Trio to miss big game for Las Vegas stag do

A football team in Shropshire has found itself left short of players ahead of an FA Vase tie this weekend - because defender Paul Bowyer is jetting off for his stag do in Las Vegas.

Market Drayton Town will go into their re-arranged clash with Biggleswade on Saturday without Bowyer, for whom the lure of the world's casino capital proved too great to stay behind for the fixture.

However, he is also taking goalkeeper Andy Pryce along with him, despite team manager Simon Line jokingly suggesting that they could put off their flights until Sunday.

"That won't be happening because it's all booked and there's 14 of us going in total," Bowyer said.

Las Vegas seems a popular choice of destination for those planning a weekend away, because midfielder James Carvery is also heading to the city - as part of a different stag party.

That leaves Drayton without three first-team players for the tie, but Bowyer insists that the side still has "a great chance" of progressing to the next round.

This comes after the Bath Chronicle reported that one Sunday League secretary has warned teams that they will no longer be allowed free weekends for events such as stag dos and christenings because of the large number of games that have been wiped out by the recent freezing weather.