Twenty-one vehicles were stopped as part of a police operation to target unroadworthy coaches and vans on the M1 in Northamptonshire.

The operation, held yesterday (Thursday), focused on the safety of coach passengers, with officers charged with inspecting vehicles and carrying out checks on drivers.

Through the day, 21 vehicles were stopped, of which 16 were coaches and minibuses. A minibus driver was reported for driving licence and operator offences.

Five vans were also stopped, one of which was seized for having no insurance, and for running on red diesel. In addition, because of tyre offences, the van was stopped from continuing on its journey.

The final van stopped was overloaded with alcohol and the van was seized.

The driver was arrested for fraudulent documentation.

Sergeant Mahesh Patel from the force’s roads policing unit, said: “Overall this was a very successful day. Members of the public from far and wide witnessed Northamptonshire Police completing checks and offering reassurance.

“Because of our position in the country there are a large number of coaches passing through, particularly at this time of year. The safety of these and other road users is paramount.”

Aidy Boothroyd believes he has put together the perfect blend of youth and experience as the Cobblers prepare to kick off the new Sky Bet League Two season.

Town play their first game of the campaign at York City this afternoon (ko 3pm), and go into the fixture on the back of an encouraging 2-1 pre-season friendly win over Championship side Leicester City.

It was a performance that put a spring in the step of Boothroyd, and now he is challenging his squad to take that standard of play into the serious stuff.

“I’ve got some good players at my disposal, and the stick I’ve got to hit them with now is to reach the heights (of the Leicester game) on a regular basis,” said Boothroyd.

“I have had good players before, but I just think that this group are a different calibre and I think we have got the makings of a really good team.

“I think potentially the players I am most excited about are Danny Emerton and JJ Hooper, and we’ve got a nice group of players in their late teens and early 20s that may well be the future of the club.

“We’ve got a nice group of experienced players as well and it’s up to us to mould all that together to see if we can create a team that not only wins games but also entertains as well.

“We’ve got a smaller group of players this year which is by choice, but I still think we have got a group that can challenge providing we can hang onto the coat tails of the leading teams in the division until the time when it really counts.”

Youn can get updates from today’s game on Twitter by following @chronsport and @JeffersonLake

There will also be a full report and reaction at www.northamptonchron.co.uk following the game.

Northants Steelbacks have set up a mouthwatering Friends Life t20 quarter-final clash with Durham - and you could be there.

We’ve teamed up with the tournament sponsors to offer you and three friends the chance to watch all the action at the County Ground on Tuesday night (7.10pm start).

We have two bunches of four tickets to give away and all you have to do is answer a simple question to be in with a chance of winning.

The question is: What is the name of the Australian batsman Northants signed for this year’s tournament?

a) Richard Levi

b) Kyle Coetzer

c) Cameron White

Send your answer to tom.vickers@jpress.co.uk complete with contact details.

Police have been granted a dispersal order covering a large section of Northampton town centre, giving them the power to move anti-social troublemakers out of the area for the next six months.

Northamptonshire Police today revealed the dispersal order will be active in the Horsemarket area of Northampton, and will come into effect on Monday.

The order will last until Wednesday, February 5, next year.

Detectives say the order has been sought to combat reports of anti-social behaviour in the area.

It gives police new powers to force people to “immediately leave the area”.

Police will have the power to move potential troublemakers out of the designated area under Section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003.

Under the relevant section of act, entitled “dispersal of groups and removal of persons under 16 to their place of residence”, officers can move people on if they have “reasonable grounds for believing that any members of the public have been intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed as a result of the presence or behaviour of groups of two or more persons”.

The roads covered by the order are:

Gold Street, St Katherine’s street, St Katherine’s Square, Horsemarket, Broad Street, Sheep Street, Silver Street, Bradshaw Street, King Street, Church Lane, Regent Street, Newlands, Victoria Street, Lady’s Lane, Thomas Street, Temple Bar, Ash Street, Oak Street, Marble Arch, Elm Street, Lorne Road, Bailiff Street, Campbell Street, Spencer Parade, St Giles Terrace, York Road.

A notorious confidence trickster from Northamptonshire is back behind bars after being found guilty of a £3.5 million property swindle in which he tried to buy luxury homes in Northamptonshire without having a penny to his name.

Richard Jerome, from Towcester, was branded “a confidence trickster and a menace” by a judge after a jury at Exeter Crown Court finally put an end to his career of deceit.

Jerome, aged 65, of Watling Street, posed as a suave international financier working with Unesco, even though he had only just been released from jail for an identical series of frauds in which he targeted rich professional single women.

He and his teacher wife, Hazel, went round Devon, Cornwall and the East Midlands pretending to be super rich ex-pats who had just come back from tax exile in the Caribbean and were searching for the perfect retirement home.

They made cash offers totalling more than £3.5 million pounds for houses in Sidmouth, East Looe, and Daventry including the clifftop former home of writer R F Delderfield.

The couple’s aim was to repeat a swindle in which they persuaded the owners to let them move in while the money to close the deal was transferred from abroad. They would then become middle class squatters who refused to budge or pay rent.

In the end they failed because the owners and their estate agents became suspicious and realised they had both done it before

Jerome used a string of aliases to go on upper-crust dating websites to target professional women, telling them he was a multi-millionaire with business interests around the globe and an annual income of £1 million.

In reality, he was a former minicab driver from Towcester who had less than £200 to his name and only just been released from jail.

He served just a quarter of a 15 month sentence and within days of his release he created a false identity and started an internet seduction of a woman accountant who he fleeced for $100,000.

He sent e-mails claiming to be on business trips or holidays in the West Indies, Canada, St Petersburg, Turkmenistan, Minsk and Switzerland while in fact he was living in Britain and police still had his passport.

He told his victims he was an international banker who acted as consultant to the relief charity Unesco and swindled the accountant by telling her his bonds would earn her $5 million.

Jerome and ex wife Hazel, aged 62, made false representations that they had the funds to purchase a string of properties, including Ambleside House and Badby Lodge Farm, both near Daventry, between 2009 and 2011.

Jerome also face three charges of obtaining more than £1,000 worth of surveys on the properties by deception and the $100,000 fraud against London based accountant Lalita Lalvani in 2011.

They were found guilty of all charges and Jerome was remanded in custody pending sentence by Judge Erik Salomonsen.

His wife was bailed but warned she faces jail.

The judge said:”He knows he is facing a long prison sentence. Last time he was jailed for 15 months but the time he actually spent in custody was remarkably short.

“That is not a matter for a judge. We simply impose the sentences which are administered by the Home Office and the prison service.”

He told Jerome: “You know the score. You are a confidence trickster. You are a menace. You were a menace when you were convicted before and you continue to be a menace.”

Jerome and his wife moved on to Cornwall where they made a £310,000 offer for Valhalla in East Looe. They returned to their old stamping ground in the Midlands where they offered £560,000 for Ambleside in Hellidon, near Daventry and just under £2 million for Badby Lodge Farm.

He never came up with any money to back up the offers and spun a bizarre web of deceit in which he explained the delays by saying he was waiting for money to be transferred from his business interests abroad.

All his property deals fell through when estate agents learned his true identity and found newspaper cuttings dating back to his previous conviction in Huntingdon Crown Court in 2009.

On that occasion Jerome was jailed for 15 months and his wife was given a 10-month suspended term after they admitted a series of frauds which led to them being dubbed ‘the middle class squatters’.

The Air Ambulance has landed in a busy Northampton street to treat a teenage boy who was in collision with a car.

Emergency services were called to the incident in Weedon Road, St James, near the junction with Spencer Bridge Road, at about 3.30pm.

There is no indication on the severity of the boy’s injuries at this stage.

A small section of road has been closed, but is expected to re-open within the next 10 minutes.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing eight or nine police cars in the area.

Northampton Saints are advising fans travelling to the JP Morgan Premiership Sevens Series at Franklin’s Gardens tonight to allow plenty of extra time for their journey.

The first game kicks off at 7.15pm and more than 9,000 fans are expected to attend.

Police and enforcement officers have dealt with an average of three anti-social drinkers each day since an order was introduced to stop drunken nuisance in Northampton.

In March 2009, the town introduced a Designated Public Places Order (DPPO) to help police deal with alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.

Since then the police and other accredited officers have been able to confiscate alcohol from people drinking in a public place if it was causing, or looked as though it could lead to, anti-social behaviour.

In that time, there have been 2,544 incidents involving 4,453 people. More than 2,300 bottles, cans or glasses of alcohol have been confiscated and 12 people have been arrested.

Northampton Borough Council is now conducting a survey asking if people have been affected by alcohol-related anti-social behaviour and if they support the town’s approach to dealing with it.

Councillor David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: “Alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour intimidates communities and presents an unpleasant impression of our towns and cities. The Northampton DPPO has been a useful tool for helping the police to deal with anti-social street drinking. It will be interesting to hear people’s views on the issue.”

The consultation runs until August 31. Surveys are available from the council’s community safety team on Northampton 837752 or from www.surveymonkey.com/s/
alcoholrelatedasb

Northamptonshire will be especially pleased to have Trent Copeland back in their ranks if day one of the LV= County Championship clash with Gloucestershire is anything to go by.

The Australian returns to the County for the next three four-day games, starting with the trip to Colchester to face Essex later this month, and his presence is needed in a side whose bowling attack needs some assistance.

When Copeland returned home after the 10-wicket defeat of Worcestershire in early June, they led the Division Two standings by 44 points but have failed to win since, seen Lancashire overtake them and the rest of the field tighten up.

It isn’t time to panic by any means but the below average fare served up for the majority of the day against Michael Klinger’s side wasn’t that of a promotion-chasing outfit.

David Willey was good with the new ball first thing and Andrew Hall did his usual consistent job but other than that there wasn’t much to talk about until late in the day when the second new ball did some damage.

Just two maidens in the first two sessions was indicative of the looseness of the bowling with Steven Crook particularly profligate and while the pitch was flat with no real pace or bounce, there were far too many boundary balls offered and, as a result, no pressure created on a consistent basis which is the very thing Copeland excels at.

But while the home side weren’t at their best, that shouldn’t detract from the efforts of the visitors’ line-up.

With Hamish Marshall leading the way with an outstanding 145, his fourth century of the year and his third in five innings, they scored fluently all day and should be disappointed that they didn’t rack up even more.

That said, when Willey had Chris Dent caught behind and Gareth Roderick lbw playing no shot, the scoreboard read 9-2 and being asked to bowl didn’t look to be too big a deal.

Michael Klinger and Alex Gidman started the rebuilding and both looked in good touch until Hall got rid of them both, the former edging behind and the latter, following a run-a-ball half century, slapping straight to cover point.

That left the stage free for Marshall, and Benny Howell to a lesser degree, who barely put a foot wrong during his 221-minute stay. Strong on the cut and pull, the New Zealander was given ample opportunity to display his strengths and it was something of a surprise when he was strangled down the leg-side off Muhammad Azharullah.

Howell had departed not too long before for a season’s best 60 when he hit a Hall half-tracker to deep square-leg and Marshall’s dismissal sparked a change in momentum as Willey and Azharullah made inroads.

James Fuller had his stumps shattered by the left-armer, Will Gidman dragged an attempted pull onto his stumps and Craig Miles was trapped on the crease, both to the Pakistani, and Crook put a positive number in his wicket tally by taking the final wicket in the shape of Tom Smith.

A total of 358 was a good few short of what it should have been and the County got out of jail to some extent and now they have to make use of their good fortune by ensuring at least first innings parity.

Stephen Peters paid tribute to the character of his team following a good fightback on day one of the LV= County Championship clash with Gloucestershire.

The visitors collapsed from a very strong position to be bowled out for 358 and Peters, while acknowledging his bowlers weren’t at their best, was happy with how the day finished.

He said: “At 300-4 and then 360 all out you’ve got to look at that as a positive end to the day.

“We were a bit disappointed with how it’s gone as we always like to bowl sides out a bit cheaper but the boys toiled away on a reasonably docile wicket and we hung in well.

“The last hour you can’t really fault how we did.

“We weren’t quite at the races and having played a lot of one-day cricket recently we didn’t quite have that focus on bowling maidens like we were doing earlier in the season and it took us a bit too long to get into it.”

Hamish Marshall’s innings of 145 was the outstanding contribution for Gloucestershire as Peters appreciated.

He added: “I thought Hamish Marshall played brilliantly and he was so positive that it took the game away from us for the first two sessions.

“But a bit of character was shown by the lads and to get the last six wickets for 50-60 odd was a good effort.”

And despite having to spend a full day in the field on his comeback from a serious finger injury, Peters was relieved to come through unscathed.

“It was nice to be back out there in the field and even though it was only a couple of overs, it was good to be back batting,” he said.

Coventry City’s impending move to Northampton is one step closer this evening following a fresh statement from the Football League.

The statement confirmed the Football League has agreed to the transfer of the club’s share to preferred bidder, Otium Entertainment Group.

It has been confirmed Otium Entertainment Group Ltd has been awarded the membership of the Football League in time for the new season, which starts tomorrow.

Otium has agreed to move the Sky Blues away from the Ricoh Arena, following a bitter row with the stadium owners, and has signed a deal to play at Northampton Town’s Sixfields stadium for at least the next three years.

The move has already been ratified by the Football League.

The Football League also confirmed the Sky Blues will start the season the season on minus-ten points.

A statement from the Football League read: “Following the failure of Coventry City FC Limited’s Company Voluntary Arrangement earlier today, the Board of The Football League has considered an application by the Administrator’s preferred bidder, the Otium Entertainment Group, for a transfer of the club’s share in The Football League under the ‘exceptional circumstances’ provision of The League’s Insolvency Policy.

“The Board has agreed to transfer the Club’s share on the basis that it accepts a 10 point deduction for the 2013/14 season. This decision will enable Coventry City to continue its membership of The Football League, despite the failure of its CVA, and participate in the 2013/14 Sky Bet League 1 season.”

Football League chairman, Greg Clarke said: “Once again, it is a source of immense frustration to everyone involved that the two parties in this dispute have failed to reach any agreement. The Board is dismayed at the level of intransigence being shown.”

He added: “Nonetheless, the League will continue with its efforts to get the two parties to enter into meaningful negotiations, so that Coventry City can return to Coventry at the earliest opportunity.

“The board’s decision means that these attempts can now be conducted against a backdrop of Coventry City as a continuing member of The Football League, rather than it having to bring an end to the Club’s 94 years in league football.”

In a statement on the Coventry City website, Tim Fisher, chief executive of Coventry City Football Club, said: “We know that this has been an extremely difficult summer for our supporters and we are truly sorry that all of the attention has been off the field rather than on it.

“There has been a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the club’s future but this decision by the Football League means we now have certainty and the club’s future is secured. We can now get on and put our future plans into action which means building and owning our own stadium in the Coventry area.

“It has been a very difficult time but Coventry City Football Club moves forward.

“It’s made all the harder by the fact that the adjournments pushed the club right up to the deadline for the start of the season.

“Surely the events of the last few days and the abuse of the administration process highlight that the club had been left with very little room for manoeuvre.

“Indeed, I am sure that all the fans are aware that the very reason ACL stated for filing for administration in the first place was to avoid liquidation and a points deduction this season. Liquidation is exactly what they pushed for and succeeded in getting today.

“Whilst the points deduction is not welcomed, we believe the ten point penalty proves that the Football League recognises the very difficult circumstances the club has been operating under.

“None of us want to start the season away from the club’s home city but previous refusals to take up our offer of negotiation or arbitration meant we were forced to find a ground to complete our fixtures.

“It is a great shame that on the eve of the season, off-the-field matters are still dominating but it is now time to offer full support to Steven Pressley and wish him and his team good luck tomorrow and for the rest of the season.”

Tom Collins lit up the JP Morgan Sevens Series at Franklin’s Gardens - despite Saints’ failure to advance to finals day.

The 19-year-old utility back grabbed three scores and also made a number of try-saving tackles, but couldn’t prevent his side losing all three games.

Paul Diggin was also on the scoresheet as he registered twice, but Saints were beaten in the final play of the game by both Newcastle and Sale.

They also suffered defeat to Leicester, losing 17-5 in the final match of the night, which saw the Tigers join Newcastle in booking a trip to finals day at Bath next Friday night.

The Falcons won all three of their games to ease through to the main event at the Recreation Ground, where they will aim to pick up some pre-season silverware.

The Series opener set the tone for Saints as Newcastle’s Simon Hammersley snatched the victory from their grasp.

The hosts had done brilliantly to fight back from 21-5 down, with senior academy ace Collins leading the charge.

The England Under 20s player set up a try for Harry Betts and scored two himself, one of which was a spectacular length-of-the field effort.

Diggin, wearing the No.2 shirt, also dotted down in front to loud cheers from the Saints faithful, but it wasn’t to be enough.

Tom Catterick, Michael Tait, Richard Mayhew and Hammersley, plus four conversions from Ollie Hodgson, won it for the Falcons.

The second game saw Leicester get the better of Sale, claiming a 10-7 win, before tiredness told for the Tigers, who suffered a 19-10 reverse against Newcastle.

Saints were back in the thick of it in game four, taking on Sale with both sides having failed to win their opening matches.

The Sharks certainly weren’t low on confidence, though, as a dark blue tide englufed Saints early on.

John O’Donnell went over twice in quick succession, with Will Cliff’s conversion making it 12-0 before the home side had been given time to take a breath.

Diggin grabbed his second of the night to reduce the arrears before half-time and the scores were soon level as Collins grabbed his third try of the night, Ryan Glynn converting.

Collins then then made a superb try-saving tackle on Danny Waddy before skipper Glynn danced his way to the tryline, bamboozling the Sharks defence to put Saints ahead.

If that try was good, what came next, from Collins, was even better as the No.12 dinked the ball through and latched onto it to score.

Saints were flying at 22-12, but Sale weren’t giving up and Nathan Fowles’ quickfire double, the second of which came with the final play of the game, won it for the men in dark blue.

But the Sharks were unable to secure their place in next week’s finals day, losing their third game of the evening 12-5 to the impressive Falcons.

That meant east midlands rivals Saints faced Leicester in a winner takes all battle in the last game, with the sides having accrued enough bonus points to stay in the reckoning.

And it was to be the Tigers who found their feet first as Tahir El Mahdi, known by his team-mates as Cookie, saw the Saints defence crumble in front of him twice early on.

Leicester held a 10-0 lead going into the second half and though Alex Day got a try back, David Williams finished things off for Tigers, who will go to The Rec on Friday.

Saints: Vasily Artemyev, Collins, A Day, Glynn, Hooley, Olver, Stephenson; Diggin, Betts, Harry, Conner, Robinson

Leicester: Williams, Jake Farnworth, Lucas Guillarme, Harry Wells, Blaine Scully, George Catchpole, Pasqualle Dunn, Henry Purdy, George Tresidder, Tahir El Mahdi, Scott Steele, Perry Humphreys.

Sale: Cameron Neild, Danny Waddy, Jason Hill, Jack Allcock, Luke Wishnowsky, Will Cliff, Nathan Fowles, Tom Brady, Phil MacKensie, James Mitchell, Josh Fowles, John O’Donnell.

Newcastle: Harrison Collins, Ben Morris, Richard Mayhew, Glen Young, Michael Tait, Ollie Hodgson, Chris Harris, Andy Davies, Joel Hodgson, Sean Brown, Simon Hammersley, Tom Catterick.

Alex Corbisiero insists Saints and England will benefit from the confidence-enhancing end to his British and Irish Lions tour.

Corbisiero was overlooked for the original squad for Australia after making an end of season comeback from a knee problem that London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith described as “degenerative”.

The 24-year-old, who has swapped the Madejksi Stadium for Franklin’s Gardens, missed the RBS 6 Nations but returned in time for England’s tour to Argentina and was then summoned by the Lions when injury struck.

A surprise selection for the first Test, he emerged as one of the Lions’ key players with head coach Warren Gatland viewing him as man of the match in the series-clinching decider in Sydney.

The loosehead prop helped demolish Australia’s scrum and was a major force in the loose, leaving him to reflect on an extraordinary experience that surpassed his expectations.

“I went from just being happy to be healthy and back playing, getting ready for a Test in Argentina, when all of a sudden I face a massive journey to Australia and I’m in the middle of a Lions tour,” he said.

“There was an opportunity there and I tried to make the most of it. Playing in those Tests was incredible. The experience is very hard to describe, it was incredible.

“I underestimated how special a Lions tour is, so to experience it first hand was incredible.

“Being in the same dressing room with Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll and Sam Warburton - the last three Lions captains in one team - is something I’ll always remember.

“The last Test was incredible - the emotion, relief and euphoria of winning was very special.

“I was very happy with my all-round game in that final Test, my strength in the set-piece and what I did around the park. It was one of my best performances.

“For someone like Gatland - a man who I respect so much - to say that means a lot and gives me massive confidence for the new season.

“It was great to end such a tough season with that type of achievement. I’m healthy, rested and looking forward to pushing on with Northampton and England.”

England will enter their autumn internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand with two top looseheads in Corbisiero and Mako Vunipola, who was selected in the original Lions squad.

The rampaging Vunipola started the second Test in Melbourne when Corbisiero went down with a calf problem, but his vulnerability at the scrum was exposed and he was replaced once his England team-mate had recovered.

When the autumn arrives, Corbisiero is almost certain to start with Vunipola providing firepower from the bench.

“I really enjoy being in the squad with Mako. He’s a good guy on and off the field, an outstanding player,” Corbisiero said.

“What he’s achieved in the last year has been incredible. The competition will only strengthen both of us.

“We’ll both be fighting to start, but also be happy to come off the bench. It’s a position of strength because there’s Joe Marler as well.”

Alex Corbisiero is the ambassador of Newburn Bakehouse by Warburtons, a range of gluten and wheat free products by Britain’s biggest baker. For more information go to: facebook.com/NewburnBakehouse.

Darren Carter was sent off on his debut as the Cobblers succumbed to a last-gasp defeat at York City.

Town looked to have done enough to secure a creditable 0-0 draw at Bootham Crescent but former Sixfields loanee Ryan Jarvis had other ideas, scoring in the game’s 90th minute.

The nature of the loss, and particularly the timing of the decisive goal, suggests that while many of the personnel may have changed, there remains plenty of work to be done before the travel sickness of last season will be cured.

Northampton gave debuts to six players, and it was an error in midfield gave York the first sight at goal, Ashley Chambers forcing a good low save from Matt Duke after being slipped in by Tom Platt.

Chambers should have scored on the 25-minute mark when he weaved inside from his wing but failed to make a good contact with a shot that landed tamely in Duke’s waiting, low hands.

Danny Emerton had Northampton’s first good chance, flashing a volley wide after a brief game of head tennis in the York City penalty area.

The first half ended in the same way it had been played, with York on the front foot.

After a dubious corner, the ball was worked to Craig Clay, whose shot was parried out by Duke in the direction of Cresswell, who fouled Collins in attempting to reach the rebound.

Then Chambers sliced inside Kevin Amankwaah and looked certain to score before Heath got across to block his poked effort.

Northampton were much more lively after the break and Roy O’Donovan showed a good first touch and plenty of bravery to muster a rising volley than cannoned down off the crossbar and out at the end of a swift counter-attack down the right.

The visitors survived a penalty appeal midway through the second half when Cresswell went down under contact from Ben Tozer, whose reaction suggsted he thought the striker had dived - the referee agreed.

They were not so fortunate moments later, though, when Carter, who had already been booked, was shown a second yellow for a foul on Platt.

The midfielder looked like he got a toe on the ball as he stretched to make the challenge, and was incensed as he exited down the tunnel.

With a man less, the Cobblers’ attack was always likely to be diluted, although O’Donovan had a couple of good efforts at goal - one blocked, one over - in the immediate aftermath of the red card.

The game looked certain to end as a goalless stalemate but York had other ideas.

A corner was cleared as far as Lanre Oyebanjo, who fed Chambers down the right from where he hung a dangerous cross into the box.

Cresswell’s presence caused confusion and the ball spilled out to Jarvis, who rattled home a shot on the bounce to give the home side all three points.

Match facts:

York City: Ingham; Oyebanjo, Smith, McGurk, Davis; Puri (Bowman 77), Clay, Platt, Chambers; Jarvis, Cresswell

Subs not used: Kettings, Parslow, Coulson, Montrose, Fyfield, Allan

Northampton: Duke; Amankwaah, Heath, Collins, Widdowson; Emerton (Hooper 90), Tozer, Carter, Deegan, Morris; O’Donovan

Subs not used: Demontagnac, Snedker, Moyo, Dias, Toney

Attendance: 4,388

Away fans: 642

Star of the show Tom Collins admitted Saints were frustrated not get a win on the board at the JP Morgan 7s Series tournament on Friday night.

But the 19-year-old felt the Franklin’s Gardens run-out was good experience for him and his team-mates ahead of the new season.

Collins scorched in for four tries on the night, shining despite Saints’ failure to win any of their three games, against Newcastle, Sale and Leicester.

And the senior academy back is now hoping the showing can help him as he attempts to make his way into the first-team picture this season.

“I thought it went alright,” said the modest 19-year-old. “It was just frustrating not to get the win.

“A couple of years ago, I was clueless about what was going on in sevens, but with Vas (Artemyev), Digger (Paul Diggin) and people like that behind me it’s been good.

“I’ve tried to adapt to the game and it’s been a good experience.”

The Saints squad are currently in pre-season training as they prepare for a string of friendly matches ahead of the new campaign.

And England Under 20s talent Collins says the sevens tournament was a good way to warm up for a return to the 15-man game.

“It’s a bit frustrating not to get the win, but it still gives you that extra game understanding and game fitness, which is key,” he said.

“If you’ve got game fitness hopefully you can build on that throughout the season, so it’s a good start.”

Furious Cobblers boss Aidy Boothroyd criticised referee Charles Breakspear after he failed to send off York striker Richard Cresswell for diving.

Cresswell had a hand in the decisive goal at Bootham Crescent, helping divert Ashley Chambers’ cross into the path of Ryan Jarvis, who rifled it home from eight yards to secure a 1-0 win.

Town had earlier had midfielder Darren Carter sent off on his debut for two bookings, and Boothroyd was incensed that Cresswell escaped a similar fate moments later.

After bursting into the box, the striker went down under contact from Ben Tozer, and while referee Breakspear waved away appeals for a penalty, he also refused to show Cresswell a second yellow card.

“I told Richard Cresswell as he came off and I shook his hand that he had too much experience for that referee,” said Boothroyd.

“He went over in the box, it was simulation and he should have been sent off.

“It should be a penalty or a yellow card for simulation but we didn’t get either of them, we got a ‘yeah, yeah’ and a smile.

“I don’t want to talk about referees, but unfortunately I am because he was certainly involved in the game a lot.

“Also I didn’t think Darren Carter should have been sent off either, I thought he got a toe on the ball.”

Boothroyd felt his side had done enough to secure a draw, especially after finishing the game short-handed, but was unable to focus his post-match assessment too far away from the referee.

“It was a sticky start and it was a typical game for the start of the season with everybody finding their feet,” he said.

“In the end I would have taken a point but we’ve ended up talking about the referee and his performance, and that’s disappointing.”

David Sales gave anyone thinking he was done as a first-class cricketer a reminder of exactly what he can offer.

The Northamptonshire batsman has been on the sidelines for the last few weeks as Twenty20 has been the primary concern.

But he and Kyle Coetzer and both struck centuries as the County’s batsmen dominated the second day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash against Gloucestershire at Wantage Road.

Scotland international Coetzer was the first to reach his milestone as he made 122 off 230 balls to help promotion-chasing Northants to eventually close on an imposing 369 for three.

Sales was to put some previous patchy form behind him as he then hammered an unbeaten 126 from only 137 deliveries, while captain Stephen Peters also contributed 87 off 153 balls.

Northants began the day on 13 without loss, 345 runs behind their opponents, with Peters resuming on 12 and Coetzer on one.

Peters, who is playing in his first championship match since returning from a broken finger, was to go on to complete a half-century off 78 balls.

That came as part of a mammoth opening partnership with Coetzer as Gloucestershire’s attack struggled to get much out of a placid wicket.

The hosts resumed after lunch on 112-0, with Coetzer soon reaching 50 himself off 116 deliveries as his side picked up where they left off.

In the end it came down to 18-year-old first-class debutant Tom Shrewsbury to finally break the stand on 170 when he forced Peters to edge to Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.

But any hopes the visitors had of this breakthrough bringing a change of fortunes were dashed as Sales piled on 135 alongside Coetzer for Northants’ second wicket.

Coetzer was to complete his eighth century in first-class cricket and his third in all competitions this season off 202 balls with a straight four off James Fuller with the final delivery before tea.

Veteran Sales, who had previously been finding runs hard to come by this season, then raced to his first half-century of the campaign off 67 balls early in the evening session.

Having batted so well, Coetzer finally departed tamely in the final over before the second new ball was due when he chipped Benny Howell to Chris Dent at midwicket.

But there was no stopping Sales completing an explosive century - his 27th first-class ton - off just 107 deliveries with a crunching four through midwicket off Fuller.

Alex Wakely (13) then became the first batsman to miss out on a big score as he nudged Fuller behind with five overs of the day left.

Australia international Cameron White then survived until the close along with Sales and will resume tomorrow on six not out with the hosts looking for a huge total.

A total of £43,000 has been provided to restore a 300-year-old organ at a Northamptonshire village church.

The historic instrument is at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Finedon, and was built in 1705 for the Private Royal Chapel and court of Queen Anne.

Urgent attention has been recommended by professional restorers, and historical experts will now monitor and evaluate the work. Vanessa Harbar, acting head of the Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands, said: “This organ is very rare as most of it remains unaltered. We are delighted to play our part in ensuring its future for generations to come.”

Manuscripts of music first written and performed on the organ will be scribed into modern clefs and played at a launch event next year.

Works to the organ will include retuning plus community activities, recitals and lessons, a film of the ‘restoration journey’ and opportunities for volunteers to be trained as guides.

The organ in the Church of St Mary the Virgin is more than 308 years old.
It still features the original Queen Anne coat of arms on the front pipes.
Queen Anne was the first sovereign of a united Great Britain.
Since 1994, the Heritage Lottery Fund has provided more than £302m to projects in the East Midlands.

Firefighters were called to tackle a blaze at a cottage last night (Saturday August 3), which is believed to have started after a wasp nest in the property ignited.

The fire at a cottage in Main Street, Cottesbrooke, has left a third floor bathroom ‘moderately damaged’ by fire.

Two fire crews were called to the scene at 18.34pm and on arrival crews found smoke issuing from the loft.

A spokesman for Northants Fire and Rescue said the blaze was “caused by a wasp nest being ignited by heat from a lamp and a transformer.”

The fire was in a vaulted loft of a three storey detached stone built home, and the blaze was under control by 19.29pm.

Firefighters tackled the fire using a specialist cobra firefighting system, which minimises the amount of water needed to extinguish the fire.

Officers uncovered £50,000 in cash and one kilogram of white powder believed to be cocaine after they raided a property in Northampton.

A number of drugs warrants were executed throughout the Thames Valley, Northamptonshire, Essex and London areas, on Saturday as part of an investigation into an organised crime group.

More than 100 officers carried out 15 warrants under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Harlow in Essex and Edmonton in North London.

The warrants were executed as part of Operation Rupert, which targets groups which are believed to purchase and supply cocaine, predominantly within the Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire areas.

At a warrant carried out in Northampton, 1kg of white powder and approximately £50,000 was recovered by officers.

Eight people were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to supply a cocaine including a 28-year-old and a 29-year-old man, and a 20-year-old woman, all from Northampton.

Senior investigating officer Det Insp Bruce Riddell from the Thames Valley Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: “We are in the early stages of this investigation but we have recovered substantial amounts of cash and controlled drugs.

“This is the result of a lot of hard work from a lot of officers and staff across a number of forces. I hope these warrants will send out a message to organised crime groups that with the support of communities we will find out who you are and we will do everything in our power to stop you.”

Four men have been charged with drugs offences including Jason Bailey, aged 28, of Lindsay Avenue, Abington, Northampton, who has been charged with acquiring criminal property and conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

The other three men are Robert Burnett, aged 29, of Churchfield, Harlow, Essex, charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

Michael Mullen, aged 33, of Seaton Grove, Broughton, Milton Keynes, who has been charged with three counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug and one count of failing to provide a sample for drug testing.

Wayne Shirley, aged 42, of Laburnam Avenue, London, cwho is harged with two counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

The four men will all appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning.

Four other people arrested in connection with these offences were released on police bail until early October.

The presence of six debutants in the Cobblers side at York illustrated a change of personnel but the game in which they played suggests many of the same old problems persist.

This was not a away-day collapse of the proportions of last season; there was no 10-minute avalanche of goals for the home side, no waving of the white flag and certainly no meek surrender.

But there was a defeat, and the nature of it – a late goal after both the first and second ball into the box had been lost to the hosts - had a sense of the grimly inevitable about it.

While that will concern some, there is no real reason for alarm. Not yet, anyway. If the team is still losing games like this in 10 or 20 matches time, then an inquest can begin.

While this loss was disappointing, there is nothing in history to suggest that opening-day results are a barometer of anything at all.

The last time Northampton won one (against Cheltenham on day one of the 2008-09 campaign) they scored four times and Leon Constantine scored the kind of debut goal that had people excited about the potential for greatness of both the team and that individual player.

The club was relegated that season, and nobody needs reminding of the career Constantine went on to have at the club.

That is not to say that nothing at all can be read into Saturday’s loss at York. There was resilience but still the side lost – that needs to be addressed.

Question marks, too, remain over the formation. Playing a lone striker will always limit the amount of attacking play a team has and how many chances they are capable of generating.

Roy O’Donovan is suited to the role because he is naturally fit, has a bottomless stamina and will gladly run all day but it also means he is often fighting for scraps around the box rather than getting in it and on the end of things.

In the absence of Clive Platt, though, whose able to hold up the ball and bring others into play with his dead-weight passing, it is a role he will probably have to persist with.

The bonfire that Aidy Boothroyd and the squad held recently has consigned the memories of last season’s play-off final to smouldering ashes.

But the smoke of countless away-day losses has not completely been blown away on the close-season wind. Not yet anyway.

MATT DUKE

Made two or three very good saves and had little chance of saving the shot that eventually beat him ...7

KEVIN AMANKWAAH

Struggled against the myriad talents of the direct Chambers but was assured on the ball and distributed well ...6

LEE COLLINS

Accommodated for his lack of size with a cool and accomplished display and looked to have done enough to secure a clean sheet ...7

MATT HEATH

Possibly the pick of the outfield players, competed well with Cresswell and used his physical presence to good effect ...7

JOE WIDDOWSON

A steady display and kept Jarvis considerably quieter than Chambers was on the opposite wing ...7

DANNY EMERTON

As is often the case with wide players, was marginalised at times but showed a good turn of pace and made some headway at times ...6

BEN TOZER

Played as a holding central midfielder and was fine when York were in possession but struggled when the onus was on him to distribute ...5

GARY DEEGAN

Seemed to get bogged down with the minutiae of midfield play and had no platform to display his excellent range of passing ...6

DARREN CARTER

Not the best of debuts; improved in the second half when played in a more advanced role but the tackle for which he was sent off was clumsy and unnecessary ...5

IAN MORRIS

Seemed to play with very little verve or exuberance and knows he can perform better than he did in this game ...5

ROY O’DONOVAN

The lone striker role is frequently a thankless task and that was the case for O’Donovan, although he did well with the only true chance he had ...6

Substitutes:

JJ HOOPER (for Emerton, 90mins)

Not used: Snedker, Dias, Moyo, Toney, Demontagnac