Police are appealing for information about a break-in at a house in Desborough.
A house in Harborough Road, Desborough, was broken into sometime between 6pm on Friday, February 6, and 12pm on Friday, February 24.
A police spokesman said: “The back door was forced open and a search of the property carried out.”
Anyone with information about the break-in can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
An East Midlands company has created the world's first "smart condom" which rates blokes performances in bed and helps detects STI's.
The i-Con Smart Condom is billed as a new form of wearable technology which provides all the statistics men need to assess their sexual prowess.
This data includes duration of intercourse, calories burnt, number and speed of thrusts, girth measurements, and different positions used per week, month or year.
The device will also help detect sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia and Syphilis. The Nottingham-based company says that all info will be kept anonymous - but users "will have the option to share their recent data with friends, or, indeed the world."
In a similar way to other health monitoring devices, it will use nano-chip and bluetooth technology to relay the data to a smartphone app.
Over 90,000 people have already pre-ordered the product which will be released later this year at the price of £59.99.
British Condoms, which has been delivering condoms and other products since 1999, revealed last year that it was developing the unique product.
Adam Leverson, lead engineer on the i.Con project said: "Not only have we innovated the world's first smart condom ring - that'll measure pretty much every aspect of performance in the bedroom - but now I'm pleased to confirm that it will also have built-in indicators to alert the users to any potential STIs present."
The ring - which comes with a one year warranty - is worn at the base of the condom, is adjustable for size, and can be worn again and again.
It has an integrated micro USB port so it can be recharged, with each charge lasting about six to eight hours.
Aaron Slater, spokeswoman for British Condoms, added: "We knew we were on the cusp of creating something special with i.Con, and bringing a new meaning to 'wearable tech' - but being advocates of safe sex, we wanted something more, and the addition of an STI indicator has certainly done that.
"With over 96,000 pre-registrations for the product, we know that this is a complete game-changer."
The i.Con is currently in final stages of testing before its release later this year.
"People who pre-register will receive updates and be offered the chance to buy before the product gets launched to the general public."
Indie stalwarts Kaiser Chiefs and Feeder will play the Bedford Park Concerts which return this summer.
Organisers of the annual event have today revealed both acts will play the town’s park on Saturday August 5.
Best known for their hits including breakthrough single Oh My God, I Predict A Riot, Ruby and Everyday I love You Less and Less, Kaiser Chiefs released their sixth studio album Stay Together last year.
Welsh indie rock trio Feeder released their ninth album All Bright Electric last year.
They’re best known for the hits including Buck Rogers and, Insomnia and Just A Day.
The Bedford Parks Concerts series takes place across three days.
Tenor and West End star Daniel Koek and soprano Joanna Forest will be performing on the Sunday proms day and organisers are still to announce details of the opening Friday night acts.
Tickets for the Saturday night cost £45 for adults for £16 for concessions.
Tickets for the Sunday cost £25 for adults and £5 for concession until April 30.
Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit www.bedfordparkconcerts.co.uk
Jars of a hugely popular crunchy biscuit spread have been withdrawn from sale at all major supermarkets over fears they are contaminated with small piece of metal.
Belgian manufacturer Lotus Biscoff has pulled batches of its 380g jars which sell for £2.25 as the metal pieces may pose a risk to consumers.
The sweet spread which packs 2,169 calories a jar are sold at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Ocado and Nisa stores.
Those who have bought affected jars are urged not to eat it but return it for a full refund.
The recall was made after the spread maker was told by a firm responsible outsourced to putting the spread into jars that during a “certain period, their metal detection was not adjusted for sufficient precision.”
The Food Standards Agency said: “Lotus Bakeries UK Ltd is recalling various batch codes of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread because it may contain small pieces of metal.
“This product was sold at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Ocado and Nisa stores.
“In addition, batch number 7005109 with ‘best before’ date 5 February 2018 has also been sold through East End Foods.
“No other batches or Lotus Bakeries Spreads products are known to be affected.
“Product may contain small pieces of metal which could represent a safety risk.
“If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the retailer from where it was bought for a full refund.”
The company added: “Lotus Bakeries is recalling batches of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread because the spread may contain small metal particles.
“To eliminate any risk, Lotus Bakeries urgently recommends that Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread from the affected batches should not be consumed.
“This concerns jars of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread 380g- identifiable by the yellow lid - with various best before dates in February and March 2018
“Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread 380g glass jar:
“Affected Best Before dates are 05/02/2018, 11/02/2018, 19/02/2018, 28/02/2018, 08/03/2018, 15/03/2018.
“This product was sold at branches of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrison’s, Waitrose, Ocado & NISA.
“Please note that Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread 380g with other best before dates and Lotus Biscoff Biscuit Spread products with red lids are not affected.
“Consumers should return the affected jars to the retailer they bought it from to receive a refund.
“If this is not possible, consumers should send the yellow lid ONLY to the following free-post address, including their full name, address and UK postcode.
“They will receive a full refund.
“Lotus Bakeries decided to recall the batches of the affected product after being informed by the co-manufacturer - to whom the task of filling the product is outsourced - that, during a certain period, their metal detection was not adjusted for sufficient precision.
“Lotus Bakeries apologises for any inconvenience caused.”
Five men have appeared in Northampton Crown Court today (March 3) in connection with a large-scale cannabis farm discovered in a police raid last month.
All five were charged with producing class B drugs at the house in Church Street, Crick, where hundreds of plants were found.
Besmir Plaka, 28, and Martin Fejzullau, 19, were also charged with two counts of possessing false identity documents, while Endrit Asllani, 24, was charged with three counts of the same offence.
Aurel Gjini, 23, and Bruno Vishkulli, 19, were charged with producing class B drugs.
The defendants gave no indication of plea and were remanded in custody. Proceedings were adjourned until March 10 due to the absence of an Albanian translator.
A Daventry restaurant was handed a large fine after health inspectors found an infestation of cockroaches on its premises last year.
The grim discovery was made by Daventry District Council environmental health officers at Asia Tandoori on Warwick Street on September 28.
Kamal Hussain and Sadakur Rahman, joint directors of New Asia Kamsad Ltd, admitted seven food hygiene offences at Northampton Magistrates Court on February 28.
They were fined £7,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £340 and costs of £1,198.
The court heard that the council officers visited the restaurant after a customer reported seeing an insect, which they believed was a cockroach, on their table following a meal there.
During the inspection, officers found a ‘sticky trap’ with about 50 cockroaches on it – many of which were still alive – in a boiler room adjoining the restaurant’s kitchen.
A live cockroach was also found on the floor in the cooking area, while further inspection found dirty equipment, floors and walls, overflowing external drains, and bowls of cooked rice out of temperature control.
The restaurant provided officers with a pest control report from July 2016 which had identified the cockroach infestation, but the business had not acted on the pest contractor’s advice to undertake a thorough, deep clean.
The business volunteered to close its doors following advice from the officers, and a deep clean was carried out over the next two days. Pest control contractors were also brought in to treat the cockroach infestation and the business was allowed to reopen on September 30 after it passed a further inspection.
DDC officers continued to monitor the restaurant following the incident but found no further evidence of cockroaches.
Councillor Mike Warren, health and housing portfolio holder at Daventry District Council, said: “We take food hygiene extremely seriously as a council and it was clear following our officers’ inspection that there were major breaches of standards, not least a serious cockroach infestation which was not being treated.
“While the restaurant took action following the inspection, the offences were so serious that prosecution was the only appropriate course of action. The level of the fine imposed by the court reflects the severity of the offences, and we hope it sends a clear message to other food businesses that we will not hesitate to take action should we find breaches of food hygiene.
“Residents should also rest assured that this case is very much the exception to the rule in Daventry district, where food businesses boast excellent standards on the whole.”
At least 79 million ready meals and 22 million takeaways and fast-food and meals are eaten weekly by adults in the UK, according to a new report.
The report, based on a YouGov survey found that young adults aged 18-24 are the age group most likely to rely on convenience meals - seven times more likely to indulge in fast food and takeaways at least once a week compared to the over 65s.
The report also found that men were more likely than women to eat convenience food rather than make meals at home. 55.6 per cent of men they ate ready meals once a week or more compared to 44.4 per cent of females.
And when asked how often they eat takeaways, 19.3 per cent of men in the survey said once a week or more compared to 12.9 per cent of females.
It’s estimated that adults in England consume an extra 200-300 calories every day - around the same calorie content as two packets of salted crisps
According to Cancer Research UK, regularly consuming fast food and ready meals, which tend to have a high calorie content and higher levels of fat and sugar, increases the risk of weight gain and obesity.
Obesity is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK after smoking, and is linked to thirteen types of cancer including bowel, breast, and pancreatic.
Alison Cox of Cancer Research UK, said: “These figures show that ‘grab and go’ foods and a growing appetite for takeaways and ready meals are helping to propel us towards an epidemic of larger waistlines and increased cancer risk.
“The whole food industry needs to step up and commit to working with government to cut the amount of fat and sugar in our food. This would make it that bit easier for all of us to become healthier and reduce our cancer risk.”
Ricky Holmes is looking forward to his Sixfields return with Charlton Athletic, but has had a dig at his former club for getting ‘rid of all my mates’.
Holmes will be back at Sixfields for the first time on Saturday since being sold to the Addicks last summer and he is relishing the chance to go back to his old stomping ground, although he admits to being surprised at how few of his former Town team-mates are still at the club.
The 29-year-old was a big part of the Cobblers’ Sky Bet League Two title winning team of last season, and has great memories of his 18 months at the club, but he is still shaking his head at how the team built by Chris Wilder has been allowed to break up.
And he is pointing the finger firmly in Rob Page’s direction for that.
“This was one of the first fixtures I looked for, and obviously I have fond memories of last season, and the season before when I went there on loan and then signed a permanent deal,” said Holmes.
“I hardly ever lost a game there to be honest, and everything seemed to fall into place.
“Winning promotion in professional football, not many people get to do that, and I look forward to going back.”
Asked about meeting up with some familiar faces, Holmes said: “To be honest, the squad surprisingly got completely torn apart by the management change.
“I think the new manager, Rob Page, went down a different route, wanted his own identity, and got rid of all my mates.
“We were a close group, and I think that got us success, definitely.
“We are still in a WhatsApp group together, we still speak every day, and they are a great bunch of lads, but it has all changed there and there’s not many lads left in the changing room.”
To be fair to Page, Nicky Adams left the Cobblers before the Welshman even got the job, and Holmes and Danny Rose were gone before he had found his way to his office. He wanted to keep them both.
Decisions on loan players John Marquis, James Collins and Luke Prosser were also made before Page replaced Wilder, while others such as Jason Taylor and Ryan Cresswell were deemed surplus to requirements.
The mid-season departures of Joel Byrom and Lawson D’Ath, neither of whom were given a real chance by Page, still grate with supporters, but despite what he says there will still be more than a sprinkling of Holmes’s old team-mates in the home squad when he walks out on the Sixfields turf.
Adam Smith, Zander Diamond, Dave Buchanan, John-Joe O’Toole, Marc Richards, Rod McDonald and Brendan Moloney were all regulars last season, and are still here, as is the injured Sam Hoskins.
The former Portsmouth man was asked what was so special about the Cobblers team of last season, and he said: “Team morale was unbelievable.
“It was a team of men, didn’t know when we were beaten. We went 1-0 down a few times and pulled it back, and obviously the manager was exceptional, because he is doing it again at Sheffield United.
“It just seemed to click, it seemed to work, and we fought for each other.”
Charlton arrive at Sixfields just two places and two points above the Cobblers, without a win in their past seven games, having lost four of their past five, and on the back of a 4-3 midweek defeat at Shrewsbury - where Holmes scored a superb hat-trick.
Holmes knows it is a huge game for both teams, and said he and his Addicks team-mates will be positive.
“We have to go into every game looking to win it, and I think you’ll see that from Tuesday night we are scoring goals away from home, but unfortunately we’re not getting results,” he said.
“As a unit, you can’t blame the back four or the goalkeeper, it is us as a unit, and they broke on us and we gave away sloppy goals.
“We are making mistakes and we are getting punished at the moment, we need to stop that.
“We will go to Northampton, we will look to win , and the way I look at it is it’s a six-pointer.”
Northants team manager Jim McKee has named his squad for Saturday’s big Liberty Trophy semi-final clash against Devon IBA.
Northants travel to the neutral venue of MidGlos IBC in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, aiming to reach the final of the national competition for the second time in three years, with the County winners of the competition in 2015.
Changes have been made to the team which beat Gloucestershire in the quarter-finals in January, including the introduction of Kingsthorpe’s Mark Tompkins for his first Liberty Trophy match with Northants, following his move to the county from Buckinghamshire, and the return of Connor Cinato.
Rink 1: Curtis Johnson, Wellingborough BC/Ben Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC/Dominic Graham, Northampton & District IBA/Paul Broderick, Wellingborough BC
Rink 2: Neil Rolfe, Kingsthorpe BC/Chris Bland, Northampton & District IBA/Callum Height, Wellingborough BC/Andrew Manton, Kingsthorpe BC
Rink 3: Jason Bryan, Kingsthorpe BC/David Walker, Kingsthorpe BC/Darren Childs, Wellingborough BC/Jamie Walker, Kingsthorpe BC
Rink 4: Tony Dicks, Daventry IBC/Richard Mann, Desborough IBC/Connor Cinato, Kingsthorpe BC/Neil McKee, Kingsthorpe BC
Rink 5: Adam Pitfield, Wellingborough BC/Andy Smith, Northampton & District IBA/Darren Lyman, Wellingborough BC/Neil Corbyn, Wellingborough BC
Rink 6: Dave Love, Wellingborough BC/Mark Tompkins, Kingsthorpe BC/Matt Pownall, Wellingborough BC/Vernon Gearey, Kingsthorpe BC
Reserves: Richard Lemon, Northampton & District IBA/John Haines, Desborough IBC/Jim McKee, Kingsthorpe BC/Darren Lewis, Kingsthorpe BC/Dave Flippance, Desborough IBC/Tony O’Leary, Northampton & District IBA
Northants IBA name squad in charity clash
THE following players have been selected to play for Northants IBA in the President’s Charity Match at Wellingborough BC next Wednesday (March 8) at 2pm.
The County will be playing against two rinks from Wellingborough BC and one rink each from the Midland Counties IBA, Northamptonshire Retired Police BA, Daventry IBC & Northants Vice Presidents BA.
Rink 1: Dennis Collins, Wellingborough BC/Keith Pick, Desborough IBC/Dougie Ainsworth, Desborough IBC/Geoff Hunt, Wellingborough BC.
Rink 2: Pete Maloy, Kingsthorpe BC/Peter Kitchener, Rushden Town BC/Tony Warren, Northampton & District IBA/Richard Somerton, Brackley & District BC
Rink 3: Roger Miller, Desborough IBC/Richard Upton, Brackley & District BC/Bob Tingle, Desborough IBC/Tony Weston, Northampton & District IBA
Rink 4: Stuart Lowe, Daventry IBC/Trevor Tilley, Wellingborough BC/Bob Sullivan, Desborough IBC/Norman Gibb, Desborough IBC
Rink 5: Don Scott, Brackley & District BC/Peter Gilkes, Northampton & District IBA/Brian Langton, Rushden Town BC/Peter Mellor, Desborough IBC
Rink 6: Will Clelland, Desborough IBC/Dave Garland, Kingsthorpe BC/Brian Diver, Desborough IBC/John Streather, Rushden Town BC
Reserves: Eddie Short, Desborough IBC/Malcolm White, Rushden Town BC
Walker is among the awards in Coventry
SEVERAL county bowlers received awards at the Bowls England Presentation Dinner on Saturday at the Coventry Hilton Hotel.
A party of officers and members of Bowls Northamptonshire attended, together with the county winners of national titles in 2016.
The winners included the following Northants players:
Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC – won the National Under 25 Singles Title
Rebecca Wigfield, Katie Smith (both Desborough Town BC), Darren Childs (Thrapston BC) & Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC- won the National Mixed Fours Title
Rob White, Ian Bland, Wayne Stanley & Dominic Graham, Northampton Express BC – won the National Fours title.
Jamie Walker was also named the Young Male Bowler of the Year for 2016.
During the past nine or 10 years Walker has consistently performed to the highest standards. He has been a regular England International since 2010 at junior level and since 2013 at senior level as well, and he played for England in international series at both levels in 2016.
Walker was also successful in picking up two national outdoor titles in 2016, and towards the end of the year he was a member of the England triple that won the World Bowls Championship Triples title, and with it the gold medal, in New Zealand, alongside Andrew Knapper of Berkshire & Robert Paxton of Devon.
Northampton are able to defeat Daventry
NORTHAMPTON & District IBA took on Daventry IBC in the County Triples League and claimed a 75-61 victory.
It is an inter club league for four triples from each club, with two playing at home and two playing away.
This was a close encounter with each club having their home triples winning and their away triples losing.
Details as follows, Northampton names first:
At Northampton: Triple 1: Bob Reynolds, Bob Brogden & Chris Bland 27 – Stuart Lowe, Kip Frankson & Alan Davies 9
Triple 2: Tony Ellis, Terry Brown & Richard Lemon 16 – Adge Smith, Tony Robinson & Terry Fuller 12
At Daventry: Triple 3: Jordan Dickens, Dave Cox & Mark Dickens 13 – Barry French, Ray Dawson & Pete Dymond 18
Triple 4: John Clarke, Simon Coles & Tony Weston 19 – Riley Marklew, Dave Symonds & Malcolm Foster 22
Kingsthorpe secure Top Club success
KINGSTHORPE enjoyed a 79-41 Top Club competition win over St Neots & District.
The Top Club is an inter-club competition for the disciplines of two-wood singles for men and women, and mixed pairs, triples and fours.
Kingsthorpe claimed a 12-point haul from the success, with St Neots bagging just four.
Kingsthorpe lost only one of the five disciplines, which was the triples.
Women’s 2 Wood Singles: Marilyn Oram beat H Felce 18-6
Men’s 2 Wood Singles: Ben Sharpe beat J Barker 13-10
Mixed Pairs: Katie Smith & Jamie Walker beat C Goodwin & A Barker 22-5
Mixed Triples: Hilary Sharpe, Jason Bryan & Connor Cinato lost to M Moorbey, M Barlow & J Barker 9-15
Mixed Fours: Debbie Watkins, Di Brumwell, Vernon Gearey & Andrew Manton beat R Moorbey, E Felce, T Hall & R Coleman 17-5
Kingsthorpe now faces Essex County IBC in the national quarter-finals to be played on April 16.
Kingsthorpe claim the Wessex League crown
KINGSTHORPE secured the Wessex League Midland Region title as they saw off Rugby Thornfield B 92-50 to complete the league season with a 100 per cent record.
In second place was Rugby Thornfield’s A team, and they and Kingsthorpe now progress to the play-offs against the other regions, with Kingsthorpe taking on Moonfleet IBC from Weymouth in Dorset this Sunday (March 5).
Details of Kingsthorpe’s final group stage win are as follows, skips only, Kingsthorpe names first:
At Kingsthorpe: Rink 1: Mick Sharpe 18 – M Hewitson 15
Rink 2: Vernon Gearey 20 – R Scott 11
At Rugby: Rink 3: Ben Sharpe 21 – G Furness 13
Rink 4: Jim McKee 33 – B Truman 11
Under-25s see off Suffolk in League
NORTHANTS Under-25s secured an Eastern Counties League win over Suffolk at Cambridge Chesterton IBC.
Rink 1: Lois Woodward, Shannon Swift, Billie Swift & Adam Pitfield 34 – Hogan Cobbold 15
Rink 2: Trudy Beard, Connor Dolby, Abby Woodward & Tom Wellburn 21 – Jordan Halls 23
County results
LATEST county competition results.
Men’s singles: Tom Wellburn, Kingsthorpe BC given walkover by Dan Waterfield, Kettering Lodge BC
Men’s Under-25 singles: Connor Cinato, Kingsthorpe BC beat Kieran Rollings, Kettering Lodge BC 21-4
Men’s pairs: Danny Walker & partner, Wellingborough BC beat Dave Jones & partner, Northampton & District IBA 15-9; Jamie Walker & partner, Kingsthorpe BC beat Adam Pitfield & Matt Pownall, Wellingborough BC 21-10
Men’s triples: Jamie Walker’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC beat Steve White, Phil Daynes & Pete Dymond, Daventry IBC 24-6
Men’s unbadged singles: Peter Wellburn, Kingsthorpe BC beat Phil Daynes, Daventry IBC 21-9
Mixed Under-15 singles: Cauly Swift, Northampton & District IBA beat Holly Buckby, Desborough IBC
National results
LATEST national competition results.
Ladies over-60s singles: Area 6 Zone 1 Final: Marilyn Oram, Kingsthorpe BC beat Jane Redfern, Rugby Thornfield IBC 21-13.
Men’s triples: Area 6 Zone 1 Final: Andrew Manton, Neil McKee & Connor Cinato, Kingsthorpe BC beat Brian Lees, Mick Hawkins & Andrew Walters, Welford-on-Avon IBC 14-12
Men’s fours: Area 14 Zone 2 Final: Alan Dunkley, Ross Vicars, Ron Morland & Sam Wright, Brackley & District BC lost to Neil Smith’s rink, Westlecot IBC, Wiltshire 9-22
Men’s over-50s triples: Area 6 Zone 1 Final: Pete Maloy, Jim McKee & Mick Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC beat Martin Timms’ triple, Welford-on-Avon IBC 15-10
NEBC Titans have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes and are now hunting a play-off spot in the Senior Women WNBL Division Two after beating Barrow Thorns 76-47.
Titans’ top scorers were Sascha Thompson (19) and Paige Vyse (18).
Sheffield Sharks 78 NEBC Titans 62
Titans took on title-chasing Sheffield Junior Sharks in the U16 Boys North Premier.
Good shooting from Sam Grant and Jacob Cirtautas ensured the visitors held just a two-point lead at the half.
The third quarter saw an opening three-point shot from Ben Nailer but Sharks went on a 10-0 run and Titans then found it difficult to recover.
Titans started the fourth converting well but Sharks found another gear at the crucial time to secure the victory.
Titans’ top scorers were Sam Grant (20) and Jacob Cirtautas (10).
NEBC Titans 77 Manchester Mystics 55
Titans suffered defeat to title favourites Manchester Mystics in the U16 Girls Premier 1-8.
Titans’ top scorers were Kenny Hamilton (13), Frankie Patmore (12) and Tegan Millar-Opongntim (10).
NEBC Titans 56 Worcester Bears 56
Titans were outclassed by Worcester Bears in the first half of their U14 Boys Midlands II Conference League match and it paved the way for the visitors to win.
Titans’ top scorers were Isaac Round (29), Sean Rawlins (13) and Ben Hooper (8).
Southwark Pride 98 Northants Thunder 90
THUNDER looked on course to claim a win above them in the Men’s Division Three North table, but it wasn’t to be.
In the defeat, Adam Thomas enjoyed his best game of the season, scoring 21 points, while good support came from the Yates brothers, Johnny and Matt, with 13 and 12 points respectively.
Northants Thunder 59 Nottingham Hoods 54
THUNDER just managed to hold on as they got back to winning ways in the Junior Men’s East Midlands Conference.
Shaq Ntumba led the way with 20 points, while David Nieva supported well with 18 points and Jaz Campbell chipped in with eight.
Northants Thunder 66 Leicester Dynamite 77
IT looks as if the slim chances of Thunder reaching the end of season play-offs in the Under 16 Boys East Midlands Conference have disappeared after they lost to a talented team.
Chris Amankonah did produce a magnificent 30-point effort for Thunder, with Josh Lloyd and Ed Wallhead supporting well.
Notts Nova 34 Northants Thunder 97
After the disappointment of the previous day’s defeat to Leicester Dynamite, Thunder didn’t have to wait long to put things right.
Ed Wallhead scored 35 points, with Chris Amankonah and Josh Lloyd supporting well with 20 and 15 points respectively.
Northants Thunder 74 City of Birmingham II 55
THUNDER played their final Under 14 Boys East Midlands II Conference home game of the season missing guards Henri Berry and Patrick Adedeji, leaving them light in the backcourt.
But they were still able to win, with Jonathan Ntumba grabbing 26 points and Kalonji Campbell and Ashley Kitchen scoring 16 and 15 points respectively.
Ipswich Bobcats 78 Northants Lightning 38
LIGHTNING left their form on the bus as they were well beaten in the Under 14 Girls East Conference.
Only two Lightning players to make significant scoring contributions, with Dina Kosmikovskis and Lucy Needham claiming 13 and 10 points respectively.
Fixtures
Saturday, March 4: 9.30-11am: Junior Ballers; 11.30am: Under 14 Girls versus Brentwood Fire; 1.30pm: Junior Men versus Leicester Warriors; 3.30pm: Senior Men versus Solent Kestrels (these games will be played at the Northamptonshire Basketball Centre, which is situated at Northampton School for Girls, Spinney Hill Road, Northampton - spectators are welcome and admission is free)
Sunday: Under 14 Boys travel to Birmingham Elite
Big-name sponsored match groups ruled on the day – but it is host-club Wellingborough which has a clear four-point lead in the Barker league!
And with one round to go that means the super-stars will have to pull off some earth-shaking results to knock the locals off top spot.
‘Borough’s Pete Laughton won Sunday’s Foxton-Theddingworth canal round with 8-4, followed by Browning Central Xitan’s Ian Baker 7-0-6 and Browning Central Sphere’s Pete Bostock with 6-15-9.
With 11 teams-of-four in the match, Black Horse romped home on 43 points, with ‘Central Sphere on 37 as two other Browning teams tied on 35 along with Wellingborough. And that left ‘Borough well clear overall on eight points, with Xitan and Guru joint-second on12.
THE latest Ringer Boddington Pairs was a tale of two halves – with one section on form and the other fishing hard as a rock. Top weight was Phil Ringer with 13 fish for 101lb...while bro Steve managed one for 11lb in the other.
Top spot went to Snowy Ashington and Ritchie Edmunds (four points) followed by the Ringers who tied with Jason and Graham Morris on five but went ahead on weight.
GINGER Ninjas (I kid you not) topped in the penultimate Meadowlands teams-of-three, with their Ian Coxon top individual on 133-12 ahead of Guru’s Andy Pell 85-10 and Lanes’ Wayne Sharman 78-10. Tornados (73) lead Lanes (81) overall.
MATT Glover had Bishops Bowls’ carp of the week, a beautifully-scaled 21-5. Stanwick’s best was John Buckingham’s 29lb common as the venue produced six 20s in a week.
GOOD Ouse perch were feeding at Olney as Carpin Capers’ Dougie had three to two-and-a half and a 4lb+ chub while Justin Gardner had a 2-8 stripy.
‘ASHBY opens, Sunday: Scotland, Mick Wheeler 24-5, Mark Morgan 18-11, Richard Lattimer 18-10; Grendon, Mick Hewlett 89-4, Chris Camplin 45-8, Courtney Hewlett 39-8; Brickyard, C Hewlett 56-8, Mick Boddilly 50-10, Pete Gibson 29-6; WHITE Hart Flore, Flecknoe: Gary Muddiman 69lb, Tom Griffiths 41lb, Dave Chapman 34lb.
BISHOPS Bowl: Dave Smart 42-2, Steve Bull 36-8, Dick Ashby 24-14; TOWCESTER Vets, Stony Main, Ouse: George Mynard 16-9 (perch), John Balhatchett 8-13, Tosh Saunders 8-9.
COUNTY Vets silverfish, Canons: Paul Lafflin 16-8, Bob Spencer 12-10, John Lewis 11-1.
FLORE & Brockhall, silverfish, Dennetts: Jim Tanser 11-10, Bob Prowse 7-6, Rob Rawlins 5-2; NENE-Towcester, long pound canal: Les Wallace 9-12, Brian Beard 8-2, Andy Kimpton 4-15.
CASTLE, silverfish, Canons: Bob Spencer 8-4, Dave Cantrell 7-6, John Lewis 6-4.
FIXTURES: March 11 MKAA grand slam, Ouse, 01234 713144.
Little fish are sweet as the old saying goes and Edgcote trainer Alex Hales would settle for a Huntingdon double on Sunday while admitting his new stable star is likely to by-pass the Cheltenham Festival which now looms large on the horizon.
Duel At Dawn holds an entry in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle on the Friday of the Festival, but while his participation has yet to be ruled out, Hales is likely to adopt a more cautious stance with the seven-year-old who has twice raised significant eyebrows this term.
After turning over a 1/16 favourite in a two horse race at Doncaster in December, the son of Presenting then belied odds of 50/1 when finishing third at 50/1 back at Town Moor in the Grade 2 River Don Novices’ Hurdle.
Hales said: “We are not going to win the Albert Bartlett and while we have kept Duel At Dawn in the race at this stage I would like to go to Hereford on March 11 or Market Rasen a day later. There is also the possibility he might run in an Aintree handicap in April.”
He added: “The horse is a big raw baby who is going to come into his own as a chaser next season. I always remember what Nicky Henderson said about horses like this and not going for the Festival.”
No one can dispute the fact Hales’ runners have been performing consistently in their grade this season. The lack of another outstanding talent continues to gnaw away in the background, although Minellaforleisure would help to offset this irritation if he managed a repeat success in the Cheltenham handicap he won in April last season.
Hales said: “Minellaforleisure prefers the better ground so we have been aiming him for that.”
Of more immediate distraction is the planned raid on Huntingdon this weekend where Isaac Bell and Periquest could both strike.
Hales said: “Periquest just needed his last run at Wincanton and he has won at Huntingdon before. I would expect him to go close.”
Isaac Bell got stuck in the mud at Market Rasen and it wouldn’t be the greatest surprise to see him perform on top of his game.
Meanwhile, local trainer Stuart Edmunds could take the bumper at Huntingdon with either Maria’s Benefit or newcomer Tricky Silence.
THE appearance of Croco Bay in the concluding race of the four-day Cheltenham Festival is getting to be something of a habit and Edgcote trainer Ben Case again has cause for optimism in the 2017 version in a fortnight.
Lady Jane Grosvenor’s 10-year-old may be winless this season with some of his runs less than inspiring, but Croco Bay has performed with distinction at Prestbury Park before and is not weighted out of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual over 2m.
The race has been the target all season and his recent third behind Gardefort at Wincanton was pleasing enough.
Case said: “He has had a few ‘nothing’ races this season and his form has not been as consistent as I would have liked but there have been excuses and he ran pretty well last time. Considering it was a small field he had quite a rough race and I am hoping he improves.”
Croco Bay finished third in this contest two years ago, beaten only six lengths by Next Sensation and Eastlake and is now back down to an attractive mark of 141.
Consistency is much more of a watchword for the Case-trained mare Midnight Jazz which has won six of her 21 starts, invariably finishing in the money on the other occasions.
She will line up for the Grade 1 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle on the opening day of the Festival on the back of an impressive run at Doncaster in January when she was just beaten a short head by the highly regarded Vroum Vroum Mag, a short priced favourite for this year’s renewal. At 25/1 there have worse each-way options
Case said: “She’s a tough, hardy mare and a couple of the times when she wasn’t placed, was either under the weather or things hadn’t gone for her. She has always run well at Cheltenham, we’re in a conditions race so she’s going to be up against some slightly higher rated horses. But from what she has done this season she deserves to take her chance and goes there in good form.”
Case’s ability to train mares with distinction was proven again by the 9/1 victory of Graceful Legend at Exeter last Friday and she now goes for either the mares’ final at Newbury this month or to Haydock in April.
Hartwell Forest moved 10 points clear at the top of the League One table after a win at home to Dallington Falcons.
Rhys Reading put the Falcons in front in the first half, but after the break goals from Joe Sames and Ben Carter were enough to give Hartwell a 2-1 victory.
Jameeah FC and Ashby Athletic faced each other with Athletic winning 2-1.
Jameeah went ahead through Inan Karan but goals from Tom Jullings and Glen Smith turned it round.
In the League Cup, Abington FC head Group A after a 3-2 home win against Denton FC. A double from Calvin Budd and a strike from Jordan Timson were enough to give Abington their second win in the group. Lewis Smith and Ryan Machardie were both on target for the Denton side.
In the same group, Welland Valley Panthers got off to a flyer with their home match with Houghton Magna as two goals from Simon Barby and another from Alex Renshaw Booth put the Panthers 3-0 up in the first seven minutes.
Magna then pulled a goal back when Dylan Hewitt scored, but Panthers’ Simon Barby struck again to complete a hat-trick and restore their three goal advantage.
Magna’s Greg Crane and a converted penalty from Andy Ranft cut the hosts lead to one goal, but they could not find an equaliser and the Panthers held on for a 4-3 victory.
Group B saw leaders Queens Park storm to an impressive 10-4 win at Spartak FC thanks to five goals from Ashley Clamp and singles from Fabian Brown, Lee McConnell, Joseph Moss, Jonathan Shakespeare and Edward Symmons.
Will Briscoe scored twice in the first half including a penalty for Spartak, and both Manny Odiedo and Adam Norton netted as well.
Wootton Field Wanderers started their group fixtures with a home win against Bat & Wickets.
Ollie Judge and Graham Shiell put the Wootton side 2-0 up at the break and shortly after Callum Beech struck to extend their lead, and despite a late comeback from the visitors with both Tyler George and Richard Dunkley scoring for the Bat & Wickets side, Wootton held for a 3-2 victory.
In Group C, Harpole FC look in a very strong position to progress after a third win in the group following a 3-1 home win against Championship side AFC Trinity.
Harpole’s cause was not helped as they were reduced to 10 men after 20 minutes, but they scored three times through goals from Ryan Brown, Andy Hall and James Marks to take the three points.
Daniel Smith netted for Trinity.
Halse United are second in the group following a comfortable 6-0 win at Norteles FC.
Doubles from Adam Hilton and Dean Ingram along with singles from Neil Fotheringham and Oliver Reed gave Halse their first win in Group C.
In the David Ferguson Trophy, League One Sixfields Rangers top Group A following an excellent 3-0 win at Premier League side Juventus Tigers.
Two goals from player manager Connor Leason and a goal from Alexander Rayner secured the win.
Pitsford Rangers started their group games off with a 3-1 home victory against Albany Athletic thanks to a double from Liam Waddy and a goal from Chris Andrews.
Richard Prendiville was on target for Albany Athletic.
In Group B, Bat & Wickets Reserves found themselves 3-1 down at the break to Grendon Sapphires as Shaun Melville struck a hat-trick for the home side.
However, in the second half the visitors fought back to stage a recovery and Bat & Wickets team took the points after a 4-3 victory.
Arron Linnell scored twice and Robert Cockayne and Richard Lawrie also netted for Bat.
Also in Group B, Spartak Reserves started their group games off with a good 5-1 win against Sixfields Rangers Reserves.
Top scorer Aaron Crampton scored twice with Liam Harris, Daniel Lynch and Harry Mundy scoring for Spartak. Tom Carr was on target for Sixfields Rangers Reserves.
Group C saw leaders Parklands Phoenix claim their third victory in the group with a 2-0 home win against Oakley Diamonds.
Stuart Harman got them off to a good start with a headed goal in the first half and after the break an own goal put Phoenix 2-0 up to seal the win.
Northampton Sovereigns started their group games off with a good win against Premier League side AFC Brampton.
Dean McCaffery, Nick Renda, and Jonathan West all scored in the second half and despite Brampton replying with a Dan Gatland goal, Sovereigns held on to take a 3-1 victory.
Nomads of Barratts top Group A in the Alan Dimmer Trophy, despite dropping a couple of points following a draw at Spring Park.
Tim Clack had put the visitors 1-0 up but the Spring Park side responded with an equaliser through Carl White.
Just behind the Nomads in the group are Swan & Helmet who claimed a 2-1 home win against White Elephant.
Matt Sanders and Adam Hughes put the Swans 2-0 up at half time and despite a goal from Jason Lister for the White Elephant side, Swan held on to take the victory and now sit one point behind Nomads in the group table.
Northampton Sapphires top Goup B after a 4-0 win at West Haddon Albion.
Glen Hammons put Sapphires 1-0 ahead at the break and in the second half Lynden James Efde, Gavin Vella and Isaac Teckman all netted to give Sapphires an easy win.
JA Global also had a 4-0 win on their travels as they beat Real Roochers.
Scott Ramsey hit a hat-trick for the Global side and Luke Tate also found the net to seal the win and to give Global the three points.
AFC Obelisk got their first win in the competition following a 6-2 home win over Mill Park.
Doubles from Daniel Slinn and Harry Burkill along with singles from Steven Dods and Andrew Myers gave Obelisk a comfortable victory.
Jason Beckwith was the man on the mark with two goals for Mill Park.
Northampton middleweight Kieron Conway faces a quick return to the ring after dazzling on his professional debut in Bedworth.
The 20-year-old was added to the show in Corby on Friday, March 17 after dominating Sonny Whiting over four rounds.
Whiting was a tough choice of opponent.
The 28-year-old from Rochester is a tough, seasoned pro who has derailed prospects in the past – and even Conway’s coach and father James said the fight was ‘a potential banana skin’.
But Whiting was relieved to hear the final bell after Conway set about him with body shots and combinations.
Conway was known as a good, all-round boxer during his successful amateur career with Kings Heath ABC, but against Whiting, he showed more aggression and within seconds of the opening bell, body punches had the Kent fighter gasping for air.
Conway had Whiting in trouble again in the second and with around 100 supporters cheering him on, he went for the finish.
Whiting used all his know how to smother his way through the crisis and the referee told him off in the third after Conway had him grabbing again with hard, quality shots from both hands.
The last round followed a similar pattern and at the final bell, Whiting apologised to Conway for holding, explaining: “It was the only way I could get to the final bell.”
James Conway is his son’s harshest critic and even he was pleased with the performance, saying: “It was a potential banana skin, but Kieron was dominant from start to finish.
“No performance is flawless and Kieron is always looking to improve, but as debuts go, it was more than what most people outside the team expected.
“Sonny is a good benchmark and for a debutant to shut him out is almost unheard of.”
Conway, who thanked sponsors M Wilson Plumbing, Project Warrior, Clues Clothing, Croyland Car Megastore, Rapid Tan and Lynn Patching of the Windmill pub for organising the supporters’ coach, will be back in the ring at a venue that has good memories for him.
The show in Corby is at the Best Western Hotel, where Conway has a perfect record.
He’s boxed there twice before as an amateur – and won twice.
Last March, he took on Ellis Blake for the Central England belt and won a terrific toe-to-toe scrap that had the crowd on its feet.
The show in Corby also features Northampton middleweight Drew Brown and Kettering fighters Domenico Speccio and Daniel Spencer.
Tickets are available from 07919 344305.
Mason Fury was a winner on his ring debut in Walsall.
The 10-year-old from Far Cotton ABC is a relation of former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – and made a promising start by outpointing William Arnold (Wednesbury).
The judges were unanimous, and coach John Daly said: “Mason was told what he had to do – and boxed his ears off.
“Mason has been training with us for three years and was more than ready.”
NORTHAMPTON ABC ace Yusuf Ibrahim claimed an east midlands title at 53kg last weekend.
In only his fifth bout, Ibrahim showcased his skills as he saw off K Corseen of Sileby ABC.
The Kingsthorpe school pupil remains unbeaten after scoring a points victory against an opponent who had been involved in 29 previous bouts.
Ibrahim now goes on to box in Lincolnshire this weekend.
He faces C Stevenson of Corby.
On last weekend’s support card, Ibrahim’s younger brother, Yayha Abdulla (39kg), earned a points victory against John Tom Dowd of Earl Shilton.
Rugby & Northampton produced a strong turnout at the English National Cross Country Championships over the weekend, with 52 athletes representing the club at the Nottingham event.
The highest placing of the day came from Midland champion Adam Caulfield, who finished in 20th place in the Under-15 Boys’ race. He recorded a time of 15 minutes and nine seconds over the four-and-a-half kilometre Wollaton Park course.
Ben Hope was the next across the line in 139th spot with a time of 16:41, followed by Tobias Heayns (207th – 17:22) and Cian Hutton (248th – 17:45) to hand the squad 18th position in the team race.
The best team performance came from the U13 Boys who finished seventh overall, with Noah Bennett leading home the quartet in a 3k time of 13:02, securing 27th place. Aidan O’Brien (51st – 13:17), Louis Buttrick (75th – 13:30) and Lewis Panter (176th – 14:07) completed the team.
The U17 Women were one athlete short of completing a team, but Northants champion and Midland top-10 athlete Amy Walker finished in a creditable 54th spot, recording a time of 21:15 over the 5k route.
Walker’s club colleagues Hollie Moore and Olivia Sheehan finished in 214th and 222nd respectively, with times of 24:50 and 24:56.
Adam Searle recorded 22:24 over 6k in the U17 Men’s competition, which put the county champion in 70th position, and he had back-up from Joe Musgrove (114th – 23:09), Matthew Chronicle (116th – 23:10) and Finn Hutton (193rd – 24:06), which put the squad in 12th place.
The U20 Men had to cover a 10k distance and Ben Musgrove led home R&N with a time of 37:18. the club champion finishing in 103rd spot.
Haydn Arnall, who has made a return to the sport, finished 154th in 39:16, and a good team performance was completed by Joe Childs (195th – 42:39) and Oliver Munns (202nd – 44:02) for an excellent 15th place.
For the U20 Women, junior ladies club champion Rebecca Leadbeater finished a superb set of races this season by placing 72nd over the 6k course, coming home in 27:06.
The two female age groups able to turn out a full team were the U15 and U13s, and Molly Williams claimed 97th spot in the first of those categories with a 4k time of 18:19.
Abigail Pearce followed Williams over the line in 18:48 for 150th, and the team finished 21st overall thanks to the contributions of Isabelle Ripon (155th – 18:50) and Holly Walker (223rd – 19:25).
The U13 Girls’ team finished just one place lower and the 3k distance was completed by Claudia Searle (79th) in 14:38 to lead the R&N squad home. Just six seconds behind was Olivia Williams in 100th, before Alice Bates (184th – 15:21) and Elspeth Unitt (279th – 16:04) rounded off the scoring.
The Senior Men were led home by Robert Male for the second year running, a time of 45:52 over 12k handed him 251st position.
The team finished 68th overall in a huge field, and the six-man scoring team also consisted of Joe Lantsbery (51:32 – 705th), National debutant Jonathan Taylor (720th – 51:43), Brendan Moen (746th – 52:06), Nigel Roberts (832nd – 53:00) and Vince Carroll (1122nd – 57:04).
The England Athletics Indoor Championships also took place at the weekend, and Eleanor Broome was one of R&N’s athletes in action at the the event, held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
A GB and England representative, Broome took bronze in a tense U20 long jump contest, jumping 6.10 metres and finishing just five centimetres behind gold medal winner Holly Mills in a competition of high standards.
There were strong performances around the track too, with R&N duo Aidan Leeson and Josh Faulds both reaching the semi-finals of the U20M 400m.
Faulds registered a personal best of 50.16 in his heat, and Leeson narrowly missed out on a place in the Final despite registering a very competitive 48.87 in his semi-final.
Williams claims fourth in nationals
EMILY WILLIAMS claimed an excellent fourth place in the English National Cross Country Championships.
The event was held at Wollaton Park in Nottingham, and the course was a testing one with plenty of standing water.
Running in the under-15 girls race, Northampton School for Girls student Williams, who was celebrating her 15th birthday, enjoyed a terrific start, getting herself into the leading pack in the challenging uphill start.
As the race progressed a trio of athletes managed to open a small gap on Williams at the start of the second 2km lap and eventually the medals were decided within this breakaway pack.
Williams, who was representing Kettering Town Harriers, was a comfortable fourth in 16:31.
Chris Hales hit a double as AFC Pioneers progressed to the third round of the Ken Parker Cup.
Rob Kirby and Tom Parker were also on target in the 4-3 success against Thorplands Club 81.
Duane Morgan, Shane Lothian and Chief Boateng bagged the consolation goals for Club 81.
Sporting Sapphire are also through to the next round after securing a 6-0 success against Deers Leap.
Andrew Neath netted twice, with Chris Culley, Max Payne, Ryan Archer and Connor Brown also on the scoresheet.
Billing United battled past AFC Becket, eventually needing penalties to prevail.
Luke Bell and Luke Smart netted in normal time for Billing, who won 4-2 in the shoot-out.
St Margaret’s were also winners as they beat Manfield Rangers 5-3.
Ashford Campbell claimed a double for Maggies, with Rashid Koriya, Harry Barnes and Joe Evans also registering.
Matt Silecchia, Dave Hodson and Jason Rose replied for Rangers.
MDS Gallery grabbed their place in the next round by beating Hardingstone Sun.
Steve Grimley, Stuart Reid and Jack Davies got the goals in a 3-1 win.
Lee Broome replied for Hardingstone.
Bradley Mosedale and Bradley Head bagged doubles in Spinney Hill FC’s 5-2 success against Monks Park WMC.
Robbie Websdale got the other Spinney Hill goal.
Golden Horse continued their march towards the premier division title by beating Royals 4-1.
Jake Hinton, Pierre Coleman, Chris Kirby and Robbie Bushell helped Horse to bag their 10th win in 11 league games.
Dan Nolan replied for Royals.
In division one, Brafield United claimed only their second win of the season as they shocked AFC Hackleton with a 4-1 win.
Brafield, who remain bottom, won it thanks to a double from Jamie Parker and singles from Todd Thomas and John Durham.
Hackleton stay third after Dan Porter’s goal proved in vain.
In division two, Cal McCaul claimed a hat-trick and Tom Buller grabbed a double as FC Phoenix earned a 7-3 win against Royals Reserves.
Nathan Champelovier, Luke Spanswick and Danny Attree replied for Royals Reserves, who drop to second.
Golden Horse Reserves are now top after they won 6-1 at AFC Hackleton Reserves.
Phil Boyes bagged the Hackleton Reserves goal, but Leroy Manning’s hat-trick, Nathan Mason’s double and Jake Carley’s double claimed the win for Horse.
Jame Cahill was on target for Travis Perkins but they lost 3-1 to Eastern Eagles.
Joe Colville claimed a double as Northampton Dons won 5-2 against Naseby FC.
Billy Lloyd and Ben Liptroft replied for Naseby.
Ady York delivered a goal for The District in their 2-1 win against Thorplands Club 81 Reserves.
In Veterans Group A, Thorplands Club 81 won 3-1 against Weedon thanks to two goals from Matt Marple and one from Dan Lansden.
Tim Bailey was on target for Weedon.
Adrian Fuller scored two in James King Blisworth’s 4-2 win against Jameeah.
Fixture: Northampton Town v Charlton Athletic, Sky Bet League One
Date/time: Saturday, March 4, 3pm kick-off
Venue: Sixfields Stadium
Forecast: 9c, cloudy
Outs and doubts: Cobblers: Alex Revell (calf), Sam Hoskins (knee). Charlton: Stephy Mavididi (hamstring), Jake Forster-Caskey (hamstring), Harry Lennon (groin), Adam Chicksen (knee), Jason Pearce, Roger Johnson
Betting: Northampton 13/8, draw 12/5, Charlton 15/8
Form guide: Cobblers LLDLWW, Addicks LLLDLD
Possible line-ups: Northampton (4-4-2): Smith; Eardley, Zakuani, Nyatanga, Buchanan; Taylor, O’Toole, Boateng, Williams; Richards, Anderson. Charlton: Rudd, Teixeira, Jackson, Crofts, Konsa Ngoyo, Byrne, Holmes, Aribo, Magennis, Botaka, Novak
Man in the middle: Ben Toner
Last time out: Northampton 1 (O’Toole) Oldham 2; Shrewsbury 4 Charlton Athletic 3 (Holmes 3)
Most recent meeting: Saturday, August 13, 2016: Charlton 1 (Jackson) Cobblers 1 (Revell)
Record v Charlton: P30 W8 D13 L9 - this is Charlton’s first league visit to Northampton since January, 1967, when they drew 1-1 at the County Ground in the old division two. The Addicks haven’t played at Sixfields, their most recent visit to the Cobblers being in the League Cup in September, 1988, when the teams drew 1-1 in a first-leg encounter. Charlton won the second leg on home soil 2-1.
Cobblers connection: Ricky Holmes. The attacker was one of the star men in the Cobblers’ dream 2015/16 season as they powered to the Sky Bet League Two table, turning in a series of matchwinning performances, and scoring some absolutely stunning goals. His decision to leave the Cobblers last summer to sign for Charlton Athletic was a big blow for the Cobblers, especially as they had given the player the chance to get his career flying again after he had found himself out of favour at Portsmouth. But as disappointing as it was that he left, the majority of Town fans understood that it was a move Holmes couldn’t really turn down and I am sure he will get a good reception from the Sixfields faithful on Saturday.
Jeremy Casey’s preview: A week is a long time in politics, so the saying goes, and it can also be a painfully long time in football.
This time last week the buzz around Sixfields was one of optimism and confidence, with Justin Edinburgh’s team preparing to take on in-form Fleetwood Town after claiming seven points out of the previous nine.
Home wins over Chesterfield and Swindon Town had been followed up with a 2-2 draw at promotion hopefuls Southend United, and talk was of reaching 51 points as quickly as possible and a comfortable mid-table finish.
Town were six points above the drop zone, and 10 points clear of third-from-bottom Swindon Town, and sitting comfortably, if not exactly pretty.
Seven days later, the talk is still of reaching that 51-point target - but the mood has changed significantly.
The 3-0 loss at Fleetwood was not a particular issue, as Uwe Rosler’s side stretched their remarkable unbeaten run to 17 matches as they continued their push for automatic promotion to the Sky Bet Championship.
But Tuesday night’s 2-1 home loss to fellow strugglers Oldham Athletic has set the alarm bells ringing, and not just because Town are now only four points clear of a revitalised Swindon, who after two wins in the space of three days occupy that final relegation place in 21st.
It was the manner of the defeat that has concerned the most.
Town played okay as an attacking force and created plenty of chances but, crucially, they didn’t take them - something which is becoming an unwelcome habit.
And as frustrating as the Cobblers’ profligacy in front of goal is, it is the goals flying in at the other end that are the major issue and cause for concern.
Town have conceded 23 goals in their past 10 matches, and 16 in the eight games since Edinburgh took charge.
And that is not good enough.
As has been the case for much of this season as far as the Cobblers were concerned, Oldham were able to get in at the back four and open up clear scoring opportunities far too easily.
Edinburgh spoke this week of defending better as being a collective effort, and he is right, but he and his team need to sort the issue quickly, because as it stands the Cobblers are going to have to score two or three goals per game if they are going to get the points they need to stay up.
And, as they also seem to be missing chance after chance at the other end, that currently seems unlikely.
The midfield seems to be the main problem area, with teams overpowering Town far too often.
Edinburgh has changed the make up of his midfield four virtually every week as he tries to find the right blend, but hasn’t yet to hit the jackpot, and he has to do something about the team being far too open, and not providing the cover the back four need.
One thing’s for certain, if the Cobblers allow the club’s former talisman Ricky Holmes the space to run at them when Charlton come to Sixfields on Saturday then they will be asking for trouble.
Every Cobblers fan knows how good Holmes is, and exactly what he is capable of, and they will be hoping the Town players still at the club from Holmes’s spell have a few tricks up their sleeve to keep him quiet.
And, if they can do that, then there is no reason why the Cobblers, despite all of their problems, can’t win this game.
That’s because the south Londoners arrive at Sixfields in disarray and in worse form that Town, with Tuesday’s 4-3 defeat at Shrewsbury - despite Holmes hitting a brillant hat-trick - their third loss on the spin.
The Addicks have in fact lost four of the past five, haven’t won in seven, and have only won three games in the past 18 in all competitions.
Their defence is pretty leaky too, having conceded eight times in the past four games.
Former Milton Keynes Dons boss Karl Robinson has failed to have and real impact on their fortunes since taking the helm, and they are just two places and two points above Town in the league one table.
Indeed, if you put the Holmes factor to one side, and the fact that Charlton are a supposed ‘big club’, this match has to be seen as a great opportunity for the Cobblers to get back on track, and edge that little bit closer to securing their league one safety.
With the defensive records of both teams, I imagine there is going to be plenty of goals (cue a 0-0 draw), and it’s just about the Cobblers making sure they outscore their visitors!
Prediction: Northampton Town 3 Charlton 2
Police have made three arrests following a fight in Earls Barton which led to three people being taken to hospital.
Officers are appealing for information about the incident which took place in Harrowick Lane last night (Thursday).
A police spokesman said: “We are asking people to come forward about an incident which we understand took place in Earls Barton last night.
“An altercation occurred in Harrowick Lane at about 9pm.
“Two teenage boys and a 20-year-old man were subsequently taken to hospital with injuries including a stab wound to the leg, a cut to the hand and a broken nose.
“Three 15-year-old boys have been arrested and we are looking for any witnesses who were in the area at the time to come forward.”
Anyone with information about the incident can call the police on 101.
Police are appealing for help to stop youngsters on bikes putting pedestrians and road users at risk in the High Street.
There have been reports of several instances where young people have been riding bikes up and down Irthlingborough High Street obstructing traffic and putting the safety of pedestrians and other road users at risk.
A number of preventative measures have already been put in place by the police and local council, including targeted youth intervention work, and together with partner agencies, officers are working hard to find longer-term solutions to the issue.
But support from the community is vital to this and Sergeant Jane Bettles is urging more people to get in touch with any information they have about when and where this is happening and who is responsible.
She said: “We really need the public’s support to help us identify who is responsible for this anti-social behaviour.
“We also need as much evidence as possible about when and where such incidents are taking place.
“Although riding bikes up and down the street may seem a relatively trivial matter, it is the manner in which it is being done that is causing annoyance and distress to local people, as well as being a potential risk to people’s safety.
“We’re aware of discussions on social media about this, and we really need people to share whatever they know and name those responsible, in confidence, so we can take action against the group of young people who are causing this nuisance behaviour.
“If you see an incident taking place, please note the date, time and location, as well as a description of what is actually happening.”
Officers will be carrying out enforcement activity and increased patrols to take action against those involved and provide reassurance to the local community.
Sgt Bettles added: “I would urge anyone with any information to get in touch as soon as possible, either by calling 101 or emailing us at SCT-EastNorthantsCentral@northants.pnn.police.uk, and we will contact you to arrange a convenient time to take a statement.
“Your information will be treated in confidence, however, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”
Courtney Flannigan is accused of killing Paul Smith at the Edge of Town pub in Regent Street on July 10 last year, as well as inflicting grievous bodily harm on two of Mr Smith’s friends using a glass bottle the same night.
But at Northampton Crown Court this afternoon, judge Rupert Mayo ordered that another charge of unlawfully and maliciously wounding a man be added to the 21-year-old's indictment.
On June 19, 2015, Flannigan is alleged to have used a wine bottle to strike a man who had started a conversation with his mother in St Leonard's Road, Far Cotton.
Judge Mayo, said: "This is a case where both cases should be tried together."
He added: "Mr Flannigan will receive a fair trial on all matters."
Flannigan, who appeared in court via video link, pleaded not guilty to the 2015 charge.
He has previously pleaded not guilty to the murder and the grievous bodily harm charges relating to the Out of Town pub incident.
Flannigan, of Pleydell Gardens, Far Cotton, was remanded into custody until the next review of the case on July 31.
Popular pub regular Paul Smith died of his injuries around two months after the incident at the Out of Town pub. The 49-year-old had an underlying heart condition, which he was taking medication for.