What better way to cool off in the long hot summer we’re enjoying than by taking a dip in your own swimming pool?

These are the top five properties - which all include their own swimming pool - available to buy through Michael Graham Estate Agents across our region.

1. Boa Vista is a modern detached home in a picturesque rural location, Higham Gobion in Bedfordshire.

The property, available for oieo £1.5m, boasts six bedrooms and five reception rooms and its heated swimming pool sits in grounds of about 1,84 acres.

Inside, the property includes a home cinema room - and outside are stables, a tack barn and hay barn.

For more information, visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-BED180195.

2. West End House, in Weston Turville, Aylesbury, is available for oieo £1.6m.

The contemporary detached house is set in grounds of about 3.17 acres and includes six bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Apart from the swimming pool there is also a tennis court and paddock.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-AYL180071 for more.

3. Larchwood, in Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire, is available for £975,000.

The detached 1960s house has five bedrooms (two with en suites) and three reception rooms.

Outside, as well as the swimming pool, there is a double garage and parking for up to seven cars.

For more information, visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-WBS150167.

4. Eakley House is in Stoke Goldington, Buckinghamshire, and is available for £1.35m.

The 15th century stone-built property includes five bedrooms and six reception rooms.

Horse owners can also take advantage of the property’s two stables and a tack room. The property is set in grounds of about six acres.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-OLY180126 for more.

5. This property, in Little Lane, Wollaston, is available for £910,000.

The extended detached house has four bedrooms (one en suite) alongside its four reception rooms.

Apart from the indoor swimming pool there is a double-length garage, workshop and outbuildings.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-OLY180111 for more.

Andrew Neate starred with bat and ball as Horton House ended Old Northamptonians’ unbeaten start to the premier division season.

Neate hit 52 and Ben Coddington 92 as Horton made their way to 265 for eight from their 50 overs.

And that proved too much for ONs as they were bowled out for 214 in reply, losing by 51 runs.

Neate took three for 24, with Williams Knibbs (2-27), Ben Wall (2-35) and Jack Carroll (2-47) also impressing.

William Heathfield grabbed four for 77 for ONs and Tom Webb top scored with 36 but their efforts were eventually in vain.

Finedon Dolben overtook ONs at the summit after they beat Brigstock.

Brixworth were big winners in their fixture at Rushden Town.

The away side emerged with a 111-run success as 104 from John Bowers helped them make 265 all out.

Ashley Starmer and Harry Penberthy then both took three for 22 as Rushden were bowled out cheaply.

Overstone Park continue to march on at the top of division one after they won by five wickets at Irthlingborough Town.

Matthew Jones took four for 23 as the home side were skittled out for just 144.

And an unbeaten 55 from Matthew Sunter ensured Overstone got home.

Fourth-placed Old Northamptonians IIs were seven-wicket winners at Isham as James Mellor (62no) and Daniel Harris (50no) helped them finish the job.

Earlier, Isham were limited to 196 all out as Phillip Evans took three for 35.

Stony Stratford won by four wickets at Loddington & Mawsley with Jamie Baxter bagging four for 53 as the hosts made what looked an imposing 346 for eight.

But Stony produced a superb batting display as 94 from Rowan Carstensen, 71 from Steven Plant and an unbeaten 55 from Tom Moore proved vital.

East Haddon were also winners as they beat Wellingborough Town by 32 runs.

Robbie Povey hit 60 as East Haddon made their way to 224 all out.

And Povey then excelled with the ball, claiming four for 39 as Wellingborough were all out for 192.

In division two, Earls Barton remain top after their two-wicket win at Great Houghton.

Second-placed Kislingbury Temperance thrashed St Crispin & Ryelands by 216 runs.

Benjamin Swingler-Brown secured superb figures of seven for 23 from 6.5 overs.

Results

Saturday, July 7

Premier Division

Finedon Dolben 272-7 (Callum Berrill 88, Vicram Sohal 38, Jack Chopping 30) beat Brigstock 217 all out (Patrick Croker 91, Archie Odgen 41, Vicram Sohal 4-40, Drew Brierley 3-49) by 55 runs

Horton House 265-8 (Ewan Cox 41, Sean Mulvey 30, Ben Coddington 96, Andrew Neate 52, William Heathfield 4-77) beat Old Northamptonians 214 all out (Richard Kaufman 32, Tom Webb 36, Andrew Neate 3-24) by 51 runs

Geddington 205 all out (Luke Cummins 28, Charlie Gingell 38, Chris Murdoch 39no, Liam Fresen 4-54) beat Oundle Town 169 all out (Peter Foster 48, Daniel Robinson 62, Tiann Raubenheimer 5-37, Adil Arif 3-16) by 36 runs

Brixworth 265 all out (Callum Guest 28, John Bowers 104, Ashley Starmer 43, Charlie Thurston 3-52) beat Rushden Town 154 all out (Charlie Thurston 62, Harry Penberthy 3-22, Ashley Starmer 3-22) by 111 runs

Peterborough Town 293-8 (David Clarke 117, Asim Butt 59, Christopher Perry 4-56, Joshua Steggles 3-39) beat Wollaston 201 all out (Cameron Melly 28, David Sayer 3-27, Mohammed Saif 3-49) by 92 runs

Rushton versus Saints - Rushton forfeited game

Division One

Burton Latimer 191-3 (Alex Churchill-Coleman 31, Harry Tanser 40, Barry Kang 30no, David Shelford 3-36, Damon Hanney 3-45) beat Kettering Town 190 all out (Alan Sewell 30, David Shelford 110, Daniel Bird 33no) by 7 wkts

Weekley & Warkton 148 all out (Bashrat Hussain 62, Jack Bilson 5-35) lost to Desborough Town 151-3 (Simon Renshaw 42, Jake Bindley 46, Craig Burger 40no) by 7 wkts

East Haddon 224 all out (Ed Smith 31, Robbie Povey 60, Richard Hardwick 38, Qaseem Dawlatzi 4-28) beat Wellingborough Town 192 all out (Alex Bendon 34, Ryan Lovell 47no, Robbie Povey 4-39) by 32 runs

Irthlingborough Town 144 all out (Neil White 42, Matthew Jones 4-23) lost to Overstone Park 145-5 (Matthew Sunter 55no, Marc Bliss 30, Ben Parsons 3-35) by 5 wkts

Isham 196 all out (Oliver Brown 28, Luke Conyard 39, Phillip Evans 3-35) lost to Old Northamptonians IIs 202-3 (James Mellor 62no, Daniel Harris 50no) by 7 wkts

Loddington & Mawsley 346 all out (Jaymesh Patel 43, Nicholas Herbert 50, James Esler 87, Adam King 35, James Coles 28, Jamie Baxter 4-53) lost to Stony Stratford 347-6 (Rowan Carstensen 94, Steven Plant 71, Tom Moore 55no) by 4 wkts

Division Two

Finedon Dolben IIs 246 all out (Simon Brett 35, Jack Parker 132, Henry Cade 3-72, Ben Perry 3-68) beat Thrapston 241 all out (Paul Spicker 32, Will Groenland 29, James Pamplin 31, Henry Cade 40, Nick Coles 3-48, Harris Syed 4-49) by 5 runs

Great Houghton 118 all out (Colin Wayman 41, Matt Nel 3-13, George Crisp 3-18) lost to Earls Barton 119-8 (Matt Nel 46, Luke Mcafee 4-55, Alex Hearn 4-28) by 2 wkts

Kislingbury Temperance 279-6 (Jamie Forrest 82no, Babar Khan 60, Robert Collins 74) beat St Crispin & Ryelands 63 all out (Benjamin Swingler-Brown 7-23) by 216 runs

Long Buckby 126 all out (Sam Bevin 30, Rohin Thapar 6-39) lost to Rothwell Town 130-1 (Shan Devraj 51no, Rohin Thapar 64no) by 9 wkts

Northampton Saints IIs 91 all out (Frank Hoang 5-42, James Burrows 5-42) lost to Old 92-8 (Nick Bell 6-40) by 2 wkts

Wellingborough Indians 241 all out (Anand Panchal 67, Raul Patel 27, Bhavin Patel 42, Amit Patel 36,Nadir Haider 4-61) lost to Peterborough Town IIs 242-4 (Sohail Hayat 61, Scott Howard 89, Sulaiman Saleem 35no) by 6 wkts

Division Three

Rushden Town IIs 92 all out (Ashley Denton 36, Andrew Roper 3-9) lost to Brixworth IIs 93-0 (Robert Dow 41no, Phil Perryman 38no) by 10 wkts

Geddington IIs 340-3 (Mark Thomas 106no, Chris Harrison 94, Steve Toseland 68, Lee Sutherland 30) beat Oundle Town IIs 268-7 (Matthew Ingram 142, George Martin 35, Marcus Knight 3-50) by 72 runs

Stony Stratford IIs 231 all out (Josh Purchese 29, Jamie Walsh 38, Edward Tate 31, Joseph West 30, David Evans 4-43) beat Great Oakley 58 all out (Edward Tate 7-33) by 173 runs

Irchester 289-3 (Jamie Souster 112, Joe Morton 27, Harry Green 69, Charles Cotter 47no) beat Heyford 259 all out (Tom Robson 55, Martyn Cory 29, James Edwards 39, James Baldwin 57, Thomas Duxson 5-67) by 30 runs

Horton House IIs 210 all out (Elliott Ruff 60, Dan James 30, Andrew Houlden 3-38, Anthony Shepherdson 3-50, Tom Pace 3-58) lost to Old Grammarians 212-2 (Faz Shah 117no, Gary Small 42, Anthony Shepherdson 40) by 8 wkts

Weldon 137 all out (Sinjin Bulbring 77, Lewis North-Row 4-13, Steve Musgrave 4-30) lost to Wollaston IIs 139-4 (Steve Musgrave 45no, Marcus Shelton 42, Harpreet Saini 3-32) by 6 wkts

Division Four

Old Northamptonians IIIs 311-7 (Sam Hawkins 46, Daniel Clarke 45, Dave Watkin 112no, Rory Seymour 50, Lee Morgan 4-69) beat Raunds Town 75 all out (Lee Morgan 33no, Rory Seymour 3-13, George Hudson 4-15) by 236 runs

Overstone Park IIs 300-8 (Ben Hartley 65, Tom Cooke 51, Kunal Patel 38, Thomas Pope 70no, Leon Harvey 5-66) beat Kempston 207 all out (Abhishek Sabharwal 32, Ashley Field 46, Patik Patel 33, Kunal Patel 3-29, Arran Braganza 3-66) by 93 runs

Higham Ferrers 181 all out (Kishor Patel 39, James Walker 27, Toby Webbley 33no, Aaron Campion 4-42) lost to Podington 185-2 (Matthew Sirrell 42, Adam Tee 28, David Watts 78no) by 8 wkts

Rushton IIs 103 all out (Cameron Thompson 30) lost to St Crispin IIs 109-2 (Martyn Standish 55no) by 8 wkts

Finedon Dolben IIIs 123 all out (William Farrar 3-30, James Batten 3-28) lost to Wellingborough Town IIs 125-2 (Ravi Shastri 46, Sam Coleman 29, Htien Mistry 27no) by 8 wkts

Bowden 334 all out (Anthony Paton 98, Nick Jelley 55, Francis Finnermore 80, Clive Turner 4-60, Simon Nicholls 3-56) lost to West Haddon & Guilsborough 167 all out (Matthew Johnson 31, Simon Nicholls 32no, Adam Parton 29, Sam Noble 3-23, Sam Freer 3-36) by 167 runs

Division Five

Bedford conceded to Stony Stratford IIIs

Carrib United 112 all out (Abid Zia 38, John Burdett 3-38, Michael Allen 4-20) lost to Harlestone 116-9 (Guru Sathyamuurthy 3-43) by 1 wkts

Cogenhoe 135 all out (Daniel McLaughlin 79no, Aled David 3-38, David York 4-24) lost to Kettering Town IIs 137-6 (Aled David 45, Rob Starsmore 38, Kieran Kakkad 32no, Nick Lester 6-36) by 4 wkts

Bold Dragoon 288-8 (Brian Munjanja 54, Martin Wall 36, Zaheer Iqbal 70no, Sam Spencer 54, Adam Ursell 3-67, Bradley Fellows 3-51) beat Yelvertoft 87 all out (Daniel O’Dell 3-48, Zaheer Iqbal 5-17) by 201 runs

Thrapston IIs 237-9 (Ffrancon Williams 41, Tim Sawford 39, William Hook 35, Andy Stoker 35, John Dawkins 33, Zaib Sabir 5-63) beat Saints IIIs 145 all out (Thomas Stoker 4-34, Darren Hall 4-35) by 92 runs

Weekley and Warkton IIs 252 all out (Chris Payne 75no, Andrew Bussey 46, Lee Fox 42, Umer Abbasi 3-36) lost to S&L Corby 332-7 (Kudir Ali 111no, Tony Thurman 72, Adam Hill 3-54) by 80 runs

Division Six

Earls Barton IIs 126 all out (Peter Brooks 30, Matthew Desborough 30, Nidhin Poulose 4-15) lost to East Haddon IIs 130-4 (Jon Clough 60) by 6 wkts

Rothwell Town conceded to Burton Latimer

Irthlingborough Town IIs 247-6 (Luke Flemming 27, Brady Stratford-Day 67, Paul Parsons 35, Leighton Griffiths 30no, Ben Packman 3-36) beat St Michael’s 74 Bugbrooke 233 all out (James Gibbins 38, Anthony Webb 99, Mario Wickremasinghe 39, Brady Stratford-Day 3-40, Danny Stratford 4-48) by 14 runs

Wellingborough Indians IIs 226 all out (Sanjay Patel 45, Hiren Patel 35, Mukesh Patel 30no) lost to Spencer Bruerne 228-5 (Robert Tootelli 105no, Sam Heath 80no) by 5 wkts

Division Seven

Obelisk 331-1 (Gary Bliss 149, Calvin Budd 102no, Matt Virgin 46no) beat Overstone Park IIIs 326-5 (Sunil Bhatt 30, Fraser Halcrow 129no, Matthew Hawes 38, Gavin Mobley 30, Jason Millard 42no) by 5 runs

Old IIs 132 all out (John Chilton 55, Athiq Thamby 30, James Peel 6-47, Alan Steed 4-37) lost to Desborough IIs 133 all out (Lewis Hunt 4-48, Toby Pert 4-37) by one run

Division Eight

Horton House 155 all out (Prashant Kakodkar 36, Zahid Mirza 28, Harry Wilford 5-52) lost to Bowden IIs 155-7 (Fergus Kenny 40, Kevin Taylor 3-26, Finlay Moffat 3-26) by 3 wkts

Long Buckby IIs 240 all out (Christian Brient 77, Daniel Lewis 61, Hussain Mohamed 27, Matt Aitken 39no, Darren Hazelton 3-8) beat Raunds Town IIs 156 all out (Ben Simpson 77, Peter Incley 4-30) by 84 runs

Barton Seagrave 304-5 (Jake Bailey 117, Tony Clampin 116, Craig Lewis 3-57) lost to Hardingstone 305-5 (Phillip Monkman 180no, Stephen Gollings 38) by 5 wkts

Mears Ashby 169 all out (Mike Thompson 88, Simon Hill 3-44, Anup Patel 3-29) lost to Old Northamptonians IVs 173-2 (David White 75, Levi Draper 58) by 8 wkts

Oundle IIIs conceded to Old Grammarians IIs

Division Nine

Brixworth IIIs 149 all out lost to Wollaston IIIs 214-8 by 65 runs

Heyford IIs 181-7 beat Irchester IIs 180 all out by 3 wkts

St Crispins Ryelands IIIs 140-7 beat Little Harrowden 139 all out by 3 wkts

St Michael’s 157 al lout lost to Weldon IIs 160-5 by 5 wkts

Division 10

Weekley & Warkton IIIs conceded to Cogenhoe IIs

Finedon Dolben IVs conceded to Overtsone Park IVs

Rushden IIIs conceded to Harlesone IIs

Geddington IIIs 137-1 (Brodie Biddle 68no, Dave Wood 46no) beat Kettering IIIs 133 all out (Nathan Robinson 66no, Matthew Knight 6-11) by 9 wkts

Division 11

St Crispin & Ryelands conceded to Bold Dragoon

Old Northamptonians Vs 168 all out (Ashley Smith 29, William Moss 40, David Heathfield 29, Lee Parsons 4-44, Stewart Childs 3-18) lost to Irthlingborough Town IIIs 169-4 (Robert Scott 56, Matthew Ellis 62) by 6 wkts

Stony Stratford IVs 237-3 (Samuel Cole 110no, Oscar Watson 35, Alex Stockton 43no) beat Burton Latimer IIIs 162 all out (Ian Watson 40, Brendan O’Sullivan 28no, Emily Hunt 3-42) by 75 runs

Thrapston conceded to Sun Hardingstone

Division 12

Mears Ashby IIs 198-8 (Paul Watts 36, Jamie Chamberlain 74, Keenan Harding 4-18) beat Bugbrooke IIs 147 all out (Ed Trafford 42, Charlie Partridge 27no, Daniel Smith 3-70, Kris Love 4-23, Asheain Perera 3-22) by 51 runs

Obelisk IIs 200-9 (Paul Wright 54, Robert Kennedy 63, Peter Satchwell 3-44) beat Barby IIIs 87 all out (Robert Kennedy 6-28) by 113 runs

St Michael’s 74 Bugbrooke IIs conceded to Grange Park

Old IIIs conceded to Spencer Bruerne IIs

Division 13

Isham Zingari 126 all out (David Hobbs 57, Chris Giles 33, Ketan Kadakia 4-31) lost to Stony Stratford Vs 127-4 (Ketan Kadakia 48) by 6 wkts

Kettering Town IVs 112 all out (Michael Tanser 33, Archie Colwill 3-21) lost to Geddington IVs 113-1 (Paul Rowden 61no) by 9 wkts

Thrapston IVs 132 all out (Ian Button 3-28) lost to West Haddon & Guilsborough IIs 133-8 (Ian Button 28no, Richard Allen 32no, Ryan Clipston 3-40) by 2 wkts

Saints IVs 116-2 (Ewan Hughes-Rowlands 43no, Robbie Austin 47no) beat S&L Corby IIIs 114 all out (Muhammed Ahsan 51) by 8 wkts

Weldon conceded to Barton Seagrave

Hevey Building Supplies NCL T20 Plate

Higham Ferrers Town conceded to Old

Stony Stratford conceded to Raunds Town

Sun Hardingstone 104 all out (Anthony Roberts 4-26, Harry Wilford 3-22) lost to Bowden 108-1 (Sam Gomez 67no, Anthony Paton 31) by 9 wkts

Earls Barton conceded to Thrapston

Wellingborough OGs 187-6 (Tom Pace 61, Daniel Austin 68, Jack Gardner 3-29) beat Mears Ashby 116-6 (Greg Reis 34) by 71 runs

Hevey Building Supplies NCL T20 Cup

Burton Latimer 154 all out (Alistair McClure 31, Luke O’Dell 37) lost to East Haddon 160-6 (NIck Whorton 30, Sean O’Neill-Kerr 70no) by 4 wkts

Kislingbury Temperance 185-6 (Jamie Forrest 39, Pieter Pretorius 29, Daniel Bendon 63, Benjamin Swingler-Brown

29no, Sam Tully 3-21) beat Rothwell Town 182-9 (Dean Spreadbury 30, Marvin Hill 37, Richard Panter 49, James Gaul 4-15) by 3 runs

Wellingborough Town 132 all out (James Howes 32, Richard Curtis 40) lost to Kettering Town 133-5 (Rhys Linnell 35, Steven Wilson 48no) by 5

wkts

Fixtures

Saturday, July 14

Premier Division: Brixworth v Oundle, Finedon Dolben v Rushton, Geddington v Old Northamptonians, Horton House v Brigstock, Northampton Saints v Wollaston, Peterborough v Rushden.

Division One: Kettering v Desborough, Old Northamptonians IIs v Irthlingborough Town, Overstone Park v East Haddon, Stony Stratford v Isham, Weekley & Warkton v Loddington, Wellingborough Town v Burton Latimer.

Division Two: Earls Barton v Long Buckby, Old v Finedon Dolben IIs, Rothwell v Peterborough IIs, St Crispin & Ryelands v Great Houghton, Thrapston v Kislingbury, Wellingborough Indians v Northampton Saints IIs.

Division Three: Great Oakley v Horton House IIs, Heyford v Stony Stratford IIs, Old Grammarians v Geddington IIs, Oundle IIs v Brixworth IIs, Rushden IIs v Weldon, Wollaston IIs v Irchester.

Division Four: Bowden v Old Northamptonians IIIs, Finedon Dolben IIIs v Overstone Park IIs, Higham Ferrers v West Haddon & Guilsborough, Kempston v St Crispin & Ryelands IIs, Raunds v Wellingborough Town IIs, Rushton IIs v Podington.

Division Five: Bold Dragoon v Caribbean United, Cogenhoe v Yelvertoft, Harlestone v Bedford Town, Northampton Saints Grendon IIIs v Weekley & Warkton IIs, S&L Corby v Kettering IIs, Stony Stratford IIIs v Thrapston IIs.

Division Six: Burton Latimer IIs v Earls Barton IIs, East Haddon IIs v St Michaels 74, Irthlingborough Town IIs v Isham IIs, Podington IIs v Wellingborough Indians IIs, Spencer Bruerne v Rothwell IIs.

Division Seven: Bugbrooke v Overstone Park IIIs, Desborough IIs v Gretton, Loddington IIs v Old IIs, Obelisk Kingsthorpe v S&L Corby IIs.

Division Eight: Hardingstone v Mears Ashby, Horton House IIIs v Old Grammarians IIs, Long Buckby IIs v Bowden IIs, Old Northamptonians IVs v Raunds IIs, Oundle IIIs v Barton Seagrave.

Division Nine: Great Houghton IIs v Brixworth IIIs, Irchester IIs v St Michaels (N), Little Harrowden v Wellingborough Town IIIs, Weldon IIs v St Crispin & Ryelands IIIs, Wollaston IIIs v Heyford IIs.

Division 10: Brigstock IIs v Harlestone IIs, Kettering IIIs v Kislingbury IIs, Overstone Park IVs v Cogenhoe IIs, Rushden IIIs v Finedon Dolben IVs, Weekley & Warkton IIIs v Geddington IIIs.

Division 11: Burton Latimer IIIs v Bold Dragoon IIs, Irthlingborough Town IIIs v Hardingstone IIs, St Crispin & Ryelands IVs v Old Northamptonians Vs.

Division 12: Barby IIIs v Bugbrooke IIs, Brixworth IVs v Grange Park, Mears Ashby IIs v Spencer Bruerne IIs, Old IIIs v Old Grammarians IIIs, St Michaels 74 IIs v Obelisk Kingsthorpe IIs.

Division 13: Barton Seagrave IIs v Northampton Saints Grendon IVs, Geddington IVs v Isham Zingari, S&L Corby IIIs v Kettering IVs, Stony Stratford Vs v Thrapston IVs, West Haddon & Guilsborough IIs v Weldon IIIs.

Carl Fail has moved up to middleweight to boost his Olympic chances.

At welterweight, his route to Tokyo was blocked by Pat McCormack.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist looks to be a shoo-in for the qualifying events – and that’s led Fail to have a rethink.

By his own admission, the 21-year-old from Far Cotton ABC in Northampton struggles to squeeze his 6ft 2ins frame down to 69kgs, but he said: “It was all about opportunities.

“Pat has been there and done it. He’s a top international and deserved to be No 1. It was always going to be a tough ask to overtake him, but now Ben Whittaker has moved up to light-heavyweight, middleweight has really opened up.

“I went to see (Great Britain head coach) Rob (McCracken) and asked his opinion on me moving up to 75kgs.

“He said he had been thinking about it for a few months and that with my ability, I should be aiming for the Olympics.

“I’m hoping to be sent to the majors and there’s no reason why I can’t get to the Olympics.”

Fail has had an up-and-down time since making his breakthrough in 2016, earning a place in the Great Britain set up by winning the Elites, Tri Nations and Great Britain championships.

He was then sidelined for much of last year. He broke an finger on his right hand, underwent eye surgery and had a hip injury.

Fail made a stunning return to action at the European under-22 championships in Bulgaria in April. He won silver and it really should have been gold.

He has also made his World Boxing Series debut recently, schooling Kevin Bergotal (France Fighting Roosters) and then showing bravery in defeat to Aslanbek Shymbergenov (Astana Arlans).

“That was five tough rounds,” he said of the Shymbergenov fight in the semi finals, “and I proved I’ve got a chin!

“I gave it everything and I loved being in there with a world-class fighter.”

The move up to middleweight is bad news for Fail’s twin brother Ben, beaten in this year’s Elite final by Jordan Reynolds.

“I really didn’t want to step on Ben’s toes,” said Fail. “But it would be crazy not to make the move because it’s my brother’s weight.

“I had to do what’s best for me.

“Ben is gutted because it makes it harder for him to get into the Great Britain squad, but he’s behind me all the way.”

FAR COTTON ABC had two fighters in action at Coventry last Friday.

Mason Fury took on Louis Hamil of Christ the King Boxing Club - and Fury emerged with the victory on a unanimous decision.

It was the Far Cotton boxer’s fifth win for his club and a great way to celebrate his 12th birthday.

The only downside of the contest was the referee, who continually accused Fury of holding and going low at times.

Far Cotton head coach John Daly was disappointed with the warnings and expressed his frustration to the referee in the third round.

However, it mattered not as Fury claimed a convincing success.

Another Far Cotton ace, Alfie Mays, topped the bill at the open-air show and he put up a cracking fight against Billy Gavin of Northfield ABC.

But Mays was to lose the fight on a split decision.

Far Cotton coach Driton Muhaxheri said: “John Daly, myself and others thought that Alfie won that fight.

“However, John feels that Alfie wasn’t rewarded with the win due to John telling off the referee who was judging the fight.

“Alfie will bounce back after being on the end of a poor decision.

“He is due to box in East Midland Box Cup which is due to take place at the end of this month and he can get back to winning ways.”

Bethan Gee, a Year 6 pupil at Abington Vale Primary School’s Park Campus, entered her panda mascot design into a competition for the #StaySafe4Summer18 campaign.

This is run by PCSO Naomi Burkart-Barker, of Northamptonshire Police, and partners including the RNLI, to teach primary school children in the Northampton Central neighbourhood area about topics including water, road, fire, railway and online safety to help them stay safe during the summer holidays.

PSCO Burkart-Barker said: “Bethan followed the brief and ticked all the boxes for creating a great mascot to help us share safety messages for the summer period.

“We had over 400 entries and it was very hard to choose our winner and runners up, all the judges could see the time that’s been taken to design these mascots and posters to share safety messages to help others.

“I’m thrilled to reveal the final designs which will help everyone stay safer for the summer.”

Bethan’s winning design has been turned into an advice leaflet which will be handed out at the free #StaySafe4 Summer18 family fun event, taking place in Northampton’s Grosvenor Centre and Market Square from 10am to 4pm tomorrow, Saturday, July 14.

Designs from runners up Jegors Belajevs, of Stimpson Avenue Academy, Polly Tomalin and Gabby Dzinotizeei, from Abington Vale Park Campus, have also been turned into safety posters. They also received prize bags, and a prize was also awarded in the reception class at Abington Vale Sterling Campus after pupils there entered posters too.

Prizes were donated by town and Grosvenor Centre shops including The Entertainer, Smiggle, Boots, Poundland, Sainsbury’s, Millie’s Cookies, and Nando’s.

Pictured are (L-R) runner-up Gabby Dzinotizeei, 11, Abington Vale Park Campus head teacher Laura Cichuta, runner up Polly Tomalin, 11, PCSO Burkart-Barker, winner Bethan Gee, 11, and the RNLI's Mike Alcock.

A woman suffered minor injuries after being pulled to the floor and robbed in Kettering.

The incident happened between 11pm and 11.20pm on Friday, June 29, with police releasing details of the attack today (July 13).

The woman was walking in the area of Rockingham Road’s junction with Regent Street when two men approached her outside the Salvation Army building.

They pulled her to the floor before stealing cash and making off, leaving her with minor injuries.

The first offender is described as a white man, about 5ft 7in, of skinny build, with short dark brown hair and dark clothing.

He was also carrying a carrier bag which had an iron in.

The second offender is described as a white man in his mid to late 20s, of chubby build, about 5ft 7in, with a local accent.

Witnesses, or anyone with information or dash cam footage, are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

New signing Junior Morias says he knew as soon as he found out the Cobblers were interested in signing him that the club was ‘the place I want to be’.

The 23-year-old striker has been signed by Town from fierce rivals Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee, and the Jamaican front runner can’t wait to get this new phase of his career started.

Transfer-listed by Posh boss Steve Evans in May, the London Road club accepted a bid from National League side Ebbfleet earlier in the summer, but the player didn’t want that move.

He was always keen on signing for the Cobblers after travelling to Northampton to meet up with Dean Austin, and the player said: “I am just excited to get it across the line.

“My agent phoned me and told me there was interest from Northampton, and when I found out Dean Austin was the manager, I wanted to see what was going on.

“I spoke to the gaffer, and I knew where I wanted to be, and here is the place I want to be.

“I had offers from other clubs, but I knew where my mind and my heart was.

“My partner came with me when we came for the meeting, and it was all good with my family, and I want to please my family.

“We all decided that this is the place we want to be, and this is where we were going to go.”

A former St Albans City player, Morias has heard plenty of good things about Austin, who still lives in the Hertfordshire town and began his senior career there.

So was the player impressed when he met the Cobblers boss face to face?

“100 per cent, and I know people who know Dean as well,” said Morias.

“It planned out for me perfectly, that you know someone who believes in you, and that was what won my family over.”

Morias will now be aiming to hit the target on a regular basis for the Cobblers, but last season he was also on target at Sixfields, netting for Posh in their crushing 4-1 win at Sixfields.

It was a painful day for Town, but a good one for Posh and Morias, who smiles at the memory.

But feels he should be cut some slack by the fans of his new club, as he didn’t go wild afteer netting.

“I did score, but I didn’t celebrate though!”, he beamed. “There must be a reason why I didn’t celebrate!

“I have also been here before with Wycombe, although we lost that time and Akinfenwa scored, and it is a nice ground.

“Your fans, or I should say our fans now, are good, and it’s a good club from what I have seen so far. I am just excited about it.”

Boss Dean Austin says he is ‘excited’ after the Cobblers landed Peterborough United striker Junior Morias for an undisclosed fee.

The Jamaican has signed a two-year deal with Town, and the Town boss believes he has acquired a player with all of the ‘attributes to be a big success for us’.

In 18 months at London Road, the 23-year-old scored 10 times in 23 starts and 28 substitute appearances, with one of those goals coming in Posh’s 4-1 derby win at Sixfields last August.

He had netted five goals in the first 11 games of last season, but then suffered a thigh injury that kept him sidelined for three months, and he never recovered his early season form.

Morias ended up with seven goals last term, but following Grant McCann’s sacking he fell out of favour with new London Road boss Steve Evans, who transfer-listed the player in May.

Other clubs were interested in him, with National League outfit Ebbsfleet even agreeing a fee with Posh, but the player wanted to stay in the League, and once he knew the Cobblers were interested, that was his preferred destination.

The deal has taken a lot of work and many weeks to get over the line, but Austin said: “We are really pleased to bring Junior to the club.

“We believe he has the attributes to be a big success for us. He is quick, powerful and direct and he can finish.

“He was very keen to come to the club despite strong interest from elsewhere and that was great to see.”

“We want players here who are desperate to be here and Junior is determined to have a big impact and make a difference at Northampton Town.

“I would like to thank the chairman and the board of directors for their work in making this deal happen.

“I think he is a good fit for us at this time and we are excited to be working with him.”

A frustration for Austin though is that Morias will not be able to join his new team-mates on their pre-season training camp in Spain.

“Junior would need a visa that takes seven days to come through to allow him to travel with the group to Spain,” revealed the Cobblers boss.

“But the stage of pre-season he is at anyway, we feel it would be more beneficial for him to spend the week back at the club working with some of the fitness coaches.

“We look forward to him joining the squad upon our return next weekend.”

The Cobblers have boosted their attacking options with the signing of Peterborough United front man Junior Morias for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old has put pen to paper on a two-year-deal with Town, and joins fellow new recruits Andy Williams and Hakeem Odoffin in Dean Austin’s reshaped squad.

The Jamaican striker began his career in the youth system at Fulham, before signing for Wycombe Wanderers, where he was a team-mate of Aaron Pierre’s.

He spent two years at Adams Park without making a League start, although did come on as a substitute in 27 league two fixtures. He also had productive loan spells at Hendon and Boreham Wood.

In all, he made two senior starts for Wycombe, in cup competitions, and 29 substitute appearances, without scoring a goal, before leaving the club by mutual consent in September, 2014.

He went on to find his shooting boots in non-League, helping Boreham Wood to promotion from the National League South, netting the winner in the 2015 play-off final.

Morias had a brief stint with Whitehawk before signing for St Albans City, where his form in scoring nine times in 20 appearances attracted the interest of Posh, who bought him in the transfer window in January, 2017.

He went on to make 23 starts and 28 substitute appearances for Peterborough, netting 10 times, including the second in Posh’s 4-1 derby win against the Cobblers at Sixfields last August.

He had started last season well and scored five goals by September before he suffered a thigh injury that saw him sidelined for three months.

Morias returned to action at the turn of the year and scored a couple more goals to take his season tally to seven, but then found himself out of the first team picture following Grant McCann’s sacking.

New London Road boss Steve Evans placed Morias on the transfer list at the end of the season, and although Posh agreed a fee with National League oufit Ebbsfleet, Morias turned that down, insisting he wanted to stay a Football League player.

The Cobblers have now offered him that opportunity, with reports in the Peterborough press suggesting the fee Town have paid is in the region of £50,000.

Although he has now signed on at the PTS Academy Stadium, Morias will not be travelling to Spain with the rest of the Cobblers squad on Saturday, as they head off to Alicante for a week-long training trip.

That is down to issues with him acquiring a visa in time, so instead he will stay in Northampton and work with the fitness coaches, before teaming up with his new squad-mates in training next weekend.

The hot weather has led to the deaths of ‘large numbers’ of fish in East Northamptonshire.

Officers from the Environment Agency also say the recent high temperatures have caused an outbreak of blue-green algae at Thrapston Lake and are warning people not to enter the water.

Area duty manager Deborah Campbell said: “Our officers have been on site at Thrapston Lake this week following reports of large numbers of dead fish in the lake.

“We have determined that these fish deaths were caused by low oxygen levels in the water, which occur naturally in periods of hot summer weather.

“There has been no evidence to suggest that there’s been a pollution in the lake.

“While on site we took samples of the algae in the lake.

“Following testing, we have confirmed that there is blue-green algae present in Thrapston Lake.

“Warning signs have been put in place to inform the public and we are advising people to keep themselves and their pets away from the water in the lake as a precaution.

“We’re continuing to aerate the lake over the weekend to protect the fish stock that is still alive and we are planning to start removing dead fish at the beginning of next week.

“As the warm weather continues, we’d ask anyone who spots signs of fish in distress to please report it to our 24-hour incident hotline by calling 0800 80 70 60.”

Blue-green algae are capable of producing several different toxins.

People and pets may be exposed to these toxins through contact with the skin (such as when swimming), through inhalation or by swallowing contaminated water.

These toxins can cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, fever and headaches.

Occasionally they can cause more serious illness such as liver and brain damage.

Children are at greater risk than adults of developing problems because of their comparative lower body weight.

He swaps the Queen Vic for Sherwood Forest to star in the title role from Saturday December 8 to Sunday January 13.

Join the most heroic outlaw of them all as the arrow-shooting hero Robin Hood strives to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marion while he and his trusty band of Merry Men outwit the evil Sheriff of Nottingham in a show packed full of comedy, action, adventure and plenty of glitz and glamour.

Brought to you by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, Robin Hood features all of the ingredients of a perfect pantomime; a fabulous cast and orchestra, laugh out loud comedy, bundles of audience participation, stunning scenery and special effects, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses for all the family to enjoy.

Away from Albert Square, Shane has starred in the EastEnders spin off Redwater alongside Jessie Wallace as well as appearances on Benidorm, Skins, New Tricks and the revamped Minder.

We chatted to Shane about the show, the joy of appearing in pantomime and being back in Milton Keynes.

Emma Sullivan, theatre director at Milton Keynes Theatre, said: "We are delighted to welcome the return of Qdos Entertainment to Milton Keynes Theatre following the roaring success of Cinderella last year. Robin Hood is a new title for the theatre and with Shane Richie heading the cast audiences are promised a real pantomime treat.

Tickets for the show cost from £14. They can be booked by calling the box office on 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes.

Northants County’s Charlie Salter added another trophy to his collection as he won the 2018 Midland Boys Amateur Championship by five strokes at Coventry GC.

The 18-year-old, who won the Northamptonshire Boys crown this season as well as the County Men’s title last year, bagged 10 birdies in scores of 72 and 69 to finish as the only competitor under par.

Luis Witherall (Northants County) grabbed a share of eighth place, while fellow Northamptonshire golfers Corey Neville, Joseph Quinn, Max Hayward, Harry Oddy and Ben Lavender also took part.

Abraham Trophy

Northamptonshire will have four girl golfers in a field of just 20 competing over 18 holes in the final of the prestigious Abraham Trophy at Lyme Regis GC on August 6th.

In a competition to identify the England’s most improved girl golfer, on the basis of handicap reduction, county girls champion Ashleigh Critchley will be joined by Kettering club-mate Gracie Murray, Peterborough Milton’s Emily Horsted and Northampton’s Leah Ribano.

Anglian League

Northamptonshire men’s first team recorded a rare away victory to Lincolnshire as a 7½-4½ success at Gainsborough GC made it two wins in three outings to maintain their chances of clinching the 2018 Anglian League.

A foursomes half from Michael Farr and Tom Forster, plus narrow pairs wins from Luis Witherall and Charlie Salter and the last duo of Jamie Milligan and Liam McNeela, gave the county a slender lead going into the afternoon singles.

Salter and Forster claimed the scalps of two of Lincolnshire’s better players early on to extend the advantage, before further wins from Witherall and Mike Chambers, plus a couple of halves, capped a magnificent day.

The County second team were left frustrated for the third time this season as they lost by a single point in the reverse fixture at Kingsthorpe.

Despite some encouraging performances, including a fantastic fightback victory for Owen Watts and Mark Bazeley in the morning and solid debut from Tiger Adams, the visitors did just enough to snatch victory in a series of close singles ties.

NGL Junior League

Group A

Kettering B were involved in a thrilling home contest with Northants County A as the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

With Hattie Billson (County) and Ben Atherton (Kettering) taking the last two points with holes to spare, the team result came down to the other two games – both of which went the distance.

Luis Witherall gave the visitors the advantage with a narrow success against Ed Keech in the opener, but Sam Underwood responded for Kettering by winning the 18th hole against Corey Neville to grab s share of the spoils.

Mark and Robert help turn the tide

Northampton maintained their unbeaten NGL Handicap League Group A record with a third victory in four outings on the back of a 20-1 home display against Rushden.

Although the away side grabbed a narrow win in the opener, Northampton’s Mark Shelswell and Robert Smith quickly seized the initiative with a five-hole success in game two, before four more convincing victories completed the scoring.

Group B

Collingtree Park’s title defence is still going perfectly as they defeated Silverstone 13-5 at home to make it five wins out of five this year.

The hosts did most of their best work early on as they won the first tie by a single hole, Andrew Dennis and Jensen Parfitt clinched game two by five holes, before Tom Low and Samish Patel romped to a seven-hole success in the fourth match.

Silverstone showed some fight by clinching the last game by four holes.

Group D

Hellidon Lakes moved into pole position ahead of Kingsthorpe on points difference after an edgy 10-6 home victory against fellow contenders Kettering.

With the away side surging into a six-hole lead after just two games, Hellidon needed to use all their local knowledge to turn it around as Len Edwards and Ryan Welsh completed the fight back by winning the last match by three holes.

Priors Hall secured their first victory of the campaign as they defeated an under-strength Farthingstone side at home by the scoreline 8-6.

With the opening three ties being halved and the six-hole wins for either team in games four and five being cancelled out, the Corby club snatched the honours thanks to a two-hole success for Jason Ford and David Hughes.

NGL Scratch League

Division Three

Daventry made an impressive start to their campaign as they defeated Whittlebury Park 6½-1½ at home, thanks to wins from Nathon Freezer, Matthew Simmonds, Chris Balic, Dave Musker, Chris Eveleigh and Daniel Haynes.

NGL Ladies Cecil Leitch

Group B

Peterborough Milton missed an opportunity to go clear at the top of the standings after losing 5-2 at Rushden GC.

Although Gill Preston and LJ Gill grabbed two of the opening three ties for the visitors, Rushden held sway in the other five games as they moved to within one point of the leading trio of Oundle, Milton and Cold Ashby.

Kingsthorpe are able to show their class

Champions Kingsthorpe produced their best NGL Intermediate League

performance of the year as they defeated Cold Ashby 5½-2½ thanks to big wins from Simon Kerr, Ian Townsend, Leigh Woodward, Kieron McCrystal and Gary Hardy.

Collingtree needed to call on all their battling spirit against Northampton, who were involved in a tense 4-4 draw with Cold Ashby a week earlier, as they edged a tight contest by a single point.

Wins from Kevin Parfitt, Conor Rosling, Ray Connolly and a half from Jensen Parfitt meant Andy Castell’s one-hole success in the last game secured the victory.

Wellingborough trio Richard Munns, Duncan Cornish and Tim Veal all recorded wins on the 18th hole as the team held their nerve to beat Overstone Park 5½-2½ the previous weekend.

Adam Perry and Thomas Cheevers were also successful for Wellingborough, while game five of the contest was halved.

Overstone’s two wins came courtesy of Phil Gardner and Ian Kennedy.

Northampton runner Emily Williams secured a magnificent silver medal competing for Great Britain in the European Athletics Under-18 Championships in Hungary.

Competing in the 1500m for the first time in a full International, Northampton School for Girls pupil Williams produced a fantastic performance to land a podium finish on her GB debut.

The 16-year-old’s superb performance helped the British team finish top in the medals table with nine medals in total, the team claiming six gold, two silver and one bronze.

The championships were held in Gyor in Hungary in the new purpose-built Olympic Park Stadium.

There were 50 countries represented with more than 1,000 athletes competing, and the event was televised by Eurosport.

In qualifying, Williams, who runs for Kettering Town Harriers, had to finish in the top four to guarantee a place in the final, and she ran a calm race to come second behind Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska in a time of 4:34.62.

In the final two days later, Williams knew she was going to have to go well to finish with a medal as she was up against twof Europe’s top ranked runners in Ireland’s Sarah Healey and Kazimierska, and a clutch of other athletes who were all within touching distance of Williams’ personal best of 4:20.88.

Williams ran a brilliant race, and although Healey proved to be a class apart and a deserving winner, Williams was a brilliant second, with a devastating final 100m seeing her home in 4:22.11.

Williams was delighted with her performance, and said: “Oh my gosh, it sounds unbelievable to be a European Under-18 silver medallist.”

“I was nervous – but I could see that three of us had moved away from the others.

“The pace picked up with 200 metres to go and I knew I had to go with it because I really wanted a medal.

“I’ve mixed between the 1500m and 800m all season and I think my speed really helped me in the final part of the race.”

Williams’ coach Shane Smith, who travelled to Hungary along with Emily’s parents Rosie and Rodney, was delighted to see her claim a medal at her first full international.

“Emily has handled the whole experience of the GB camp, with high level media coverage, the qualification round and the pressure of expectation to reach the podium in her stride,” said Smith.

“I am confident Emily will take on board the whole positive experience of the championships and be hungry for more success on the European and world stage. She certainly has the ability to achieve this.”

Williams now gets some well deserved recovery before deciding if she will compete in the upcoming English Schools Championships.

On a very busy weekend for the club, Rugby & Northampton AC produced a strong performance in the Midland League at Abingdon, finishing a strong third and only 25 points behind the winning hosts.

The team went into the match knowing that they needed a clear victory over rivals Stoke to ease the threat of relegation to division three.

On the day, the team claimed eight individual victories along with a host of personal bests to record their best performance of the season.

Pride of place went to Lily Mae Pursey who claimed a trio of victories in the hammer, shot and discus, including a huge PB of 39.59m in the hammer.

Ella Watford was another who had a busy day, winning the long jump with a PB of 5.38m, taking second in the high jump and then making her debut in the triple jump and taking fourth with a leap of 9.64m.

Abi Ward won the javelin, while the highlight of a busy afternoon for Harry Salt was his victory in the 100m hurdles.

Ollie Lambert won the 200m on his league debut in 23.4 secs while the men’s 4 x 100m relay team won with a 20 metre margin.

For the ladies, Emma Wilshire made the long journey from Cardiff to take second in the 100m along with fourth in the 200m and third in the B shot putt.

Lauren Nash took third in the 400H whilst Rhea Cooper ran a smart race to take fourth in the 1500m and Emily Coper and Tilly Lea tackled the 400 and 800m. Emily, Abi, Rhea and Tilly combined well to

finish third in the 4x400m relay.

The team were very short of B string athletes but Adele Blenkinsop and Maddie Wells stepped up to cover as many events as they could.

Blenkinsop won the long jump and claimed vital second places in the javelin and triple jump, while Wells did both sprints and the discus as well the 100mH and relay where the team finished third.

For the men, the team scored solidly across most events with John Moreland covering all four throws, he took second in discus, third in hammer and fourth in shot, along with thirdin the B string javelin.

Harry Salt added to his hurdles victory with third in the 100m, second in the B long jump and leading out the winning 4x100m team.

Busiest man on the day was Charlie Barker who tackled five individual events along with both relays. His best result was third in the high jump with a leap of 1.75, along with fourth in the 400m hurdles and a victory in the B string 100m hurdles.

Haydn Arnall and Richard Latimer combined to take second in the A and B string 1500m races.

Will Price just secured third place in a very close 400m race and Ben Lole secured his second PB of the week as he claimed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 11.10m.

In the B string races, George Edwards claimed a trio of victories over 200m, 400m and high jump to record an impressive league debut.

Tom Wilcock also made his league debut taking fifth in the long jump and fourth in the 100m B race.

Finn Hutton also had a busy time, after struggling in the 400 and 800m B races he claimed a valuable third in the triple jump B, and then returned to form with a great leg in the 4x400m relay to help team to second place.

There was disappointment for pole vaulters Dave Cowley and Lee Woodward when the competition had to be abandoned when the bar was broken and a replacement couldn’t be found. The team was completed by Rhys James in the 800m and John Gercs who stepped in to cover the hammer and javelin.

Going into the final round at Stoke on August 4, the team are now lying fourth, with a two-point buffer over Stoke, so realistically they need to defeat Stoke again to be sure of avoiding relegation.

Five large kitchen knives were surrendered to a policing team in a Northampton neighbourhood today as part of an ongoing safety campaign.

A tweet on the Northampton Neighbourhood Police Team says the knives were taken in Spring Boroughs while on patrol this afternoon (July 13).

The tweet, posted at 3.45pm reads: "Knives surrendered to us today. Better off the streets."

The look on my six-year-old daughter’s face when she saw the size of the bed she was sleeping in was just one of the memorable moments during a weekend stay at Warwick Castle.

Warwick Castle has always been a favourite destination for the family. It is one of the most relaxing, enjoyable and entertaining day out in the region.

Now there is the option to stay overnight and extend your visit by an extra day, it makes it all the more special.

We stayed in one of the medieval glamping tents. They are all themed to tie-in with the magic of Warwick Castle and are just a short walk from the castle itself.

Each tent is decked out with a four poster bed and additional single beds – all incredibly comfy – and decked out with coats of arms and decorations. All the tents are fully lit, with wooden floors, power sockets, free Wifi, a mirror and a large oak storage chest.

Outside of the tent, there is a decking area with seats and is set in beautiful parkland with plenty of spaces for children to play in and for everyone to relax and enjoy the view.

Glamping is available throughout the summer, until September 9.

I took two of my children – one aged six and the other 12 – and they absolutely loved their stay.

You can arrive at the camp site at 10am to start your day in the park, check in is later in the day at 4pm. Once there, you are given a code to enter the main parkland through a gate specially for campsite guests – much easier than queuing!

Warwick Castle has changed over the years and there is so much more to do than I remember as a young child.

The highlight, as always, is the castle itself. Both inside and out, it is an imposing and impressive building that leaves children in awe whenever they visit.

Away from the castle, there is lots to see and do.

For my children, their favourite was the new War of the Roses show. Performed in a custom-built arena, it is an impressive and engaging show based on the battle between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. With jousting, sword-fighting, dramatic confrontations and romance, the show has it all. Performed largely on horseback, the stars of the show are the horses, but the actors are all equally talented and the half-hour raced by. When we were planning the second day, it was first on the list to see again.

There are other shows to see at Warwick – the birds of prey demonstration is excellent and seeing those fantastic birds in the majestic setting of the castle is something special. The trebuchet demonstration is equally impressive – the power of the 13th-century weapon is awesome. For both shows, the quality of the presentation and the information from both speakers was engaging and informative.

Elsewhere, the Horrible Histories Maze was another highlight the children really enjoyed – the love Horrible Histories and the maze captured the balance between humour and history the show is famous for brilliantly.

For those dreaming of being a princess, my six-year-old definitely fits into that category, a visit to the Princess Tower is a must.

A trip to Warwick Castle always feels so relaxing. Although busy, you never feel rushed or cramped. There is plenty of time between the shows and other attractions to just sit and relax in the beautiful grounds.

And, with the added benefit of an overnight stay, you have two days in the castle grounds, so you can take your time and revisit the things you enjoyed the day before.

Dinner at the campsite restaurant is a must – great food, the chance to quiz a knight and entertainment for diners through the evening.

Put simply, we had a brilliant, family-orientated weekend and one that I would thoroughly recommend.

For more information about Warwick Castle and the weekend breaks, visit https://www.warwickcastlebreaks.com

The Run For Recovery invites families to take part in egg and spoon races, tug of war and a barbeque to raise money for action-support group Cocaine Anonymous.

The sports day will be held between 11pm and 5pm on July 22 at the Northampton BBOB Rugby Club, off St Andrews Road.

Organiser Carianne Wooding said: "We're raising money for people still suffering from the effects of addiction. It's things like this that keep our charity funded and help us do all the work we can in Northamptonshire so it would be great to see as many people as possible turn out."

Families will be encouraged to take part in races and games, and other attractions include face painting, a hamper raffle and the Big Book Relay, which is a relay race using a heavy book as a baton.

Price of admission is £8 and all funds will go to support Cocaine Anonymous. Unwaged persons can attend for free.

Unfortunately, no pets are allowed at the sports day.

Cocaine Anonymous hold group meet-ups every night in Northamptonshire to support recovering addicts. They meet at:

Monday
1900-2000
Full gospel church
Rushden NN10 0QX

Tuesday
1930-2100
Mind (upstairs above café)
49-51 russell street
Kettering NN10 0EN

Wednesday
1930-2100
Our Lady’s Catholic Church
Corby NN17 1EE

Thursday
1930-2100
Anchor House
6-7 Regent square
Sheep street
Northampton NN1 2NQ

Friday
1930-2100
The Bridge
13/15 Oxford street
Wellingborough NN8 4HY

Saturday
1800-1900
Full Gospel Church
Rushden NN10 0QX

Sunday
1900-2030
Anchor House
6-7 Regent square
Sheep street
Northampton NN1 2NQ

Alex Wakely hit an unbeaten 54 for the Steelbacks but their chastening start to this season's Vitality Blast continued against Worcestershire Rapids at New Road.

In a game reduced to nine overs per side due to a rain delay, the Rapids raced to a massive 130 for three.

The Steelbacks simply couldn't stem the tide at any point as Worcestershire took total control and eventually registered a 41-run victory.

After Northants won the toss and elected to bowl, Martin Guptill was dismissed for nine by Rory Kleinveldt, with Richard Levi taking the catch to leave the hosts 28 for one after 1.5 overs.

But Joe Clarke then took up the fight, making 28 from 13 balls before Graeme White had him caught by Brett Hutton.

Still the Rapids ran riot as Travis Head blasted the ball to all parts as the Australian made 37 from 14 deliveries before Levi again took a catch, this time off the bowling of Seekkuge Prasanna.

Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox then combined to ensure the innings finished with a flourish as they finished on 36 and nine respectively.

And the Steelbacks suffered the worst possible start as Ben Duckett went for a golden duck before Josh Cobb also departed without scoring.

Dylan Pennington, who was to finish with fantastic figures of two for nine, was having a field day.

And he dismissed Levi for 14 before Steven Crook became the third Steelbacks batsman to register a duck.

When Prasanna was bowled by Patrick Brown for four, the Steelbacks were 29 for five, and it got worse as Brown bowled Kleinveldt for two to make it 35 for six.

Wakely then ensured no further wickets would fall as he racked up an impressive four fours and four sixes from 21 balls to pass the half-century mark.

But the Steelbacks were never in the hunt and they remain rooted to the bottom of the North Group table ahead of Thursday's televised home fixture against Derbyshire Falcons.

Northants head coach David Ripley says his side don't currently have the 'go-and-get-it' attitude they need to win Vitality Blast matches.

The Steelbacks slumped to their fourth defeat in as many games in this season's competition as they were comprehensively beaten by Worcestershire Rapids.

In a game reduced to nine overs per side due to a rain delay, the Rapids ran riot, racking up a huge 130 for three before limiting Northants to 89 for six to win by 41 runs.

Only Alex Wakely, who hit an unbeaten 54 from 21 balls, was able to get any joy with the bat as three of his team-mates, Ben Duckett, Josh Cobb and Steven Crook, registered ducks.

And it was a sadly familiar tale for the Steelbacks, who have been on the wrong end of some heavy defeats during the formative stages of the 20-over tournament.

“We were considerably on the wrong end of things and that is the disappointing thing," Ripley said.

“We haven’t really been competitive. A one-sided nine-over game. You don’t often lose a nine over game by the amount of runs we did.

“We were disappointing, Worcestershire were very good and looked like a team that are full of confidence - and we didn’t.

“They have invested in overseas batters and with Joe Clarke, they have three big guns firing upfront.

"They got a foothold in the game and we found it hard to claw that back.

“We looked very tentative in the field and in the same conditions Worcestershire looked hungry to pull balls in and, with Richard Levi, the catch that Ed Barnard took was an example of the difference between the sides, probably mentally.

“We have got a good T20 side but at the moment that go-and-get-it attitude we’ve built our game on isn’t there.”

But there was delight in the Worcestershire camp as they made it four wins from as many matches in the Blast.

“As performances go for us this campaign, that was a complete performance," said Worcestershire's head bowling coach, Alan Richardson.

“We had no idea of what a good score was going to be in nine overs. None of the guys had played that before, but the batting unit was sensational.

“There was a real intensity in what they were doing and they probably gave us an over-par score in nine overs, probably better than we could have wished for.

“Then the scoreboard pressure helped us, but the bowlers executed their skills brilliantly.

“I think the confidence has spread through from the 50-over competition and that thankfully has also gone into the T20 campaign.

“It is similar. We are just condensing it down but the guys are having similar roles and are just trying to execute similar skills.

“The guys are just backing themselves. They are practising really hard, practising with really good intent and they back themselves in a game to do that.

“It is obviously helping that it is coming off in games so that they have the confidence to do that but there are no repercussions for the guys if they go out and practice the way they do and it doesn’t quite come off.

“We are happy with that. Obviously if it does come off, we are ecstatic and we are going to win games.”

After donations from the Eric Stanton Northampton Trust, Phillips Charitable Trust and St Giles Charity Estates - the trusts have made it possible for the Hope Centre to open on Saturdays, starting from today (July 14), and can be accessed by the town's homeless community from 9.30am – 12.30pm.

People who are sleeping rough over the weekend, or have no fixed abode, can today access showers, have clean underwear and clothing.

Food and drink will be available too along with the internet café, access to watch TV and join in with social activities.

“The additional Saturday opening means we can offer support to those who need it most and help support them over what otherwise is a very long and lonely weekend,” said day centre manager Lee Coyle.

The Hope Centre offers help to vulnerable people who are in unstable accommodation by providing services such as food and clothing to people in extreme poverty and with complex disadvantage, including problems of homelessness, drugs and alcohol and mental health.

Their aim is to help their clients become employable through skills and training.

The Hope Centre is now asking the community to help spread the word and direct homeless people on the streets to Oasis House in Campbell Street where the service operates from.

Hope Centre services user Robert, who didn't want to share his surname, said: “I think opening on Saturday is a great idea, it’s going to really help people who spend a lot of time at the weekend hungry, cold or just alone.

“When you live on the streets, the weekend is such a long and lonely time.

“The Hope Centre opening on a Saturday will just break up those few long days when I have nowhere to go and no one to speak to.”

Oasis House was opened back in 2012 and is part funded by the HCA’s Places of Change and National Affordable Housing program, as well as Northamptonshire County Council Supporting People and NHS Northamptonshire

In addition to accommodation, a range of organisations helping homeless people are also under one roof.

These include the Hope Centre, which has day time drop-in facilities, the NAASH offices, Hope Enterprises, medical services provided by the Maple Access Partnership and the Homeless Forum.