The king's charisma, intelligence, talents (from playing the saxophone to rain-making, a science in which he holds a European patent) and deep concern for his people's welfare make him adored at home and admired around the world.

ECONOMIST: Thailand's king and its crisis

When he stepped out on to the turf to warm-up and saw heavy rain making the pitch increasingly treacherous, he could have been forgiven for wishing Robinson - who was not even on the bench - had not been so unceremoniously dumped.

BBC: England 2-3 Croatia

The Los Angeles area has received less than 2 inches of rain since January, making the bone-dry region "definitely ripe for these fires, " said William Patzert, a NASA climatologist.

CNN: Fire rages in California even as winds die down

In another rain-affected game, Wellington batted first, making a respectable 169-7 at Orleton Park, Rajat Bhatia top scoring with 55.

BBC: Newport avoid rain to beat Unity

Glenullin had the better of the first half in horrendous conditions, wind and rain making the pitch difficult for both teams, the Mitchel's ahead 0-06 to 0-04 at the break.

BBC: Bellaghy 1-9 1-9 Glenullin

With the rain lashing down and a swirling wind making life difficult on a bumpy pitch, there were few first-half thrills for the 3, 640 hardy souls in attendance.

BBC: Sport - Football - Motherwell 0-1 Kilmarnock