DESPITE the freezing weather causing havoc across the leagues, the North Hants May Cup tie between Silchester Village and North Warnborough went ahead on Saturday thanks to a late pitch inspection, writes Tony Spencer.

The first half was a close affair, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm in the difficult conditions.

Warnborough had the better of the early chances, with Max Ashby forcing a good save from the Silchester keeper.

However, Reece Emery in the Warnborough goal was equally impressive, commanding his area and claiming any aerial threat.

The second half opened up as both sides searched for a breakthrough.

Warnborough had a glorious opportunity when a scramble in the Silchester box saw several players have shots and rebounds, but resolute defending and good goalkeeping kept the ball out.

Dillon Donelly then spurned a clear chance for Warnborough, heading straight at the keeper after being left unmarked in the box.

The game's defining moment came in the 68th minute when Reece Emery brought down a Silchester striker for a penalty.

However, the Warnborough keeper redeemed himself with a superb save, diving the right way to deny the spot kick.

Silchester came close to winning it late on when Merson Webb's shot rattled the crossbar, while Dan Burnett saw his effort from just inside the area tipped around the post by a full-stretch Joe Wooldridge in the Silchester goal.

In the end, a 0-0 draw was a fair reflection of a closely contested match played in challenging conditions.

Both teams will now go into the next round hoping for better weather and a chance to progress further in the competition.