Snow halts the WGC Matchplay Championship in Arizona
Play was abandoned in this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship after a freak snowstorm in the Arizona desert.
Rory McIlroy called it “officially ridiculous” after a thick blanket of the white stuff engulfed the course in minutes.
That prompted The Rundown to search out other cases of extreme sporting weather – and it wasn’t disappointed.
If you have any more memories of freak weather in sport, feel free to post them below this blog.
SNOW
1-This one is truly shocking. An ice hockey stadium roof collapses on kids training with NHL star Richard Zednik in Slovakia in January 2012. Miraculously, no-one was hurt:
2-A similar if less extreme version of that roof collapse occurred during a higher-profile event, when Ajax faced Feyenoord in a Dutch league match this season:
HAIL
3-It’s not the first time Arizona has been hit by the white stuff – two years ago a hailstorm interrupted the Match Play Championship. Here England’s Luke Donald and his caddie take shelter under an umbrella on the fourth hole during the final match:
Luke Donald takes cover at the 2012 Matchplay Champs in Arizona
4-Cyclists are among the toughest competitors in sport. If left to their own devices they will cycle through anything – wind, fog, hail, all three even. This shot encapsulates their dogged determination, at the 2007 Tour de Suisse. Eventually, organisers pulled the plug on stage six in Gnosca, fearing for rider safety.
Cyclists caught in a hailstorm at the 2007 Tour De Suisse
RAIN
5-Last October England’s World Cup qualifier in Poland was called off after a ridiculous rainstorm exposed poor organisation at the National Stadium in Warsaw. The match was postponed for a day, but not after the likes of Roy Hodgson tested out the waterlogged pitch.
Roy Hodgson walks on waterAnd who can forget this little fella bellyflopping his way into streaker legend?
England fan takes a dip in Poland
6-That farce was not the only football rain havoc caused last year. France’s Euro 2012 group match with hosts Ukraine at the Donbass Arena was suspended after five minutes due to a huge rainstorm with thunder and lightning, although play did resume later that evening:
France v Ukraine halted by a thunderstorm of biblical proportion
FLOODS
7-This year’s Dakar Rally was hit by flash floods during stage 11 in Argentina. Cars and bikes were trapped, with a huge rescue effort saving the day.
Dakar 2013 hit by floods
At the same event, this poor rider needed his motorbike rescued by a military helicopter, adding to the drama.
Helicopter rescue at the Dakar 2013
8-Two years ago, a Brazilian league match between Sao Paulo and Palmeiras remarkably went ahead despite a deluge that saw fans swimming around the stadium. Truly bizarre:
Fans take a dip before Sao Paulo v Palmeiras
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9-Worcestershire cricket club’s New Road is a regular victim of flooding, the worst of which in recent memory came in September 2008:
Another flood at Worcestershire Cricket Club's New RoadWIND
10- Wimsheim 1-0 Brunbach (Wind 58, o.g.)
We’ve all played football in joke conditions, but when nothing is riding on it you get on with the game. This German lower-league match between Wimsheim and Grunbach saw the elements get on the scoresheet:
11- This one raised a chuckle to all those watching it, and even the two players who were battling for a place in the 2012 US Open final. Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych are not known for their laughter, but both saw the funny side as the absurd wind blew a chair on to the court during a key point:
PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS
BONUS! - On the topic of biblical events, while not strictly-speaking weather-related, this incredible snap is worthy of mention. West Indies legend Brian Lara and almost-as-famous Australian Adam Gilchrist take cover as a swarm of locusts interrupts a 2000 Test in Adelaide. Yes, a swarm of locusts.
Adam Gilchrist and Brian Lara duck to avoid the locusts