MORE and more problems are piling up for the North Lancashire League organisers, with cancelled fixtures now exceeding the previous record of the 1985/86 season.

Fixtures secretary Lawrie Postlethwaite said: "No fixtures were played at all on Saturday because of frost, making a total of 222 games called off so far this season.

"It is the worst since I joined the league in 1985/86 when 218 games were cancelled.

"The situation is not absolutely desperate yet, but it is getting towards it.

We can't afford any more blank sheets.

"At the moment it looks as if we can finish the league on May 12," he said adding that in a normal season two or three stragglers usually played their last game on that date, but this year it is likely to be the closing date for a full programme.

"We have about 27 fixture dates still available, including evening games towards the end of the season and we will have to complete an average of over 14 fixtures on every date to get through," he said.

He hoped the position would be clearer by the time the League Council meets next month.