The Crescent rugby team in the South Otago premier competition was to have hosted Tokomairiro in Kaitangata on Saturday, but instead travelled to Lawrence as the Milton, Kaitangata and main Balclutha fields were closed because of recent sustained wet weather.
Crescent senior player Bradley Owens criticised the council's decision to close the fields in the weekend.
It was a ``huge'' inconvenience for both teams to travel to Lawrence for the game, not only in terms of travel costs and time, but also because the clubs missed out on after-match bar takings and supporter turnout, he said.
``The reason I am unhappy with the council is the fact the No2 field was playable.''
It also would have been the last game at Kaitangata until cricket started in the summer, which would have given the field plenty of time to dry.
``It just seems a bit unfair, if you ask me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one from the two teams that thinks the same.''
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan defended the decision as being the reality.
Grounds needed to be protected in times of poor weather, he said.
``There's no way the Kai stalwarts would want their historic grounds moved.''
He was unsure if other fields in Kaitangata would have been playable but the decision was based on advice from contractors responsible for monitoring and closing grounds.
Mr Cadogan said the condition of fields in Kaitangata had improved and he believed it would be an ``eye-opener'' for club members to see how different they were compared to 20 years ago.
Mr Cadogan also defended criticisms on the council's rates for Kaitangata, which were some of the lowest in the district.
Clutha District Council service delivery group manager Jules Witt said more work could always be done on any sports field to prevent closures.
``But the reality is it will come at a cost to ratepayers, so looking after the grounds is a balancing act.''
It was not uncommon for grounds to be closed for one or two weeks during winter to protect the turf so they can be used on match-days.
``It's about managing the turf to get the most out of the fields while making sure they are not damaged so badly they end up being closed for a whole season.''
The only way to guarantee fields could operate in nearly all-weather conditions would be to have an artificial turf which would cost upwards of $1million for one field, Mr Witt said.
