of Ladbrokes Championship leaders Rangers is off.

St Mirren's Championship game with Queen of the South was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch - less than two hours after the Paisley club reported it was in perfect'' condition - and the League One game between Albion Rovers and Stranraer at Cliftonhill also fell victim.

Glasgow Warriors announced their game against Leinster at Scotstoun is off.

Navan's racing card was also called off because of the inclement weather, while Punchestown's John Durkan Memorial Chase card on Sunday faces an 8am inspection.

The Irish Turf Club called an inspection at Navan for 9.30am due to the threat of gale force winds but a deterioration in weather conditions meant it was cancelled ahead of that. Turf Club press officer Cliff Noone said: They were due to inspect at 9.30am, but the situation has worsened and is due to get worse again through the morning.There is no problem with the ground, the track is fine, but they have gale force winds and it's not safe for racing to take place.''

In the William Hill Scottish Cup, the third-round replay between Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and Huntly has been postponed due to high winds.

The Huntly official website revealed that the team bus was just outside Dundee when they were made aware of the postponement after Edinburgh-based referee Gavin Ross had inspected Spartans' Ainslie Park where the match had been moved after the home side's pitch had been waterlogged.

The next attempt to play the fixture will be on Monday, December 7 with an 8pm kick-off.