Ottery St Mary were dealt a severe blow when, for the second time in a week, they were forced to cancel a home game when their opponents were unable to raise a team and therefore forfeited the match, writes Steve Birley.

Earlier in the week, the Otters ‘won’ their Grandisson Cup quarter-final tie when Axmouth United were unable to raise a team and lightning struck twice in the space of a few days when Budleigh Salterton Reserves announced on the morning of their scheduled Macron League Division Three visit to Ottery, that they did not have enough players to make the trip!

For the Otters, the loss of revenue is the biggest woe – gate money, sales of refreshments, match day raffle/draw and, of course, the post match bar income.

It’s a big blow to the club to lose one set of home income – never mind for it to happened twice in then space of five days!

It is believed that Budleigh, who are of course a club with a first team that play in the South West Peninsula League Eastern Division had only eight available players – this just three days after the team suffered a midweek 9-0 mauling at the hands of Tipton St John in another Macron League game. In that match, Budleigh were forced to include no fewer than nine members of the youth team who were also in action the following night in an Exeter and District Youth League meeting!

Ottery are now trying to set up an alternative game for today (Saturday) – Tedburn St Mary, who the Otters have yet to play home and away in the league, are without a fixture and the hope is something can be arranged with the Mid Devon team, albeit at very short notice.

Ottery are back in home action this coming Wednesday evening (April 18) when they entertain Lympstone in another Macron League Division Three game (7.30pm).