Colchester’s visit to Guernsey ended in frustration, as Storm Darragh put paid to any chance of playing, while the knock-on disruption caused problems for the squad and supporters alike.

Colchester had travelled to the Channel Islands on Friday, with the National 2 East league match scheduled for 2pm the next day as the squad were booked to fly home straight after the match.

But with stunning bad timing, the storm reached its peak on Saturday afternoon, with gale force winds and gusts of up to 75mph. The decision to postpone was made by the Guernsey government, who banned all outdoor sport for safety reasons.

With all flights cancelled on Saturday, and brief discussions about rearranging the match for Sunday coming to nothing, Colchester’s management re-scheduled their flight home for later on Sunday.

In the event, all flights from Guernsey airport were grounded on Sunday too, with most of the 30-strong team of players, coaches and support staff eventually getting back to Gatwick on Monday morning.

Around 50 of the club’s most ardent supporters had made the trip, some arriving in Guernsey on Thursday, including a big group from sponsors The Wivenhoe Unquenchables who were certainly determined to make the best of a frustrating weekend.

The supporters’ travel plans were also disrupted, with many scrambling to rearrange flights home and having to find hotel rooms for the extra nights.

All Monday flights were soon fully booked, with some supporters even opting to fly to Birmingham in order to get home. Most are flying home on Tuesday, with some not managing to find a flight until Wednesday.

Spirits remained high amongst our supporters, despite the battering their credit cards were taking, with the pubs and restaurants of St Peter Port doing a roaring trade.

With Guernsey already needing to rearrange an earlier postponed match against Dorking, Colchester’s visit to Guernsey ended in frustration, as Storm Darragh put paid to any chance of playing, while the knock-on disruption caused problems for the squad and supporters alike.

Colchester had travelled to the Channel Islands on Friday, with the National 2 East league match scheduled for 2pm the next day as the squad were booked to fly home straight after the match.

But with stunning bad timing, the storm reached its peak on Saturday afternoon, with gale force winds and gusts of up to 75mph. The decision to postpone was made by the Guernsey government, who banned all outdoor sport for safety reasons.

With all flights cancelled on Saturday, and brief discussions about rearranging the match for Sunday coming to nothing, Colchester’s management re-scheduled their flight home for later on Sunday.

In the event, all flights from Guernsey airport were grounded on Sunday too, with most of the 30-strong team of players, coaches and support staff eventually getting back to Gatwick on Monday morning.

Around 50 of the club’s most ardent supporters had made the trip, some arriving in Guernsey on Thursday, including a big group from sponsors The Wivenhoe Unquenchabls who were certainly determined to make the best of a frustrating weekend.

The supporters’ travel plans were also disrupted, with many scrambling to rearrange flights home and having to find hotel rooms for the extra nights.

All Monday flights were soon fully booked, with some supporters even opting to fly to Birmingham in order to get home. Most are flying home on Tuesday, with some not managing to find a flight until Wednesday.

Spirits remained high amongst our supporters, despite the battering their credit cards were taking, with the pubs and restaurants of St Peter Port doing a roaring trade.

With Guernsey already needing to rearrange an earlier postponed match against Dorking, National League Rugby has confirmed our game has been rescheduled for Feb 22.