CAROLINE JENKINSON Some rabbits are on the pitch - they think it's all over. It is now. Wroxham Football Club has been forced to postpone its first friendly game of the season after a pitch invasion by burrowing bunnies which has left ground staff hopping mad.

CAROLINE JENKINSON

Some rabbits are on the pitch - they think it's all over. It is now.

Wroxham Football Club has been forced to postpone its first friendly game of the season after a pitch invasion by burrowing bunnies which has left ground staff hopping mad.

The Yachtsmen's hallowed turf at Trafford Park has been left covered in holes and combined with the dry weather, this has made the surface unplayable.

So while club staff look at ways of ridding themselves of their unwanted guests, the game that was due to be played against Potton United this coming Saturday has been postponed.

Matt Carpenter, club secretary, said the game on Saturday, July 22 against Wivenhoe Town was currently scheduled to go ahead, but if the problems with those rascally rabbits continued, they would look again at calling it off.

He said: “There's two parts to this problem. There's shovelling dirt into the holes and then there's keeping them off the pitch. We've done a bit of ringing around to try to come up with some solutions and we are going to get a rabbit-proof fence and put it around the ground.”

But apparently the bunnies are just not just bugging the Yachtsmen; they are also following other teams around the county, according to Mr Carpenter.

“The company who provides the rabbit-proof fences says we are not the only club in the area to ask about them,” he said. “I know there are a lot in the area at the moment.”

Last season the club, which plays in the Ridgeons League Premier Division, finished third in the league and also netted itself the Norfolk Senior Cup for the sixth time in their history, winning the game at Carrow Road 6-5 on penalties against Diss Town.

And while the rabbits could soon be finding a new home, the club could also be on the move as plans have been mooted to create a new ground on land off Salhouse Road in Wroxham.

For more information about Wroxham FC, fixture lists and contact details, visit the Yachtsmen online at www.wroxhamfc.com