The group pitched up on Far Cotton rec after arriving at around 3am this morning (July 27).

A quad bike driven by two children close to a nearby playground has been reported and three horses are also on the field, along with chained up dogs along the perimeter.

One resident told the Chron earlier on today: "Dog walkers and others using the facilities are reluctant to go near the area. They have many dogs chained up that become very vocal.

"I saw several piles of human excrement along the fences, including by the bowling ground."

This is the sixth - and is by far the largest - encampment of travellers reported by this newspaper since Friday last week (July 20).

Five bollards installed by the borough council to keep out unauthorised vehicles have also been pulled up on along the rec ground.

In a recent statement from Northamptonshire County Council a spokesman said: “ The Countywide Traveller Unit has visited and assessed the unauthorised encampment of caravans in Far Cotton.

"A section 61 police notice has been served, ordering the encampment to leave by tomorrow afternoon.”

Two men have been sentenced to 12 months in prison for their part in the thefts from BMWs across Northamptonshire earlier this year.

Following a planned police operation in the early hours of Thursday, May 3, Ramunas Radzevicius, 25, of St Andrew’s Street, Northampton, and Vitalijus Belovas, 40, of Abington Street, Northampton, were both arrested on suspicion of theft after a number of BMWs were broken into and had parts and equipment stolen from within.

Both pleaded guilty to stealing from cars in Barton Seagrave.

DC Britt Elmes said: “I welcome the sentences handed out to Radzevicius and Belovas and hope they serve as a message that this type of crime doesn’t pay and that we will pursue people who think they can get away with it.

“Buying and maintaining a car costs a lot of money and people work very hard in order to have one and keep it running on an annual basis.

"Having it broken into and parts and equipment stolen from within is not only a stressful experience but costs time and effort to rectify as well as money due to insurance premiums that often rise as a result.

“It’s completely unacceptable for people to think they can make money in this way. We are continuing to investigate further offences as part of this crime series and hope to have more good news in the coming months.”

Manchester United Under-23s boss Ricky Sbragia has confirmed it will be a very young and inexperienced Red Devils XI that turns up to play the Cobblers at the PTS Academy Stadium on Friday night (ko 7.45pm).

Several of the Old Trafford club’s regular Under-23s are currently on tour with the senior team in the USA, having gone out there due to several first teamers being unable to travel due to their involvement in the World Cup, and former Sunderland boss Sbragia knows the clash against Dean Austin’s men is going to be a real test for his players.

There are likely to be under-18s involved against Town, and Sbragia told MUTV, who are screening the game live on Friday night: ”It will be difficult

“We’re down to about 16 players, so there’s an opportunity then for some of the first-years and second-years obviously to come in and get some football with us.”

Sbragia is anticipating it is going to be a physical test against the Cobblers, but is hoping all the good work he has put into his players in training is going to be put into practice.

”Northampton will be gearing up to the season starting and I think they’ll be slightly ahead of us in pre-season, in training,” said the Scotsman, who is expected to include former Cobblers loan man Regan Poole in his starting line-up as well as striker James Wilson, who has played for the United first team in the past and was on loan at Sheffied United last season.

“But we’ve worked extremely hard, we’ve done a lot of football now and a lot of the shape and we’re going to give everybody the opportunity to play football and get as many minutes over the next four pre-season games.

”I can see Northampton being the main game for us, I can see that.

“They’ll change it around, they’ll be there to beat us, as much as we want to beat them, but I can see that being a very physical game on Friday.”

Rob White continued his fine form for Old Northamptonians with a superb all-round showing against Brixworth in the NCL Premier Division.

White smashed 95 as leaders ONs racked up 252 for seven.

And the former Northants batsman then impressed with the ball, taking three wickets for just six runs as Brixworth were all out for 109 to lose by 143 runs.

Richard Kaufman (4-23) and Tom Webb (2-16) also did a good job during the Brixworth innings, in which William Thomas (26) top scored.

Callum Guest (3-48) was Brixworth’s stand-out bowler, but they are now bottom of the table after Wollaston’s one-wicket win against Finedon Dolben, who lost ground on ONs.

Horton House edged to a one-wicket win of their own as they defeated Geddington.

Ewan Cox (3-30), Andrew Neate (2-23) and Ben Wall (2-29) shone for Horton as Geddington were all out for 186.

Cox then top scored with 57, with Elliott Ruff (39no) and Wall (36) also playing key roles in the successful reply.

Jack Mousley top scored with 32 for Saints, but they were beaten by eight wickets by Rushton Town, who hunted down the 141-run victory target with ease.

In division one, Charles Edwards excelled with a superb 111 as Overstone Park stayed level on points at the top with Desborough.

Edwards helped his team to register 248 for nine against Burton Latimer, who were to fall to a 141-run defeat after failing in their reply.

Matthew Jones (4-31), Sheel Patel (3-21), Matthew Cannon (2-34) and Guy Sunter (1-20) got the job done for Overstone.

Old Northamptonians IIs squeezed home against East Haddon, winning by two wickets.

Niall Malin took three for 33, while Nicholas Cooper (2-21) and George Edmonds (2-34) also impressed as Haddon were all out for 195.

Sean O’Neill-Kerr (62) and Richard Whorton (40) did provide some resistance.

But ONs had enough in reply thanks to Muhammad Maqsood, who hit a fine 85.

Whorton did dismiss Maqsood on the way to figures of two for 36, while Sam Yates claimed three for 21, but Haddon couldn’t complete the job with the ball.

Stony Stratford were six-wicket winners against Irthlingborough Town as Jamie Baxter starred with the ball.

Baxter took five for 31 as Irthlingborough were bowled 142.

And James Pickles then made an unbeaten 63 as his team reached their target comfortably.

Results

Saturday, July 21

Premier Division

Geddington 186 all out (Ben Marshall 36, Andrew Reynoldson 68, Ewan Cox 3-30) lost to Horton House 189-9 (Ewan Cox 57, Ben Wall 36, Elliott Ruff 39no) by 1 wkts

Old Northamptonians 252-7 (Rob White 95, Thomas Hafil 38, William Heathfield 31no, Callum Guest 3-48) beat Brixworth 109 all out (Rob White 3-6, Richard Kaufman 4-23) by 143 runs

Oundle Town 234 all out (Daniel Robinson 99, Conor Craig 56, Ben Smith 36, Vanish Bajaj 4-55) lost to Peterborough Town 236-4 (Rob Sayer 52, Asim Butt 63, Alex Mitchell 68no, David Sayer 33) by 6 wkts

Northampton Saints 140 all out (Jake Mousley 32, Mark Wolstenholme 28, Tom Firm 4-34, Kristian Antonaccio 3-28) lost to Rushden Town 141-2 (Sam Kumar 60no, Ben Paine 27) by 8 wkts

Finedon Dolben 89 all out (Luke Bartier 4-22, Robert Bassin 3-26) lost to Wollaston 90-9 (Tom Brett 4-16) by 1 wkt

Division One

Overstone Park 248-9 (Charles Edwards 111, Damon Hanney 3-43) beat Burton Latimer 107 all out (Luke Styman 38, Matthew Jones 4-31, Sheel Patel 3-21) by 141 runs

Desborough Town 234-8 (Simon Renshaw 28, Jake Bindley 36, Wayne Steed 40, Jack Bilson 58no, Abrar Pathan 35, Sam Owen 3-24)

beat Wellingborough Town 213 all out (Richard Curtis 65, Darren Trotter 30, Jake Westley 48, Jack Bilson 6-32) by 21 runs

East Haddon 195 all out (Richard Whorton 40, Sean O’Neill-Kerr 62, Ian Hardwick 32, Niall Malin 3-33) lost to Old Northamptonians 199-8 (Muhammad Maqsood 85, Daniel Harris 35, Sam Yates 3-21) by 2 wkts

Irthlingborough Town 142 all out (Martin Hills 39, Jamie Baxter 5-31) lost to Stony Stratford 145-4 (James Pickles 63no) by 6 wkts

Loddington & Mawsley 156 all out (Adam Roberts 41, Harry Dennis-Jones 29, Shaun Wills 4-24, George Carr 3-29) beat Isham 150 all out (Dominic Barritt 84no, Nicholas Herbert 4-36, Harry Dennis-Jones 3-12) by 6 runs

Kettering Town 151 all out (Steven Wilson 32, Arun Bains 30, Matthew Cortese 3-27) lost to Weekley & Warkton 155-7 (Bashrat Hussain 67no, Lewis James 3-49, Shivram Popat 3-22) by 3 wkts

Division Two

Kislingbury Temperance 269-9 (Zachary Wade 54, Patrick Morris 32, Babar Khan 69, Thomas Minney 4-73) beat Finedon Dolben IIs 167 all out (Harris Syed 58, William Webb 38, Benjamin Swingler-Brown 3-45, Robert Collins 3-43) by 102 runs

Thrapston 208-9 (Paul Spicker 28, Will Groenland 108, Greg Johnson 33) beat Great Houghton 114 all out (Kieran Lane 35, Ben Perry 5-22) by 94 runs

St Crispin’s & Ryelands 271-4 (Brian Davis 125, Tom Goodman 53, Tom Lightfoot 35no) winning draw versus Long Buckby 248-9 (Adam Vinson 109, Adrian Flynn 28no, Jake Spencer 4-48)

Northampton Saints IIs 239 all out (Chirag Mandaviya 94no, Rohin Thapar 8-85) lost to Rothwell Town 240-5 (Shan Devraj 44, Rohin Thapar 108no, Dean Spreadbury 60no, Elliott Patterson 3-65) by 5 wkts

Wellingborough Indians 112 all out (Anand Panchal 50, James Burrows 4-36, Perry Moore 5-29) lost to Old 114-2 (William Chilton 64no) by 8 wkts

Earls Barton 175 all out (Thomas Mills 53, Danyaal Malik 3-29, Nadir Haider 4-25) lost to Peterborough Town IIs 176-3 (Kyle Medcalf 53, Danyaal Malik 70no) by 7 wkts

Division Three

Great Oakley 75 all out (Jamie Kay 3-13, Benjamin York 3-15) lost to Geddington IIs 77-1 (Chris Harrison 50no) by 9 wkts

Wollaston IIs 222 all out (Steve Musgrave 51, Andrew Kowal 48, Lewis North-Row 54, James Baldwin 3-40) lost to Heyford 227-5 (James Edwards 53, Martyn Cory 59no, Thomas Sheppard 27) by 5 wkts

Irchester 260-7 (Harry Green 80, Rishi Patel 68no) beat Rushden Town IIs 63 all out (John Moffatt 34, Scott Lawson 7-40, Thomas Duxson 3-12) by 197 runs

Stony Stratford IIs 107 all out (Asad Masroor 34, Henry Carter 3-11, Stephen Finch 3-23) lost to Horton House IIs 108-5 (Kiron Das 31, Stephen Finch 39, Thomas Hoy 3-25) by 5 wkts

Weldon 170 all out (Kristien Warren 56no, Sam Gerry 3-30) beat Oundle Town IIs 121 all out (Matthew Ingram 30, Jonathan Dalley 27, Zak Gillies 3-25, Dan Wells 4-23) by 49 runs

Division Four

Old Northamptonians IIIs 285 all out (Andy Edmunds 41, Rory Seymour 111, Jawvad Oryakhail 66, Kishor Patel 3-52, Toby Webbley 4-52) beat Higham Ferrers Town 175 all out (Steven Materna 42, Toby Webbley 28, Tom White 6-37) by 90 runs

Overstone Park IIs 301-6 (Ben Hartley 40, Ryan Arnold 145no, Fraser Halcrow 27, Alex Quatrine 46, George Earl 3-75) beat Raunds Town 180 all out (Stuart York 63, Daniel Webb 3-23, Daniel Adams 4-27) by 121 runs

West Haddon & Guilsborough 221 all out (Alexander Smith 31, James Dawson 41, Chris Foster 29, Matthew Johnson 37, Olly Marriott 33, Liam Souster 3-66, Aaron Campion 4-24) lost to Podington 224-7 (Joshua Ozier 51, David Watts 98) by 3 wkts

Rushton IIs 160 all out (Aaron Lingley 50, Daniel Denton 5-13) lost to Kempston Hammers 161-8 (Ashley Field 94no, Timothy Cook 3-43) by 2 wkts

Finedon Dolben IIIs 332-5 (Tejas Patel 88, Oliver Webb 65, Owen West 34, Cameron Arnold 91no) beat St Crispin’s & Ryelands IIs 285 all out (Martyn Standish 45, Kyle Smith 90, Owen West 3-20, Joe Grafikowski 3-91) by 47 runs

Wellingborough Town IIs 173 all out (Alex Bendon 98, Tim Coleman 30, Stephen Bellamy 3-43, Sam Freer 3-17, Karl Pollard 3-12) lost to Bowden 174-6 (Francis Finnermore 74no) by 4 wkts

Division Five

Carrib United 190-9 (Ming Hestic 63, Raja Mahmood 43, Faisal Hanif 28no) beat Cogenhoe 133 all out (Daniel McLaughlin 27, Gareth Goddard 32, Matthew Lewis 3-23, Fasial Hanif 3-18) by 57 runs

Kettering Town IIs 283 all out (Graham Smart 156, Rob Starsmore 55, Jacob Peeks 3-57, Zed Barber 4-53) lost to Northampton Saints IIIs 287-5 (Glenn Thompson 154no, Ewan Hughes-Rowlands 30, Vansh Chopra 31) by 5 wkts

Harlestone 276-7 (James Ball 50, Fahad Ahmed 61, Jack Burchnall 38, Amir Ahamed 47) beat Stony Stratford IIIs 177 all out (Andy Preston 35, Jitesh Thanawalla 3-45, Michael Allen 3-28) by 99 runs

Weekley & Warkton IIs 213 all out (Lee Fox 28, Nick Dalziel 47, Chris Stokes 61, Robert Head 34, Darren Hall 4-50) tied with Thrapston IIs 213-9 (Francon Williams 28, Mark Palmer 77, Cole Streather 3-60, Robert Head 3-35)

Yelvertoft 204 all out (Bradley Fellows 27, Andrew O’Neill 47, John Eccles 58, Callum Bentley 47, Evan Clark 3-43, Tony Thurman 3-42) lost to S & L Corby 206-6 (Sandeep Kumar 31, Tony Thurman 100no) by 4 wkts

Division Six

Spencer Bruerne 256-7 (James Crighton 82, Luke Adams 61, Sam Heath 29, Kevin Flanagan 4-62) beat Earls Barton IIs 160 all out (Chris George 51, Jason Minney 44, Paul Brown 3-44, Dave Weston 5-16) by 96 runs

Wellingborough Indians IIs 78 all out (Jayesh Desai 33, Sandeep Parmar 3-29, Aaron Langley 3-17) lost to Isham IIs 82-0 (Jim Lyon 45no, Nilesh Patel 37no) by 10 wkts

Podington IIs 127 all out (Louis Toseland 65) lost to Rothwell Town IIs 128-1 (Ryan Spreadbury 63no, Thomas Kilsby 42no) by 9 wkts

St Michael’s 74 Bugbrooke 111 all out (Bill Craddock 6-45) lost to Burton Latimer IIs 114-1 (Michael Stock 29, Sven Sartain 58no) by 9 wkts

Divison Seven

Gretton 263-7 (Andrew Ward 52, Michael Park 31, Ian Ward 68, Laim Park 45, Ruban Singh 3-27) beat Loddington & Mawsley IIs 239-8 (Stev Denton 90, George Denton 72, Harry Pavitt 3-51, Ian Ward 4-58) by 24 runs

Desborough Town IIs 219 all out (James Peel 46, Daniel Barton 30, Alan Steed 46, Ajil Unnikrishnan 5-31) lost to Overstone Park IIIs 220-4 (Jason Millard 60, Steve Arnold 30, Nathan Metcalfe 82no) by 6 wkts

S & L Corby IIs 282 all out (Robert Dunn 102, Mike McGeown 50, Ben Lawman 30, Steve Loveland 34, Billal Bashir 5-33, Jamie Cross 4-81) beat Bugbrooke 260-8 (Kenneth Dobbins 83, Billal Bashir 64, Tommy Reid 4-54) by 22 runs

Division Eight

Bowden IIs 274-6 (Robert Gomez 53, Daniel Wenlock 95, Ben Wade 48, Anup Patel 4-52) beat Old Northamptonians IVs 183 all out (Simon Caunt 29, Chirag Joshi 28, Wepener Groenewald 3-41) by 4 wkts

Horton House IIIs 187-9 (Prabodh Kakodkar Junior 50, Zahid Mirza 85, Gary Church 4-47, Mark Lewis 3-40) beat Long Buckby IIs 141 all out (Joe Oliver 46, Kevin Taylor 4-28, Finlay Moffat 3-41) by 46 runs

Mears Ashby 320-8 (Mike Thompson 61, Rudath Kapugeeklyana 58, Greg Reis 37, Tony Coles 29, Oliver Forskitt-Brown 59, Yasawal Naveed 3-71, Jack Gerry 3-98) beat Oundle Town IIIs 259-9 (Justin Jeffrey 89, Paul Campbell 92, Greg Reis 6-67) by 61 runs

Raunds Town IIs 136 all out (Ben Simpson 46, Lewis Gates 54, Richard West 4-25, Alex Piper 3-24) Sun Hardingstone 137-6 (James Hall 35, Alex Piper 31no) by 4 wkts

Wellingborough OGs IIs 234 all out (Azaan Shah 27, Jordan Gilbey 119no, Owen Lumley 4-52) lost to Barton Seagrave IIs 235-7 (Tony Clampin 41, Jake Bailey 104, Liam Bailey 33, Matthew Ward 4-52) by 3 wkts

Division Nine

Brixworth IIIs 182 all out (Rory Green 67, Oliver Timm 31, Robert Bailey 27, Rhys Hopkins 4-38) beat Heyford IIs 186-7 (Joshua Bastin 45, Rob Pardon 29no) by 3 wkts

Irchester IIs 205 all out (Alex Rogers 73, Alan Cotter 30, Ryan Groves 29, Nazir Jabarkhail 3-41, Paul Smith 3-59) lost to St Crispin’s & Ryelands IIIs 206-5 (Lawrence Knowles 51, David Hylands 47, James Julyan 40, Ashok Dave 32no, George Green 4-66) by 5 wkts

St Michael’s 169 all out (Martin Baker 54, Geoff Lambert 27no) beat Wollaston IIIs 170-6 (Nathan Dawson 62, Craig Boddington 34) by 4 wkts

Division 10

Rushden Town IIIs 267 all out (Kevin Appleton 119, Scott Russell 27, James Paull 70, Chris Mason 4-49) lost to Cogenhoe IIs 270-7 (Adam Longley 33, Jack Quennell 50, Marc Gilham 44, Jason Roberts 49, Mark Bird 27no) by 3 wkts

Brigstock IIs 179-5 (Simon Goodson 50, Henry Spencer 72no) beat Finedon Dolben IVs 108 all out (Harry Howell 3-28) by 71 runs

Geddington IIIs 256 all out (Joshua Knight 64, Joss Boyle 84, Patrick Jerram 4-64) beat Overstone Park IVs 86 all out (Dave Wood 3-14, Harry Spence 3-35) by 170 runs

Kettering Town IIIs 197 all out (Adam Spencer 34, Dale Munn 27, Kierten Kooner 51no, Stephen Turner 4-36) lost to Weekley & Warkton IIIs 200-7 (Navinder Nangla 60, Karl Peasnall 51no, Callum Marlow 3-52) by 3 wkts

Kislingbury Temperance IIs 198-6 (Stuart Gill 62, Tony Roodt 55, Gareth Deeble 38no, Stuart Griffiths 28) beat Harlestone IIs 185 all out (Ryan Toone 43, Mat Harrison 28, Dale Ansell 4-56) by 13 runs

Division 11

Bold Dragoon IIs 213 all out (Mark Holliday 30, Ahmed Shah 49no, Dylan Martin 5-25) beat Horton House IVs 155 all out (Simon Dadge 27, Guvinder Bhangal 45, Dean Collins 4-50, James Hurrell 3-24) by 58 runs

Irthlingborough Town IIIs 185-9 (Brady Stratford-Day 63, Danny Stratford 37, Steve Walker 3-36, Chris Hope 3-37) beat Thrapston IIIs 73 all out (Tilly-Anne Abbott 4-17, Charlie Thomas 3-17, Brady Stratford-Day 3-7) by 112 runs

Old Northamptonians Vs 281-5 (John Bishop 91, Jamie Dunk 75, Andrew Deeming 28, David Heathfield 35no) beat Burton Latimer IIIs 211-7 (Simon Jolley 46, Leo Sewell 50, Brendon O’Sullivan 32) by 70 runs

Sun Hardingstone 187 all out (Matthew Ward 49, Sooraj Premsagar 51, Jacob Broome 3-22, Mitchell Gough 3-37) beat St Crispin’s & Ryelands IVs 72 all out (Charlie Batchelor 5-15) by 115 runs

Division 12

St Michael’s 74 IIs 290-5 (Aaron Lyons 48, Peter Lyons 89, John Stretton 82) beat Bugbrooke IIs 182 all out (James Berrill 53, John Stretton 4-18) by 108 runs

Obelisk IIs 305-5 (Carl White 89, Steven Smith 30, Stuart Schofield 27, Charles Wright 61no, John Smorfitt 3-45) beat Brixworth IVs 40 all out (Robert Kennedy 6-19) by 265 runs

Old IIIs 293-7 (Terry Eaglen 44, Kristian Johnson 99, Nick Riseley 40, Stuart Gray 3-72) beat Mears Ashby IIs 223 all out (Stuart Gray 30, Daniel Smith 54, Jamie Chamberlain 57, James Aldis 3-69, John Chilton 3-32) by 70 runs

Barby IIIs 305-4 (John Hardbattle 28, Charlie Seager 118, Alex Watson 45, Chey Manzella 44, Aravind Ram 31no) beat Spencer Bruerne IIs 202 all out (Steve Faulkner 63, Richard Muscutt 62, Charlie Britton 3-36, Steve Webb 3-39) by 103 runs

Wellingborough OGs IIIs 143 all out (John Simpson 38, Charlie Bridgeford 31, Rob Pinnington 4-27, Anand Kumar 3-34, Justin Benedetti 3-18) lost to Grange Park 144-3 (Rob Pinnington 31, Ian Peterson 36, Mark Bury 47no) by 7 wkts

Division 13

Barton Seagrave IIIs 209-7 (Eilliott Butlin 37, Dave Webb 45, Dave Buckingham 64no, Nate Button 4-24) beat West Haddon & Guilsborough IIs 202-9 (Rory Draper 50no, Hitesh Vadher 3-35, Dave Buckingham 3-41) by 7 runs

Isham Zingari 181-8 (Lloyd Hanes 73, Ollie Rolfe 31, Kuldeep Singh 4-21) beat S & L Corby IIIs 65 all out (Aum Lakhani 3-5) by 116 runs

Saints IVs 161-6 (Robbie Austin 39, Jack Walton 34no, Conor Barton 4-37) beat Kettering TownIVs 129-9 (Ian Russell 31, Sam Kentigern-Fox 3-21) by 32 runs

Thrapston IVs 233 all out (Ryan Draper 45, Thomas Hollingsworth 85, Perry Shears 42, Alex Rowden 3-36) lost to Geddington IVs 234-1 (Paul Rowden 59no, Conor Napier 57, Matthew Johns 86no) by 9 wkts

Weldon IIIs 140 all out (Sam Wright 52) lost to Stony Stratford Vs 142-7 (Avi Patel 49, Luqman Janood 32) by 3 wkts

Hevey Building Supples NCL T20 Plate 2018- Quarter Finals

Weekley & Warkton 138 all out (Jacob Palmer 65) lost to Wellingborough OGs 139-2 (Faz Shah 33, Mauro Saracino 56no) by 8 wkts

Hevey Building Supplies NCL T20 Cup 2018- Semi Finals

Loddington & Mawsley 173-6 (Josh Plowright 46, Ben Roberts 34no) beat Kettering Town 159-5 (Theo Brooks 39no, Alex Churchill-Coleman 56, Liam Flecknor 3-19) by 14 runs

Kislingbury Temperance 202-7 (Pieter Pretorius 37, Eddie Fowler 53) beat East Haddon 137-9 (Colin Lee 30, Daniel Bendon 4-22) by 65 runs

Fixtures

Saturday, July 28

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Division 11: Burton Latimer IIIs v Hardingstone IIs, Horton House IVs v Old Northamptonians Vs, St Crispin & Ryelands IVs v Thrapston IIIs, Stony Stratford IVs v Bold Dragoon IIs.

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

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

The campaign is in celebration of National Pub Fortnight and 50,000 drinks will up for grabs nationally, that’s 568 kegs and enough to fill 355 bath tubs, on a first come, first served basis.

There are plenty of drinks included in the offer including pints of Fosters, John Smiths, Kronenbourg 1664, Strongbow, Strongbow Dark Fruit, Heineken and Amstel and bottles of Old Mout, Bulmers and Heineken 0.0.

Claim your free drink at the pubs below:

Wedgewood

King David

Melbourne Arms

Long Boat

Cardigan Arms

Bull

Royal Oak

Fivebells

The offer is available at thousands of pubs across the UK, thanks to Ei Publican Partnerships, the UK’s largest leased and tenanted pub business, and Star Pubs and Bars who are working together to grow this year’s National Pub Fortnight.

To find out what’s going on in your local visit www.nationalpubfortnight.com.

Northampton-based brewer Carlsberg UK has chosen Northamptonshire Community Foundation as its new charity partner - and together the organisations will launch Carlsberg UK Better Fund.

Managed and facilitated by Northamptonshire Community Foundation, on behalf of Carlsberg UK, the new Carlsberg UK Better Fund will offer grants between £250 and £3,000 for projects that will support voluntary and community groups in Northampton.

In December 2017, Carlsberg UK donated £10,000 to the charity’s Surviving Winter Appeal from the proceeds of their Carlsberg Christmas Brew.

Emilia Bland corporate affairs executive at Carlsberg UK said: “I’m delighted to announce the Carlsberg UK Better Fund which we have recently set up with Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

"The fund links to the company’s purpose of ‘brewing a better today and tomorrow’. Philanthropy and charitable giving has been part of the UK business for a number of years but now it is a time for us to start thinking about our role in our local society and community we’re based in.”

Victoria Miles DL CEO at Northamptonshire Community Foundation said: “Thanks to our initial partnership with Carlsberg during our Surviving Winter appeal, we are delighted to be able to continue our relationship and look forward to working with them to provide much needed support to the community groups and projects in Northampton.”

The foundation works with a range of corporate businesses, fund holders and donors to ensure projects make a sustainable impact on local needs, helping donors make the most of their charitable giving.

To find out more go to www.ncf.uk.com or email naomi@ncf.uk.com.

The huge group has pitched up on Far Cotton rec ground after arriving at around 3am this morning (July 27).

A quad bike driven by two children close to a nearby playground has been reported and three horses are also on the field, along with chained up dogs along the perimeter.

One resident wrote to the Chronicle: "Dog walkers and others using the facilities are reluctant to go near the area. They have many dogs chained up that become very vocal.

"I saw several piles of human excrement along the fences, including by the bowling ground."

This is the sixth - and is by far the largest - encampment of travellers reported by this newspaper since Friday last week (July 20).

Five bollards installed by the borough council to keep out unauthorised vehicles have also been pulled up on along the rec ground.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “The Countywide Traveller Unit (CTU) have assessed the unauthorised encampment of caravans in Far Cotton today and are working with Northamptonshire Police to move the encampment on."

Police in Kettering seized 24 pedal cycles, believed to be stolen, in a warrant executed under the Theft Act at a property in Kettering town centre yesterday (Thursday).

Officers are hoping to reunite as many people as possible with their bikes, and are asking anyone who has had a bike stolen in the past three months to contact the local neighbourhood team with the make, model and serial number of the bike, as well as a photograph if available.

Anyone who thinks one of the bikes may be theirs is asked to email the details to NeighbourhoodTeamKetteringTown@northants.pnn.police.uk.

Anyone without access to email can call 101 and quote reference number 18000352035.

The warrant was carried out as part of Operation Viper, the force’s countywide operation to tackle gangs, drugs and associated crime.

A 34-year–old man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and has been released under investigation pending further inquiries.

Dr Charles Betty, who graduated this summer, is the oldest person to ever be awarded a PhD by a UK University.

He completed his thesis at the University of Northampton through a long distance programme from his home in Spain, whilst caring for his wife who suffers from a long-term illness.

As part of his PhD, Charles researched the experiences of older ex-pats who’ve decided to move back to the UK from Spain.

Charles, born in Fleetwood in 1923, has lived in Spain for over 30 years and drew upon his own experiences as inspiration for his thesis.

During his time abroad he has worked to help integrate fellow British migrants and co-founded Age Care Association, an organisation which helps and supports the older British community on the Costa del Sol.

Charles said: “I came to live in Spain in 1985 after my wife had serious health problems and was told that her life expectancy would increase if she moved to a warmer climate.

“After we made the move, I paid a routine visit to a local health centre near to where we live in Spain, and I found out that many older British retirees were having problems communicating with the medical staff. I then set-up an interpreter service, which proved very successful.

“In 1995, I co-founded Age Care Association, which now has six meetings points for members to exchange thoughts, experiences and problems about living in Spain. It was this involvement that prompted me to consider writing a PhD – and as they say, the rest is history.”

This PhD is the latest in a long list of academic achievements for Charles, who was previously a head teacher at two UK schools in the 1960s.

With Master’s degrees from both Brighton University and Nottingham University already under his belt – Charles has not let distance deter him from achieving his ultimate academic goals.

“I have always been interested in academia. During a tourist visit to the USA I discovered that I could obtain a Doctorate in Education by long distance learning. I obtained this Doctorate in 2005, but I wanted to obtain a PhD from the UK.”

Charles, who is a grandfather of three and great grandfather of two, explains that his background was traditional working class.

“I was born into a solid working-class family, I had four brothers. My mother was a housewife and my father was a deep sea fisherman – his occupation as a trawler chief engineer meant that he was away for weeks at a time.

“No one in my family were, what you might call now, University educated, nor did I really get any support from my parents. It wasn’t that they were not interested, it was just a different world than they were used to.”

Charles left school at the age of 14 without any qualifications and joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers at the age of 18. He served five years before being wounded in France in 1944 and sent back to the UK. Two years ago, Charles was awarded the French medal Legion D’Houneur for his services in World War Two.

After the war had ended, Charles recalled that it was a simple note on a notice board that kick started his career in education and his eventual academic aspirations.

“Just before I left the army I saw an item on the Battalion notice board which said that when the war was finally over there would be a need for teachers. I decided to apply for a fortnight’s teaching course

“I was accepted and trained at the Kirkby College of Education in Liverpool. I have often thought about why I was accepted especially as I didn’t have the necessary qualifications. Although later, when undertaking a search of my family history I discovered that some of my ancestors had been teachers, so education was clearly in my genes.”

Dr Charles Betty, who graduated this summer, is the oldest person to ever be awarded a PhD by a UK University.

He completed his thesis at the University of Northampton through a long distance programme from his home in Spain, whilst caring for his wife who suffers from a long-term illness.

As part of his PhD, Charles researched the experiences of older ex-pats who’ve decided to move back to the UK from Spain.

Charles, born in Fleetwood in 1923, has lived in Spain for over 30 years and drew upon his own experiences as inspiration for his thesis.

During his time abroad he has worked to help integrate fellow British migrants and co-founded Age Care Association, an organisation which helps and supports the older British community on the Costa del Sol.

Charles said: “I came to live in Spain in 1985 after my wife had serious health problems and was told that her life expectancy would increase if she moved to a warmer climate.

“After we made the move, I paid a routine visit to a local health centre near to where we live in Spain, and I found out that many older British retirees were having problems communicating with the medical staff. I then set-up an interpreter service, which proved very successful.

“In 1995, I co-founded Age Care Association, which now has six meetings points for members to exchange thoughts, experiences and problems about living in Spain. It was this involvement that prompted me to consider writing a PhD – and as they say, the rest is history.”

This PhD is the latest in a long list of academic achievements for Charles, who was previously a head teacher at two UK schools in the 1960s.

With Master’s degrees from both Brighton University and Nottingham University already under his belt – Charles has not let distance deter him from achieving his ultimate academic goals.

“I have always been interested in academia. During a tourist visit to the USA I discovered that I could obtain a Doctorate in Education by long distance learning. I obtained this Doctorate in 2005, but I wanted to obtain a PhD from the UK.”

Charles, who is a grandfather of three and great grandfather of two, explains that his background was traditional working class.

“I was born into a solid working-class family, I had four brothers. My mother was a housewife and my father was a deep sea fisherman – his occupation as a trawler chief engineer meant that he was away for weeks at a time.

“No one in my family were, what you might call now, University educated, nor did I really get any support from my parents. It wasn’t that they were not interested, it was just a different world than they were used to.”

Charles left school at the age of 14 without any qualifications and joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers at the age of 18. He served five years before being wounded in France in 1944 and sent back to the UK. Two years ago, Charles was awarded the French medal Legion D’Houneur for his services in World War Two.

After the war had ended, Charles recalled that it was a simple note on a notice board that kick started his career in education and his eventual academic aspirations.

“Just before I left the army I saw an item on the Battalion notice board which said that when the war was finally over there would be a need for teachers. I decided to apply for a fortnight’s teaching course

“I was accepted and trained at the Kirkby College of Education in Liverpool. I have often thought about why I was accepted especially as I didn’t have the necessary qualifications. Although later, when undertaking a search of my family history I discovered that some of my ancestors had been teachers, so education was clearly in my genes.”

Staff at Center Parcs Woburn Forest have discovered one of the resort’s lodges has been keeping a secret… and a very cute one at that.

Just outside one of the lodges at Woburn Forest, tucked behind the cycle rack, a family of six hedgehogs, with mum and her five babies were all snuggled up together.

It is where the mummy hedgehog must have had her nest and raised her little ones there ever since.

The hoglets (baby hedgehogs) and their mum were discovered by Center Parcs Woburn Forest’s Technical Services team who heard them scratching and snuffling around.

Woburn Forest conservation ranger Lucie went to check they were okay and estimated they are around eight weeks old. With the dry, hot weather, Lucie made sure she left the hedgehog family some water and let the guests know why there was a bowl of water outside their lodge.

The family staying in the lodge became quite attached to the hedgehog family, and with Lucie put out a pouch of cat food so that the hedgehogs were well fed, and the family could have an evening encounter with the hedgehog family. The bowl of water was then filled each day, and the family began to look after the hedgehogs like an extension of their own family, making sure the hedgehogs were all there when the family returned from their day of adventures.

If you have a little family of hedgehogs near you – either at Center Parcs or at home – in this hot, dry weather please place a bowl of water out for them if they are regular visitors just to help them during the summer.

Late goals from Billy Waters and Kevin van Veen secured a 2-0 win for the Cobblers over a young and inexperienced Manchester United XI at the PTS Academy Stadium on Friday night.

A pretty uninspiring game looked to be heading for a goalless draw, but Waters was teed up by van Veen to open the scoring on 73 minutes, and then with six minutes remaining van Veen headed home a Daniel Powell cross to seal it.

The win means the Cobblers have completed an unbeaten pre-season ahead of the Sky Bet League Two opener against Lincoln City next Saturday.

Cobblers boss Dean Austin rang the changes from Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over Barnet, with a whole new team taking to the pitch, although there was still no sign of new signing Junior Morias, who is not yet match fit following his move from Petereborough United.

John-Joe O’Toole captained the team on his return to duty after compassionate leave, while van Veen led the front line alongside Waters in a 4-4-2 formation, and there was a first home runout since last November for Dean Bowditch.

A string of players who were involved in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Barnet were given the night off, including Ash Taylor, David Buchanan, Aaron Pierre, Matt Crooks, Shaun McWilliams and Andy Williams.

The game started with both teams happy to keep possession, and chances were at a premium in the opening quarter as the teams cancelled each other out.

It was the 19th minute before a clear chance came about, and that was down to a United error as a short back-pass saw Daniel Powell in on goal.

The winger did the right thing as he tried to go round goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara, but the United shot-stopper did brilliantly to stick out his left arm and grab the ball cleanly.

The Cobblers were looking the more likely to score, and a flurry of blocked and deflected shots led to five corners being won in very quick succession, but O’Hara wasn’t forced into a save and it stayed 0-0.

United had been non-existent as an attacking force, but Zachary Dearney sent a low shot fizzing wide, before then fluffing a great chance.

Regan Poole nodded a deep cross back to him after well-worked short corner, but the United no.7, with the goal gaping, scuffed his shot and the ball was cleared.

The Cobblers were pressing for an opening, and they created a rare one just before the break, but Waters’ low goalbound shot was blocked by his old team-mate Poole.

The opening exchanges of the second half were pretty uninspiring, with both sides coughing up possession whenever they got near the final third.

The Cobblers had enjoyed more possession, but it was United who almost took an unexpected lead with 20 minutes remaining.

A harmless looking ball over the top caught out the Town defence, and with James Goff caught in no man’s land, United striker James Wilson got to the ball first and headed it over the Town goalkeeper.

The ball was going in, but Jay Williams got back superbly to clear the ball before it crossed the line.

A few minutes later, and it was the Cobblers who led.

United looked to have cleared the danger from a corner, but Jordan Turnbull did well to keep the ball live and in the danger area.

He sent it into van Veen on the six yard box, and he laid it back to Waters who rifled home a crisp low drive from just inside the box to make it 1-0.

Waters then had a big hand in the creation of the second as he made a lung-busting break from inside his own half, and although his interplay with van Veen and Morgan Roberts broke down, possession was kept.

The ball was fed out to Powell on the right wing, and his wicked outswinging cross was met six yards out by van Veen, who headed the ball into the net.

The goal was the Dutchman’s first in a Cobblers shirt since he signed from Scunthorp in January, and put the gloss on what turned out to be another satisfying evening for Town boss Austin.

Match facts

Cobblers: Goff, C McWilliams, Barnett, J Williams, Turnbull, Powell, O’Toole, Foley, Waters, Bowditch (46m, Roberts), van Veen. Subs not used: Cornell, Odoffin, Bridge, Whaler, Harding.

Manchester United XI: O’Hara (75m, Kovar), Warren, O’Connor (69m, Tanner), Poole, Ercolani (75m, Dunne), Traore (69m Whelan), Dearney, Buffonge (69m, Sang), Wilson, Barlow, Burkart (75m, Baars)

Referee: Will Finnie

Goal: 73 mins: Waters 1-0; 84 mins: van Veen 2-0

Dean Austin says Junior Morias is training hard and ‘chomping at the bit’ to get out and play for the Cobblers – but has admitted the striker is likely to miss next Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two season opener against Lincoln City.

Signed for an undisclosed fee from Peterborough United two weeks ago, Morias has yet to feature for his new club, sitting out both Tuesday’s 3-0 pre-season friendly win over Barnet and Friday night’s 2-0 victory over a Manchester United XI.

Austin insists there is nothing to worry about with regards to Morias’s fitness, but he says there is no point in throwing him into action until he is 100 per cent ready, and the player is not quite there yet.

Morias suffered a ‘complicated injury’ at the back end of last season, and although he is in good shape and has been training fully with the Town first team, Austin and the club’s medical department have decided it is best to hold him back for just a little bit longer.

So the 23-year-old is set to miss the clash with Red Imps at the PTS Academy Stadium on August 4, but should be ready to feature in the trip to Carlisle United the following week.

Asked if Morias could be involved against Lincoln, Austin said: “I don’t think so. I think it is going to be really, really tight for him, just because of the stage he is at.

“On top of that, I have 19 or 20 outfield players at the minute, and I could pick them all, so I don’t need to rush Junior back.

“After next Saturday, we are going to be playing a squad game on the Tuesday and he will feature in that.”

Austin is certainly not shy of attacking options, with the likes of Andy Williams, Sam Hoskins, Billy Waters and Kevin van Veen all fit and available, and all boosted by getting off the scoring mark in pre-season.

But the Town boss is genuinely excited at the prospect of Morias doing his thing in a Cobblers shirt, and says he can’t wait to ‘let the lion out of the cage’.

“Junior is working his way to full fitness and is training,” said Austin. “He is looking good, but he had a complicated injury at the end of last season.

“He is there though, and he is chomping at the bit, and when I let the lion out of the cage I think everybody will know about it!

“Junior is desperate to play, and he is on my case every single minute of every day.

“He is the most infectious character you will ever meet, and the fans here will love him.”

Aside from Morias, the only other injury concern for Austin is Shay Facey, with the right-back struggling to shake of an ankle sprain he picked up in the pre-season win at Brackley Town on July 10.

Aside from Morias, midfielder Yaser Kasim is the only Town squad player not to have been involved in any of the pre-season games, and he won’t be featuring any time soon either.

The former Swindon Town man is contracted to the Cobblers until next summer, but Austin has confirmed the player is simply not in his first team plans.

Kasim hasn’t played for the club since the 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Scunthorpe United on November 14 last year.

Northamptonshire Police have released an e-fit of a man they believe may have information about an assault in the Park Walk area of Northampton last month.

The assault took place on Saturday, June 16, between 3am and 6am.

The man is described as being of mixed race, tall with a stocky, muscular build and in his late 20s to early 30s. He had short hair and a lip piercing.

Anyone who thinks they recognise the man in the e-fit is asked to contact police on 101 as soon as possible. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Children’s services are likely to be one of the hardest hit areas when Northamptonshire County Council makes cuts in order to balance its finances.

The county council issued a further section 114 notice this week banning any new expenditure. Chief finance officer Mark McLaughlin had issued a first notice in February for the previous financial year.

But at an audit meeting yesterday, Mr McLaughlin admitted that the budget for last year ‘won’t balance’. The latest section 114 notice comes as a result, with £60m to 70m of savings needed to be found.

And Mr McLaughlin revealed that the day-to-day realities of such cuts will make for grim reading for residents, with children’s services likely to be one of the biggest losers.

He said: “It leaves the council in a very difficult position. We will have to do everything we can to try to reduce expenditure. There won’t be decisions, they will be things that have to happen. Ducking and diving is not appropriate for an authority such as this. It makes for fairly grim prospects.

“The council is actually a low spender on a lot of things. But a lot of attention will go on children’s services where it’s a big spender.”

Going into more detail about why the council was in such a stark financial predicament, he said: “Fundamentally, the council borrowed money from the future to spend for the past and present, which was the wrong thing to do. That money belongs to the people of Northamptonshire.

“The big problem here is that people have been given the wrong advice. The council was spending more money than it had available. You have to live within your means and the council didn’t do that.”

Repair work to a Northampton bridge will force a total road closure this weekend.

The A508 south bridge on Cotton End was damaged by a vehicle last year, which meant a concrete safety barrier needed to be installed.

Works to repair the bridge are programmed to start on Monday, July 30 and are expected to last until Sunday, August 19.

Due to the scaffolding required for the scheme and for the safety of both the workforce and the public, the works are being carried out under a southbound road closure, with a diversion route which will be in place round-the-clock for the duration of the works.

In order to start works immediately, there will be a total road closure in place from 11:59pm on Sunday, July 29 to 11.59pm on Monday, July 30 on both inbound and outbound routes.

The project will see the rebuilding of a 10-metre section of the parapet wall following a road traffic accident last year.

While the A508 south bridge in Cotton End will be closed southbound, a signed diversion route will also be in place, which can be viewed at www.roadworks.org.

Once the work has been completed it will enable the road to be fully opened again.

The extreme weather conditions experienced across the country should focus farmers minds on safety and continuity, a Northamptonshire-based agricultural insurance broker has said.

In a 28-day period between June and July this year, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) recorded 306 fire incidents, up from 215 for the same period in 2017, and has now dealt with more than 100 grassland, woodland and crop fires since the start of April.

These include a large heathland fire which broke out in Harlestone Firs, Northampton, which required six NFRS pumps, a water bowser and assistance from a farmer to put out.

Grassland, pasture or grazing land was involved in 18 incidents, stacked or baled crops totalled four, and straw or stubble burning saw three incidents, highlighting the inherent dangers to farmland and farm property.

Richard Beechener, on-farm adviser at Sywell-based Farmers & Mercantile, has given his advice to help farmers through the long, dry summer.

"Sadly, there have been distressing circumstances of deliberate arson attacks, but straw bales can also become a major fire hazard due to accidental human intervention, such as carelessly discarded bottles or cigarettes," said Mr Beechener.

"The best advice is to not put all straw in one big heap, but separate into smaller, well-spaced heaps.

"Also avoid parking machinery next to straw stacks as they too will be destroyed if the straw is fired.

"Consider carefully where bales are placed. Try and store in more remote areas away from housing, other combustible items, pathways and roads.

"Due to the shortage of straw, and indeed hay, in the drought conditions, values are at a premium, and farmers should also ensure they have suitable cover in case of fire damage or loss.

"Standard stack limits are set at £30,000, but during times of short supply, values will inevitably increase,” added Mr Beechener.

"Farmers should consult with their adviser to ensure sums insured cover the value at risk.”

Farmers are also supplying or sourcing straw from further afield, and transport insurance should be factored in.

“Check your policy is adequate for longer distances and larger values,” said Mr Beechener.

"This is by no means an exhaustive list, and one should always ensure business interruption covers the hire of replacement machinery in the event of any of the above occurrences."

Matt Adcock reviews Mission Impossible: Fallout (12A)

Here we go then for the sixth instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise which has banked almost $3 billion so far. And the good news is that director Christopher McQuarrie delivers possibly the strongest Mission yet.

Following on from the events of Rogue Nation, we find Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team up to their necks in strife. It seems that a botched mission leaves nuclear materials about to fall into the hands of an evil genius looking to bring suffering to the world. So the fearless IMF agents who include Simon Pegg’s comedy sidekick Benji and Ving Rhames’ Luther must face try to track down and acquire the warhead before millions die.

Along on the mission, at the insistence of the CIA, is agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) – a one-man wrecking machine who oozes threat. Then there is also disavowed MI6 operative Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who returns with a personal objective that could put her in conflict with Hunt.

From the second the pre-credits action starts this movie grips and thrills in equal measure – the stunts and set pieces are jaw-dropping and the adrenalin rush that it takes you on is liable to leave you exhausted after this 147-minute ride.

Boasting possibly not only one of the best car chases ever but also the best helicopter action sequence and a crunching fight in a men’s bathroom that must push the 12A rating, it’s high praise that the director manages to deliver such high octane and ‘just brutal enough’ thrills without having to resort to graphic violence.

Everything is machine-tooled and slick and refreshingly free of shoddy CGI. The chemistry is enhanced with a richness and intensity that comes from the characterisations. If you’ve been following the film series you’ll already be invested in many of these folks so the jeopardy feels real.

Fallout is the film of the franchise that stands as an almost perfect state-of-the-art espionage masterpiece – out ‘Bond-ing’ James Bond and kicking Bourne into touch.

Action blockbusters really don’t come much better than this.

A series of potential improvement works to the A43 have been endorsed by South Northampton shire Council in a bid to help unlock the area’s growth potential and improve its safety.

The council has commissioned WSP to undertake a growth study of the A43 corridor between junction 10 of the M40 and junction 15A of the M1.

Recommendations among a 58-point action plan include closing eight gaps in the central reservation where right turning traffic can cross the road.

The report states: “The route has a relatively high frequency of junctions of variable standards, including eight locations where right-turning vehicles can cross the central reservation, resulting in a high number of potential accident locations.”

Other potential schemes in the approved action plan include carriageway widening, a new express A43 corridor bus service between Northampton and Oxford, variable speed limits and a public transport interchange and ‘Pod Parking’ at Silverstone Park.

Andrew Bowe, the council’s lead officer for strategic transport, said: “This is the culmination of some big work.

“The key issues that came out were the level of congestion along certain sections of the A43. There is some quite significant congestion at peak times, particularly around the Towcester area.

“And the standard of some of the junctions has also been raised. There are concerns of safety, and that there may be a series of collisions if the situation remains as it is.

“There’s a strong case for investment in improvements.”

Councillor Ann Addison added: “The A43 is something this council has looked at for many years, and we feel very passionately about it.

“We have a colleague’s mother who has been killed, and we don’t want anything like this to happen again. And we’re not going to let it go until we see a response.”

As well as safety improvements, the Growth Strategy emphasises the important role that the market towns and rural areas in the study area will play in delivering growth.

The report says: “Improved connectivity and accessibility along the corridor will be vital to supporting and unlocking wider growth in the region.

“Therefore there is a strong case for investment in short, medium and long term transport improvements that improve the A43 route capacity, reliability, resilience, journey times and travel choices.”

The Steelbacks were eviscerated by Worcestershire Rapids at the County Ground on Friday night as the home side's T20 slump continued in excruciating fashion.

The Rapids raced to their victory target of 188 with 41 balls to spare, winning by nine wickets after opener Martin Guptill earned a standing ovation from some Steelbacks supporters by hitting 102 from just 38 balls.

Guptill's hundred, which came from 36 deliveries, was the fastest of the season in the Vitality Blast, surpassing Dan Christian's effort against Northants at the County Ground earlier this month.

Ian Bell and Calum MacLeod have also hit hundreds against the County in this competition.

Joe Clarke, like Guptill, enjoyed his evening in Northampton, ending unbeaten on 61 from 33 balls.

It was the worst display of the lot for the Steelbacks, who have now failed to win any of their seven matches in this season's Vitality Blast, losing six of them.

They have shipped a gargantuan amount of runs in almost every match, with their bowling attack enduring misery upon misery.

And the 2013 and 2016 champions are now all but out of the Blast with half of the competition still to play.

Worcestershire had won the toss after a slight rain delay and they opted to bowl first, keeping things extremely tight in the opening over.

But it didn't take too long for Steelbacks opener Richard Levi to get in the groove.

The South African took a liking to Luke Wood, hitting two fours and two sixes from the third over.

Ben Duckett also looked in good touch as he made his way to 25, but he was to depart from the final ball of the powerplay as he lofted one up off the bowling of Patrick Brown.

The Steelbacks finished the first six overs on 54 for one and they were to lose Levi 14 balls later as England star Moeen Ali was introduced into the attack and had him caught at backward point for 39.

The innings was now starting to stutter for the Steelbacks and when Josh Cobb tried to kick-start the home charge, he was caught on the boundary by Ed Barnard off Brett D'Oliveira for seven.

The spinners were having a big say for the Rapids and Kyle Coetzer could only make six before being dismissed by Ali.

But Alex Wakely tried to fight back, helping the Steelbacks to take 15 runs from the same over in which Coetzer returned to the sidelines.

However, Wakely's innings wasn't long enough for the home side's liking as he was caught and bowled by Barnard for 28.

That left the Steelbacks struggling on 118 for five before Steven Crook and Seekkuge Prasanna started to step on the accelerator.

Brown put the brakes on by having Prasanna caught on the boundary for 12 and Barnard had Crook caught behind for a quickfire 33.

Rory Kleinveldt introduced himself in typically powerful fashion, but his colourful cameo came to an end when he was bowled by Wood for 15 from five balls.

Nathan Buck hit a four before being done by a short ball from Brown in the final over and the innings concluded with two runs from Richard Gleeson.

The Rapids reply started with 13 from the first over, bowled by Kleinveldt, and Gleeson, playing his first white-ball game of the season, then made his bowling return.

His pace troubled the visiting batsmen and after conceding just a wide, he saw the final ball of the over go for four after it flew between Levi and wicketkeeper Duckett.

But Worcestershire then found their feet, flashing the blade relentlessly as the Steelbacks started to suffer some real damage.

Gleeson's second over went for 22 and the savaging of the Steelbacks continued to the end of the powerplay as Rapids finished the first six overs on mountainous 97 without loss.

The punishment continued and the abject fielding display was summed up when Prasanna took a catch but carried the ball over the boundary without knowing where the rope was.

Guptill eventually made his way to a ton from just 36 balls, earning a standing ovation.

And most members of the crowd were on their feet again when he departed, caught by Cobb off Gleeson to a backdrop of ironic cheers from the Steelbacks faithful.

Clarke kept going though, reaching his half-century in 23 deliveries, and Travis Head finished the job, smashing a six to seal a huge win for the away side.

Steelbacks: Levi, Duckett (wk), Cobb, Wakely (c), Coetzer, Crook, Prasanna, Kleinveldt, White, Buck, Gleeson.

Worcestershire Rapids: Guptill, Head, Clarke, Ali (c), D'Oliveira, Cox, Whiteley, Barnard, Wood, Brown, Carter.