Tui Uru will make his first start in Northampton colours after being named in the Wanderers team to take on Wasps at Franklin's Gardens tonight (kick-off 7pm).

The 21-year-old Fiji-born back rower will join the Saints Academy from National 2 South side Bury St Edmunds this summer.

And Uru gets the nod at No.8 for the Wanderers in this evening's rearranged Premiership Rugby Shield match.

There will be plenty of experience in the squad, with the likes of Jamal Ford-Robinson, Mitch Eadie, Ken Pisi, Andrew Kellaway and Nafi Tuitavake all starting.

Wing Ollie Sleightholme is back in club colours after representing England Under-20s at the Six Nations.

Former Gloucester hooker Darren Dawidiuk could make his first appearance in the black, green and gold after being named on the bench.

Prop Karl Garside is involved, having already featured for the Saints first team this season, while lock Lewis Bean, who plays for Moseley as well as serving in the Army, also starts.

The Wanderers include several guest players, all of whom are currently with Championship club Coventry.

Dan Lewis will start at fly-half with Canadian No.10 Robbie Povey among the replacements.

Jack Preece is another Coventry player who has been handed a place on the bench.

Academy head coach Mark Hopley and academy manager Simon Sinclair will be at the helm for the Wanderers' eighth game of the season in the Northern Conference.

“We’re really excited to get back into action with the Wanderers; a lot of the guys are looking to put their hands up for game-time in the first team,” said Sinclair.

“We’ve already seen this season that if you perform well in these matches you can progress into the Premiership and European competitions, so everyone involved knows what’s at stake and is relishing the challenge.

“We had a really tight game against Wasps back in December and this should be another good test.

"We’re desperate to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Shield to try and defend our title once again.

“I wanted to thank Bury St Edmunds for releasing Tui Uru to pull on a Northampton shirt for the first time – he’s joining the club full-time next year and we have really high hopes for him,

"I’m sure he’ll be keen to show the Franklin’s Gardens crowd what he’s all about.”

Due to an event taking place in the Rodber Bar, all supporters coming to this game must park in car park D.

Seating will be in the Church’s Stand with bar facilities only available in the Marquee bar – disabled seating will be available in the Church’s Stand also.

Home Wanderers matches remain free to attend for season ticket holders; with tickets costing £5 for adults and £2 for under-16s for those without a season ticket.

Wanderers: Emery; Sleightholme, Tuitavake, Kellaway, Pisi; Lewis, Tupai; Davis, Ma'asi, Ford-Robinson; Bean, Coles; Onojaife, Eadie, Uru.

Replacements: Dawidiuk, Trinder, Garside, Preece, Iyogun, Povey, Worley, Dayes.

James Arthur, who has had two UK number one hits, will line up alongside the likes of Danny Dyer, Jake Wood, Calum Best and many more to raise money for Archie's Fund and the club's own Community Trust.

Cobblers fan Archie, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II, has lost strength in his muscles since birth and as a result requires the use of an electric wheelchair.

He is a very inspirational little boy, he never complains, and despite the huge battles he faces he is always fighting with a smile on his face.

SMA is a life-shortening condition where the motor nerve cells in the spinal chord become diseased, which causes a decline in physical strength. As a result, walking and eating become difficult and a simple chest infection could be fatal.

Although there is medication abroad available to treat Archie’s disease, overseas one injection of the drug Spinraza would cost his family about £75,000 every four months for the rest of his life.

Archie’s friends and family are campaigning for this drug to be made available on the NHS.

Tickets for the game are now on sale and are priced at adults £10 and under 16s £5.

There are special 'around the dug out' seats also available at £20 adults, £10 under 16s and these can only be purchased at the club’s ticket office. These numbers are limited.

Hospitality tickets are also available at £40 per person - for more details please email julia.perry@ntfc.co.uk.

Mascot and other pitch side packages are on sale, please email christine.clark@ntfc.co.uk.

To buy general match tickets please visit the shop at the PTS Academy Stadium or book via ntfcdirect.co.uk

The game will take place on Sunday April 28th 2019.

Cobblers loanee Joe Bunney was bailed out by his team-mates at the weekend when relegation-threatened Rochdale recorded a crucial 3-1 home victory over Scunthorpe United.

Dale led through veteran striker Aaron Wilbraham early on but just two minutes later Bunney’s misdirected pass across his own penalty box gave Jordan Hallam a simple finish to equalise.

The Town defender’s blushes were spared in the second-half, however, as Kgosi Ntlhe restored the home team’s lead before Wilbraham scored his second to secure three points, lifting Dale to within a point of safety in League One.

Elsewhere, Town forward Billy Waters, on loan at Cheltenham, was ineligible to face his parent club and therefore remained on the sidelines for Saturday’s 3-1 defeat of the Cobblers at Whaddon Road.

As for the club’s youngsters, Bradley Lashley and Jack Daldby both played for Wellingborough Town who went down 2-0 to Newport Pagnell Town, while Camron McWilliams was in action for Corby Town in their 2-1 loss to Bromsgrove Sporting.

Matthew Slinn scored Cogenhoe United’s as they lost 2-1 against Deeping Rangers and Joe Iaciofano was a substitute for Banbury United during their 2-1 defeat to Biggleswade Town.

The 26 winners of the Northamptonshire Trust and NHS Partners Apprenticeship Awards 2019 were announced at an awards ceremony on March 1.

Megan O’Connell, an estates administrator from St Andrew’s Healthcare in Northampton won the overall ‘Apprentice of the Year’ award, as well as the 'Value Award' for St Andrew’s Healthcare.

Megan started her Business Administration apprenticeship at St Andrew’s Healthcare, following an early career in beauty therapy straight from school.

She said: "I feel very privileged to accept this award for myself and for the charity.

"I want to be the best I can be and share that with our patients and anyone I come into contact with.

"To me, the word apprentice means learning a new skill and opening my mind... I am so thankful and glad I took the opportunity and pushed myself to the best of my ability.”

The awards were available to apprentices working in healthcare in Northamptonshire, including Northampton General Hospital and St Andrew's Healthcare.

Jo Stewart, apprentice project manager at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “The healthcare organisations involved with the awards are committed to offering apprenticeship opportunities at all levels, as they believe apprenticeships are an excellent route into healthcare careers.

“We are offering apprenticeships for new recruits starting their careers, as well as for existing staff looking to develop and progress their careers. Our awards provide a fantastic opportunity to showcase how valuable apprenticeships are for individuals and the NHS and social care employers.”

Northamptonshire's NHS foundations say they currently have apprenticeship vacancies in IT, administration, finance, HR, directorate management, medical receptionist and business admin.

More than 200,000 people have seen the Facebook video posted by Northampton band the Drunken Mandem.

It appeared to show an officer using pepper spray on a topless man in the Longboat pub in Duston on Friday, March 15.

In the video, officers then spend several minutes trying to restrain the man until backup arrives.

At one point the male is dragged back by his trousers as he tries to get away - and at another point he appears to headbutt the balls on a pool table.

Many of the comments left on Facebook criticised the actions of the police and suggested excessive force might have been used.

But, having reviewed the footage, a spokeswoman for the force said its Proffesional Standards Department found no concerns

The spokeswoman said: “Northamptonshire Police is aware of a video circulating on social media where officers were carrying out the arrest of a man in a Northampton pub.

“Officers attended The Longboat pub in Duston at about 7.30pm on Friday, March 15, following reports of a man allegedly barred from the pub who was refusing to leave and was behaving aggressively and causing damage.

“The man was arrested after refusing to leave the pub and co-operate with officers.

“The force’s Professional Standards Department has reviewed the video, together with footage from officers’ body worn cameras and reports relating to the incident, and has found no concerns in relation to the actions of the officers involved.

“The man arrested was taken into custody following the incident and has since been charged with resisting arrest and being drunk and disorderly.”

An appeal has been launched to find two men who may be able to help with an investigation into a rape in Northampton on the night between August 27 and 28, 2018.

Police have now released CCTV images taken in Sol Central to try and identify the two men.

The men pictured, or anyone with information about their identities or whereabouts, are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The two birds, an Indian peafowl called Ghandi and a second, white peacock, are the latest in a long line of peacocks at the park stretching back on and off about 100 years.

But regular park visitor Charlotte Holmes has been moved to start a petition aimed at Northampton Borough Council to have the peacocks removed for the sake of their health.

The birds' cages have paving slab-style floors with no grass to graze on and little direct sunlight for most of the day. Peacocks living in the wild like to roost in trees but the park pair are unable to do so.

Charlotte , who labelled the birds' confinement "an embarrassment to our town" said: "To me the whole point of a peacock is strutting around with a big tail, looking magnificent.

"One of them is so stressed or whatever that they're missing a lot of their tail feathers. What's the point of keeping them like that?

"People will say birds in cages are supposed to teach kids about nature, but all this is teaching them is cruelty."

Ghandi was donated in 2010 by current mayor of Northampton Tony Ansell - who owns the lease on Abington Park Cafe - along with two other birds who have since died.

He then donated a fourth bird, which is still alive.

Councillor Ansell rejected the cruelty allegation.

He said: "They have everything at their beck and call, they get cleaned out and fed, they don't have to look out for predators.

"It's like a five-star hotel, in reality.

"They live 25 years in the wild but about 30 years in a cage."

The petition on change.org has so far attracted more than 420 signatures, against a target of 500.

Councillor Mike Hallam, cabinet member for environment, said there was no question of the birds being released as they would not be able to cope.

He said: “The aviary is a unique and much-loved feature of Abington Park and we receive a lot of positive feedback about it.

“All the birds have been donated to the borough council, and the peacocks were bred in captivity, so they would not survive in the wild.”

Councillor Hallam confirmed that the cages met all the relevant standards.

He said: “The welfare of all the birds is very important to us. The cages are of adequate size and meet the national animal welfare standards for aviaries. They were refurbished in 2017, including new flooring, water supplies and drainage, making each cage easier to wash down.

“The birds are regularly checked by an avian vet and a dedicated employee cleans and inspects the cages on a daily basis, providing fresh food and water."

Burglars took two televisions among a haul of electronics and a punchbag from a Northamptonshire village home.

Officers investigating a break-in in Cogenhoe at the weekend are appealing for witnesses to get in touch.

Between 12.30am and 7.30am on Sunday, March 24, a property in Glebe Way, Cogenhoe, was burgled.

Raiders searched the home and stole items including Bose speakers, a Nintendo Switch games console, two televisions, a wallet containing cash and cards, a punch bag, tool box and tools and a pressure washer.

Keys to five vehicles were also stolen, but no vehicles were taken.

Anyone who saw anything in the area around the time of the offence is being asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Information can also be shared anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A Northampton man has been charged with carrying a knife after he was stopped by police in a Northampton neighbourhood.

Corey Stafford, 25, of no fixed address, was arrested yesterday, March 24, in Dore Close, Blackthorn, after being detained and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act by officers from the Northampton proactive team.

He was subsequently charged with possession of a bladed article and is due to appear before Northampton Magistrates’ Court today (March 25).

Stafford was also wanted on a warrant for failing to appear at court earlier this year.

Cobblers’ defeat to Cheltenham Town on Saturday might have signalled the end of their play-off challenge for many, but manager Keith Curle is still holding out hope that his side can make a late dash for the top seven finish this season.

Beaten for the first time since their 4-0 loss to Colchester United on February 2, Town have seven fixtures, including two of the current top four, to make up nine points on Exeter City who, with a game in hand, occupy the final play-off spot.

An improbable six wins from those seven games might well be enough for the Cobblers to sneak into seventh place but, even then, they would be reliant on other results going their way.

However, whilst most supporters have given up hope of their side bouncing back to League One at the first time of asking, Curle will not do likewise until it is mathematically impossible.

“It was a game that we lost within the run-in that we have,” he said after the defeat to Cheltenham. “In my mind, I felt we could afford to lose one and draw one and win the other six so that’s the defeat out of the way - now we need to pick up six wins.

“If you get six wins, you take your chance. But we just have to focus on winning our games and every single one of them is winnable.

“Saturday’s game was winnable if we did the right things when they needed to be done. It’s no good giving a team a 2-0 head start and then realise that you need to put the ball into good areas and get after it.”

Northampton embarked on an eight-game unbeaten run the last time they were beaten and Curle will be expecting a similar reaction following Saturday’s defeat at Whaddon Road - as long as they rediscover their ‘winning mentality’.

“Having a winning mentality doesn’t mean that you enjoy it when you win and you don’t have the same elation when you get beat,” he explained.

“That doesn’t make you a winner. Being a winner is somebody that can put demands on others and do the right things day in, day out, week in, week out.

“They then demands on other people to make sure they’re doing the right things at the right times.

“At the minute, we need to get back to that winning mentality because we’ve had that in the last four or five weeks - we’ve got on the front foot and we’ve had demands among ourselves to do the right things.

“That’s not something we did on Saturday and that’s what we need to put right.”

Resilient 68-year-old Trevor is well into his training routine for his second London marathon but this year he is running with a partner by his side - his late wife's cancer nurse, Lisa.

Trevor Hardwell of West Hunsbury lost his wife, Ros, to breast cancer in January 2017 and signed up to race his first 26-miles last year to help give back to the charity who supported the duo.

This year, the 68-year-old is not racing alone, instead he has teamed up with Lisa Whelan, Ros's former Cynthia Spencer Hospice nurse, who cared for Ros in her final moments before she died.

Lisa Whelan, 47 of Hardingstone, has worked for Cynthia Spencer Hospice where she has been part of the community palliative care team for four years as a community specialist palliative care nurse. Prior to that she worked for over 25 years on oncology and palliative care at Northampton General Hospital.

She said: "To fundraise for this fabulous charity is an honour and I thank them for placing their trust in me to complete the marathon.

"It will be amazing to run for them.

"You see so much courage every day, really it's inspiring."

But not only did Lisa provide help to Ros, she was there to support Trevor after his wife passed away too, and even assisted Trevor following Ros's death at her inquest.

Trevor said: "Lisa came out to see Ros on a regular basis. People like Lisa - I don't know if they know the affect they have on their patients.

"I saw the affects when Lisa had gone.

"Ros always said 'when is Lisa coming back again?', she loved to talk to her and felt at ease with Lisa."

Trevor, a former housing officer from Bristol, had never ran the marathon before he turned 67 and is now running his second marathon in two years.

"She encouraged me to do the marathon," Trevor said of Lisa.

"I did it last year and when I saw her the week after she said I have always wanted to do it.

"I kept saying why don't you run it with me? The first run we did together was nine miles, she is so gritty and determined."

The pair train together once a week and on their own respectively.

"It was the most wonderful experience," Trevor said of the marathon. "I was proud to receive my medal at the end of a hot day."

"However the crowds lining the streets and the thought of everyone who sponsored me gave me the strength and endurance to see it through.

"I have continued to run since then and I am running for Macmillan Cancer Support again. The support given to Ros in her final year was something to behold. This support and care is continuing for me as I struggle to live life without my caring and brave wife."

To donate to Trevor click here and to donate to Lisa click here.

'Lagging progress' and a lack of 'quality' teaching has led inspectors to score Thomas Becket Catholic School a 'Requires Improvement' score in every area.

It is the first rating for the school off Kettering Road North since it converted to an academy under XX in March 2016.

Although some improvement was noted across the past two years, the school has failed to score any higher than in its last inspection in 2015, when it left behind its 'special measures' status and shook off its 'inadequate' rating.

The watchdog's report following the inspection in February reads: "The quality of the teaching is not good enough.

"Pupils do not make consistently strong progress... The attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils lag behind that of other pupils.

"Too many students are persistently absent... Some pupils are uncooperative and disrupt learning."

Although the school's grade with Ofsted did not improve, the report complemented newly-appointed headteacher Mark McLaughlin and noted: "After a period of decline, the school is beginning to improve.

"Improvement plans are focused on the right areas. The actions taken in the last 18 months are beginning to show improvements."

However, the report broadly stated that pupils' behaviour requires improvement, and that some students lack self-discipline and disturb the learning of others.

Of note was a lack of opportunities in the school to learn 'fundamental British values' and did not fully prepare the teenagers for life in Modern Britain.

Ofsted has instructed the school to improve by finding funding to improve the experience for disadvantaged and SEND children, and also challenge their students more in the classroom.

Thomas Becket Catholic School - which has over 630 pupils on roll - was contacted for a comment.

1549: The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded.

1795 Ludwig van Beethoven (24) has his debut performance as a pianist in Vienna.

1901: Edmund Barton is elected Prime Minister in Australia's first parliamentary election.

1912: Captain Robert Scott, storm-bound in a tent near South Pole, makes last entry in his diary "the end cannot be far".

1959 "Some Like It Hot", directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, is released in NYC.

Read more: Eric Cantona encourages Brits to make an exit from Brexit

1961: After a four and a half year year trial Nelson Mandela is acquitted of treason in Pretoria.

1974: Chinese farmers discover the Terracotta Army near Xi'an, 8,000 clay warrior statues buried to guard the tomb of China's 1st emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

1999: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 10006.78 - above the 10,000 mark for the first time ever.

Famous birthdays on March 29 include John Major, Elle MacPherson and Lucy Lawless.

Visit www.onthisday.com/day/march/29 for more information.

A private company at the centre of a 'second council tax' row in Northampton has offered to roll back a £150 hike in bills they announced this week - if residents agree to it.

Homeowners in Duston were outraged this week to find a bill they pay to private management company Chamonix Estates had increased by an average of £158 a year.
The company manage shared space for 20 households in Duston in lieu of the borough or county council, and charge residents for groundskeeping and maintenance.

But when the company discovered they were also responsible for the automatic barrier gates into the communities, they passed the cost of maintaining them onto residents - amounting to a sudden rise of £158 on avergage per year per household.

Residents have been upset at the fresh hike to their bills - which in some households is now over £300 a year to the private company - and have dubbed it 'a second council tax'.

Now, Chamonix are offering residents the option have the gates removed and roll back the hike in bills.

A spokesman for Chamonix said: "We will always try to work with residents to find solutions. In this case, people live in a gated community and those private gates obviously cost money for maintenance, repair and eventual replacement.

"Subject to the land transfers allowing it and agreement amongst owners, we can decommission the gates and therefore put residents Estate charges back to last year's levels. We have already contacted residents to establish if this is something that they would like us to pursue."

Meanwhile, chair of Duston Labour Sandie Maitland has called a residents' meeting for April 9 at 7.30pm at the library on Pendle Road to discuss the payments.

New legislation has also meant the gates to the communities have been disabled until a risk assessment is carried out. One email from Chamonix to a resident called the gates a 'threat to life' in their current condition and said a contractor will be sent to address the issue.

'Lagging progress' and a lack of 'quality' teaching has led inspectors to give Thomas Becket Catholic School a 'Requires Improvement' score in every area.

It is the first rating for the school off Kettering Road North since it converted to an academy in March 2016.

Although some improvement was noted across the past two years, the school has failed to score any higher than in its last inspection in 2015, when it left behind its 'special measures' status and shook off its 'inadequate' rating.

The watchdog's report following the inspection in February reads: "The quality of the teaching is not good enough.

"Pupils do not make consistently strong progress... The attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils lag behind that of other pupils.

"Too many students are persistently absent... Some pupils are uncooperative and disrupt learning."

Although the school's grade with Ofsted did not improve, the report complemented newly-appointed headteacher Mark McLaughlin and noted: "After a period of decline, the school is beginning to improve.

"Improvement plans are focused on the right areas. The actions taken in the last 18 months are beginning to show improvements."

However, the report broadly stated that pupils' behaviour required improvement, and that some students lacked self-discipline and disturbed the learning of others.

Of note was a lack of opportunities in the school to learn 'fundamental British values' and did not fully prepare the teenagers for life in Modern Britain.

Ofsted has instructed the school to improve by finding funding to improve the experience for disadvantaged and SEND children, and also challenge their students more in the classroom.

Thomas Becket Catholic School - which has over 630 pupils on roll - was contacted for a comment.

The facelift will include a new kitchen, a second 86-square-metre hall and new toilet facilities, if plans are approved by the Guildhall.

The quarter-of-a-million-pound renovation will be funded in part by a £100,000 compensation payout by Hawthorn Leisure to the council over the conversion of the Barn Owl pub into a supermarket in 2017, and the remaining £150,000 has now been approved by borough council cabinet.

In 2017, the borough council was paid an out-of-court settlement by Hawthorn Leisure to be released from a 'community covenant' when they applied to convert the Barn Owl pub into a Co-op supermarket.

The money was earmarked to be put back into Rectory Farm, and will now be used entirely to renovate the community centre, if the development is approved by the planning committee.

Architects Stimpson Walton Bond said in a planning document submitted to the Guildhall that the single hall, as it stands, cannot meet demands for different community uses.

Planning papers say: "The internal facilities are in need of up-grading to improve safeguarding issues for the play school use. Currently there are no separate toilet facilities dedicated for the play school and the existing toilet facilities are totally unsuitable for young children.

"NBC and the Centre Management Team have identified a need for a second hall with dedicated toilet facilities that suitably address all the safeguarding issues.

"In addition, there is also an ongoing security issue relating to the rear courtyard during everyday use and when it is not occupied."

'The Barn', as referred to by residents, is currently used by different clubs and societies as a function room, meeting room, play school and also a polling station.

Councillor James Hill (Con, Rectory Farm) said any groups interested in using the community space upon completion should contact him or Toby Birch, acting chairman of Rectory Farm Residents Association.

New proposals show the provision of a 'subsidiary hall', new kitchen and separate toilet facilities for adult and play school use as well as a remodelled courtyard to accommodate the new hall extension and the existing covered play area will be relocated.

New secure fencing will be fitted above the brick boundary walls to help safeguard the courtyard from unauthorised access and vandalism.

The borough council started a six-week long consultation on February 13, and now there are just a few days left for members of the public to comment on the proposals before the March 31 deadline.

The consultation comes as the proposed reorganisation of local government gathers pace, with Westminster imminently due to decide whether to approve the formation of two unitary authorities.

Currently, Northampton residents are served by both the county and borough councils, which offer different services, while some residents also have local parish councils.

The proposals, if approved by the Secretary of State, would see the county and borough councils merged under one roof along with Daventry and South Northamptonshire to form a single authority for West Northamptonshire.

But some Northampton Borough councillors are worried that the town may lose its voice in the vast new council, so proposals are being drawn up for a new town council.

The new town council could take on some of the town’s assets, such as important buildings like The Guildhall, its parks and historical artefacts. It could also retain the tradition of a mayor for the town, which dates back to 1215 and would be lost in a new unitary.

The consultation out to residents currently is asking for views on three possible options. This includes a new town council for the current unparished areas in Northampton - such as the town centre, Far Cotton, Kings Heath, Parklands and other areas.

Another option includes a town council for unparished areas but the extension of some of the existing parish councils, while the final option is for things to remain as they currently are.

Back in September, when the plans for a town council were first raised, deputy leader of Northampton Borough Council, Phil Larratt, said: “It's important we all have representation at a local level to give a community voice to this almighty unitary authority we will end up with.”

But a former leader of NBC, John Dickie, said giving parish councils extra powers would lead to a splitting up of the town’s identity and unity.

After feedback is evaluated from the current three options, a final proposal will be drawn up and be put back to the public for further consultation across April and May.

You can submit your views in the consultation on the following web page: https://www.northampton.gov.uk/ntcconsultation

The Wanderers fell just short of what would have been a superb comeback as Wasps won 31-29 at Franklin's Gardens on Monday night.

Tries from Tom Emery, Matt Worley, Conor Tupai, Devante Onojaife and Karl Garside gave the home side a try bonus point and losing bonus point but not the win.

Wasps had gone 31-17 up in with half an hour to go, but the Wanderers pushed them all the way as they picked up another two Northern Conference points in the Premiership Rugby Shield.

There was a low point during the first half as England Under-20s wing Ollie Sleightholme picked up an injury and had to be helped from the field. Sleightholme was on crutches at the end of the match.

Wasps had come out of the blocks quickly at the Gardens and their strong start was rewarded when they kicked for the corner and drove captain Gabriel Oghre over.

The successful Jacob Umaga conversion made it 7-0 and Wasps were taking a real grip on the game, shrugging tackles off for fun before scoring again, through wing Ross Neal.

The Wanderers were then dealt another blow as wing Sleightholme went down and was helped from the field.

But the hosts then hit back with a slick team effort as the ball was moved quickly to the right, where Worley, on for Sleightholme, sent full-back Emery over.

Guest fly-half Dan Lewis, who plays for Coventry in the Championship, missed the conversion and Wasps were soon buzzing around in Wanderers territory again.

Emery made a big try-saving tackle to stop Callum Sirker from scoring but it was rendered meaningless seconds later as Neal cruised in down the left for his second.

Umaga converted but there was a rapid response from the Wanderers as new Academy No.8 Tui Uru did some fine work to release Worley for a score.

Lewis converted well to cut the gap to 19-12, but Wasps were to dot down again before the break as Sirker found it far too easy to charge through a gap and score.

Umaga converted to make it 26-12 at half-time, but the Wanderers narrowed the deficit just after the interval as Tupai managed to wriggle free and dive over the line.

Lewis scuffed the conversion wide and Wasps hit back almost immediately, with a quick break resulting in Michael Le Bourgeois applying the finish.

Umaga failed to add the extras from the touchline and both teams then started to make plenty of changes.

It paid off for the Wanderers as flanker Onojaife showed great strength to finish off a flowing move out wide.

The Wanderers were now in charge, if not in terms of the scoreboard, and Wasps were under pressure, leading to a yellow card for replacement hooker Antonio Harris.

Prop Garside, who has featured for the Saints first team this season, immediately made the away side pay as he pushed his way over the line.

And replacement kicker Robbie Povey added the extras, prompting the noise levels to increase as the home fans sensed their side could secure a comeback at 31-29 down.

But Wasps went through the phases to run the clock down, earning a narrow victory.

Wanderers: Emery; Sleightholme (Worley 18), Tuitavake, Kellaway, Pisi (Dayes 75); Lewis (Povey 53), Tupai; Davis (c) (Trinder 56), Ma'asi (Dawidiuk 56), Ford-Robinson (Garside 56); Bean, Coles; Onojaife (Iyogun 75), Eadie, Uru (Preece 56).

Wasps: Anderson (Jardine 77); Neal, Spink, Le Bougeois, Sirker; Umaga, Hampson (Porter 52); McIntyre (West 56), Oghre (c) (Harris 56), Alo (Langley 50); Cardall, Myall; Morris, Atkinson (Rieder 52), Willis.

Referee: Jack Makepeace

Trevor Hardwell of West Hunsbury lost his wife, Ros, to breast cancer in January 2017 and signed up to race his first 26-miles last year to help give back to one of the charities who supported the duo.

This year, the 68-year-old is not racing alone, instead he has teamed up with Lisa Whelan, Ros's former Cynthia Spencer Hospice nurse, who cared for Ros before she died.

Lisa Whelan, 47, of Hardingstone, has worked for Cynthia Spencer Hospice for four years as a community specialist palliative care nurse. Prior to that she worked for over 25 years on the oncology and palliative care ward at Northampton General Hospital.

She is racing this year to fundraise for the hospice. She said: "To fundraise for this fabulous charity is an honour and I thank them for placing their trust in me to complete the marathon.

"It will be amazing to run for them. You see so much courage every day, really it's inspiring."

But not only did Lisa provide help to Ros, she was there to support Trevor after his wife passed away too.

Trevor said: "Lisa came out to see Ros on a regular basis. People like Lisa - I don't know if they know the affect they have on their patients.

"I saw the affects when Lisa had gone.

"Ros always said 'when is Lisa coming back again?', she loved to talk to her and felt at ease with Lisa."

Trevor, a former housing officer from Bristol, had never ran the marathon before he turned 67 and is now running his second marathon in two years.

Trevor is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support as Ros was also very fond of another nurse called Ruth who paid her regular visits during her chemotherapy treatment while she was in hospital.

Ruth then put Lisa in touch with Trevor and Ros to carry out home visits, and their friendship blossomed.

"She encouraged me to do the marathon," Trevor said of Lisa.

"I did it last year and when I saw her the week after she said: ‘I have always wanted to do it’.

"I kept saying: ‘why don't you run it with me’? The first run we did together was nine miles.

“She is so gritty and determined."

Trevor had not raced for 19 years in the lead up to his first London Marathon last year.

"It was the most wonderful experience," Trevor said. "I was proud to receive my medal at the end of a hot day.

"However the crowds lining the streets and the thought of everyone who sponsored me gave me the strength and endurance to see it through.

"I have continued to run since then and I am running for Macmillan Cancer Support again. The support given to Ros in her final year was something to behold. This support and care is continuing for me as I struggle to live life without my caring and brave wife."

To donate to Trevor click here and to donate to Lisa click here.

The woman, who was also blind, had been noted by doctors to have "acute confusion" and diagnosed with deteriorating dementia when her stepdaughter was allowed to switch from being a co-signatory to becoming a joint account holder without staff at the Weston Favell branch of Nationwide raising concerns.

This change to the account allowed the £4,000 in it - from the elderly woman's pension and earmarked for care home fees - to be retained by the stepdaughter after her stepmother died in the summer of 2018, rather than being divided among all her children and stepchildren as part of her estate. There was nothing untoward in the switch, the stepdaughter did not benefit from the change and the money has remained untouched.

However, another of the woman's stepdaughters has complained to Nationwide that it should have done more thorough checks.

She said: "There is absolutely no way she had capacity at that time, certainly not when it was made a joint account.

"She had had dementia for months.

"My concern is that my mum was open to being abused financially and Nationwide have let it happen."

The stepdaughter whose name was added to the her stepmother's account said she had no intention of benefiting from the changes and said the money is untouched.

She said:"I didn't know that when mother died that would come to me."

She also said she had no idea her stepmother had dementia until she saw her death certificate.

She said: "We were never ever told that she had dementia.

"We probably thought maybe she was getting a bit forgetful

"She went into that care home because she was unsafe."

However, the daughter who raised the concern with the Chron showed this newspaper medical records from a month before the crucial account change saying she "does not have capacity" as a result of her dementia.

A spokeswoman for Nationwide said staff were trained to spot signs of incapacity in their customers but spotted nothing amiss in this case.

She said they relied on a member of the family or executor to inform them.

However, Nationwide was not able to explain how that would help if someone takes advantage of a dementia patient, as they would be unlikely to tell bank staff what they were up to.