Sunday's Championship rugby league clash between the Goole Vikings and Whitehaven was thrown into unexpected chaos, leading to an 80-minute delay, but the culprit wasn't an injury or bad weather—it was a replica grenade.

The unusual discovery was made near the athletics track surrounding the pitch at Victoria Pleasure Ground, prompting immediate action. Just 30 minutes before the scheduled 3:00 PM BST kick-off, the Goole Vikings issued a statement alerting fans to an incident being handled by authorities and advising them not to arrive until 4:00 PM.

Humberside Police established a cordon as a specialist team was called in to examine the suspicious item. The tension was finally broken when the team confirmed the object was a non-explosive replica, which was then safely removed from the area.

With the all-clear given, play eventually got underway at 4:20 PM BST. The Vikings publicly thanked players, coaches, staff, and supporters from both clubs for their patience during the unprecedented delay. Unfortunately for the home side, the disrupted preparation may have played a part, as they fell to a 36-22 defeat, a result that leaves them 18th in the Championship table.