Saturday's Premier League match between Bournemouth and the hometown Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (better known as the Wolves) was interrupted during stoppage time as the sprinklers suddenly turned on without warning.
It was the 96th minute of the match and the players on the pitch were lining up for a free kick when the sprinklers popped up and started spraying. Everyone on the field and watching in the stands (and on television) were obviously surprised, and most of them seemed to get a good laugh out of the unbelievable circumstances. Fortunately, none of the Bournemouth or Wolves players were in the direct line of fire when the sprinklers came on, so they avoided getting soaked.
The sprinklers stopped after about 30 seconds, so the match was able to resume in no time. However, a couple of players had to help push the sprinklers back down into the ground so no one was at risk of injury. That would not be a laughing matter, as that could have been dangerous.
It's clear that the timer for the sprinklers wasn't set up properly, and clearly someone on the groundskeeping staff will be hearing about it. Hopefully it doesn't cost anyone their job.
The Wolves should be used to unusual match interruptions by now. Earlier this month, their match with Everton was held up when a black cat ran onto the pitch and wouldn't leave.
The match was over about a minute later and ended in a 1-1 draw. The result pulls the Wolves into a tie for 7th place in the Premier League standings, while Bournemouth pulls ahead of Everton for 10th place.
[NBC Sports]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
