THE Easter deluge has had further repercussions on the 'Cases' Somerset Rebels, as Wednesday night's planned SGB Premiership match has been subject to an early cancellation.

Rye House Rockets were set to be the Rebels' first league opponents of 2018, but the match has been called off due to flooded fields and access routes to the Oaktree Arena.

With further rainfall scheduled, the Rebels promotion made the early call to postpone the visit of the Hertfordshire side, a decision that comes hot on the heels of the postponement of their planned Good Friday Knockout Cup double-header with Poole.

Promoter Debbie Hancock said: "It is extremely disappointing that we find ourselves having to call off another meeting.

"Our season hasn't got going yet; we lost our practice session last Wednesday because of the weather and then were washed out again on Friday.

"The amount of rain that hit us over the Easter break has been incredible and the fields that we use for car parking are under water.

"We owe a duty of care to our public and with conditions the way they are we really had no alternative.

"It is not just Somerset that has been hard hit, though, as there has been an unprecedented number of rain-offs recorded already this season.

"It is something like two-thirds of the planned meetings have not been able to go ahead.

"On the positive side, we are being forecasted to have a mini heatwave in the next week or so, and we will be keeping everything crossed that the weather gods deliver on that message."

Conditions have ample time to improve at the Highbridge venue as the Rebels are now set to open their season on Wednesday, April 18, with the visit of Leicester Lions in the SGB Premiership.

It was against the Lions that the Rebels have had their only team action this season, in a keenly-contested challenge fixture at Leicester a week ago.

Rebels stalwart Charles Wright, now in his sixth season at the Oaktree, finished second in the Cumberland Classic at Workington on Saturday, losing out to winner Rory Schlein by a single point.