Tipping Competition2024

Barrow Raiders chief executive Des Johnston is set to send Sky Sports a 'waste of time' invoice after a live National League Two clash was cancelled.

The showdown between the Barrow Raiders and York on Easter Sunday was arranged to be shown live by the national broadcaster before "unexpected scheduling difficulties" led to coverage of the game being sin-binned.

This controversial decision comes a week after the Rugby Football League confirmed the game at Craven Park would be screened.

Johnston didn't hold back his fury at the inconvenient decision.

"You can never get help off anyone.

"We have arranged everything for the private boxes, the stewarding, the bar staff, the catering and everything.

"Now they are telling us the game is going to be moved back to the Monday, so I’m going to invoice Sky for a total waste of time."

The Rugby Football League and Sky Sports meanwhile put on an entertaining show of their own in trying to figure out who to blame.

RFL media spokesman Andrew Whitelam said the decision had been made by Sky because of scheduling problems while a Sky Sports spokesman said the game should never have been confirmed by the RFL.

Either way this didn't appease Johnston who voiced the opinion that this wouldn't have happened to any other team.

"If we were St Helens this wouldn’t happen.

"But we’re not. We’re at the end of a cul-de-sac and they’re probably thinking ‘who wants to go up there?’.

"It does say they will try and cover another game, but what they say and what they do are two different things, as they have proved with this.

"There are three teams in Cumbria, but they may as well be on the moon.

"But if you are on the M62 corridor you have got all the help in the world. It is totally unprofessional."

End of Article poll:

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