Northampton’s Sarah Carter added the Bouverie Bowl to the County Championship title she claimed earlier in the year after shooting a net 75 at Northants County GC.

Home member Angela Duck took the gross award and almost made it a double in the Seniors County Championships at Priors Hall GC as she lost on countback to another Northampton member Theresa East following a 81.

Countback was also needed to decide first prize in the net comp as Lema Townsend (Overstone) edged out Carol Collins (Kingsthorpe) after both finished four clear with a net 72.

The Tazza Trophy, which was played at the Corby course on the same day, was claimed by Delapre’s Pamela Hibberd with a tally of 37 points.

Husband-and-wife Rod and Carol Gibbs (Wellingborough) secured the County Mixed Fourball Championships for the second time after carding 44 points at Whittlebury Park GC. The duo, who won their previous title in 1991, bagged an eagle and four birdies in a storming back nine of 25 points to finish two ahead of Brian Stronach (Collingtree) and Kathryn Stronach (Delapre).

Cobblers fans enjoy the second best value season ticket in the English leagues but one of the most expensive days out, according to an annual survey about the price of watching the beautiful game.

The results of the BBC Sport Price of Football study have been released today and show Northampton Town’s cheapest season ticket, costing £199, is the second lowest-priced in any of the top five divisions.

Only League One’s Hartlepool United offer a cheaper ticket, at £155, while League Two stablemates Bradford City and Conference Premier teams Nuneaton Town and Hyde also sell a ticket for £199.

However, the survey also ranked the Cobblers as the fourth most expensive day out in League Two at £27 a match.

Hungry and thirsty fans have to pay £3 for a pie and £2 for a cup of tea at Sixfields, up 20p each from last year.

Only Gillingham (£ 28.90), Southend United (£ 28.30) and Oxford United (£27.60) offer a more expensive day out in the Football League’s basement division, the survey says.

The cheapest season ticket at Sixfields costs £199 for 23 league games, and cup games can be purchased for an extra £50.

The most expensive season ticket is £380, the cheapest match-day ticket is £19 and the most expensive match-day ticket is £20.

Gareth Willsher, head of media at Northampton Town, said: “We work hard to strike a balance between generating enough money to be competitive on the field while offering the best value for money we can. We always strive hard to look after season ticket holders.

“What the survey doesn’t show is anything we do with local schools and groups. We have hundreds at each game and offer them a special experience such as walking out with the players or taking a penalty on the pitch. Plus we have heavily discounted tickets for groups.”

The study ranks each club on eight costs – cheapest season ticket; most expensive season ticket; cheapest match-day ticket; most expensive match-day ticket; cheapest day out; cost of a programme; cost of a pie and cost of a cup of tea.

It showed the ever-increasing price of watching football in the English leagues, as the average price of the cheapest matchday ticket has risen from £19.01 to £21.24.

It looks at prices for 166 clubs in 10 divisions across British football, including the Conference Premier and Women’s Super League.

Steve Carroll smashed in a hat-trick as Roade claimed a handsome 5-0 Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Premier Division win over Heyford, who slumped to their fourth straight defeat.

Also on the mark for Roade was Zach Pugh, who scored twice.

The Milton versus Blisworth derby match came with added spice as both teams came into the match on a run of successive victories, three for Milton and four for James King Blisworth.

The drama was added to when Milton took the lead from the spot after 15 minutes. Things continued going downhill for the hosts whose seemingly unstoppable strike force could not breach the Milton defence.

Indeed Milton scored twice more before the hour mark and then added a further pair in the last ten minutes to run out 5-0 winners.

A poor day for the top two was confirmed when news came that Harpole had toppled Stanion. Like Blisworth, Stanion had been scoring for fun in recent games but were blunted by the Harpole rearguard. A Dan Surridge penalty and Nick Maund’s opportunism won the game for Harpole.

Welford moved third after taking a second win on the spin against Moulton.

Of the early season strugglers S&L Khalsa were the only side to find a glimmer of light. Peter Stronach netted twice to secure a draw against Brixworth, cancelling out strikes from Andy Priest and Neil Dolman.

Ringstead seem to be suffering from the dreaded “second season syndrome” following a fourth defeat on the trot. From a title-challenge last term to early relegation flirtation this, it’s been a big bump for the Gladstone Street side. Despite defensive frailties of their own, Weldon had too much for Ringstead winning 5-3.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division One

Kislingbury’s five match unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Kettering Orchard Park.

Kislingbury took the lead midway through the second half but were stunned by two goals on the counter which handed the visitors a much needed win.

Earls Barton however fared considerably better, recording a fifth win of the season and staying clear out in front after making short work of Ise Lodge.

Kris Hall netted twice for the Greens, and goals from full-back Mark Speight and Ben Blomley put Barton in a commanding position.

Jamie Hicks pulled one back for the visitors but it proved little more than a consolation.

Denton and Medbourne shared six goals as well, with the visitors emerging victorious.

Michael Park picked up a brace for Medbourne but needed additional strikes from Steve Park and Brad Downing to secure the points after Lee Thomas and Johnny Shakespeare pulled Denton level.

Orchard Park’s win was one of three for teams sitting at the wrong end of the table.

Corby Everards too recorded a much needed win, the first of the season. Having put six past Wootton last time out Stanwick proved to be a stern test for the hosts.

Everards edged the encounter thanks to James McGrath who netted the only goal of the game.

Wootton smashed six past Gretton to move clear of the mire. Micky Ryan and Jamie Ellis both found the target twice.

Like Gretton, Finedon Volta have been suffering from issues with the number of bodies available and so it proved against Corby Locos.

Even with the hosts being reduced to 10 men, Volta could not compete. John Dibben stood tallest of the Locos scorers netting four times in the 6-1 win. Lee Thompson and David Clarke added the others.

Rothenberger Tools Division Two

Life at the top is proving tough for whichever team happens to occupy the number one spot.

Incumbent side Strip Mills faced off against Old Grammarians who came into the game off the back of victory over Rothwell Corinthians.

Last week’s goals-scoring hero Kael Talbot appears to have found a purple patch, as he netted three times in the 4-0 victory.

Perry Nimmo added the other from the spot.

After early season promise it seems to be more red dwarf than Redstar. Could the light be dimming after a third successive league game without a win?

Wollaston inflicted a second defeat of the season on the Corby side.

Jamie Farrell found the net for the visitors to give them a faint glimmer of hope, but this was extinguished by Lee Warman and David Betts the Wollaston marksmen.

David Falconer struck for Corby Eagles to salvage a point in the encounter with Wilby.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division Three

More than 40 goals were scored in the division in this round of fixtures, with no game seeing less than five goals.

It remains a Daventry-area lockout at the top after both Drayton Grange and Weedon were victorious, yet there was nothing routine about either side’s win.

Drayton were given a real test by bottom side Welingborough Gleneagles.

On another day, scoring four goals would have secured a maiden league win for the new boys. However coming up against last season’s top scorers proved a step too far.

Jordan May got Gleneagles’ first and Paul Ekins then added a treble.

However, goals from the irrepressible Jed Brennan, Adam Cox and a Darren Taylor hat-trick ensured that Drayton Grange achieved a perfect record of five wins from five games.

Weedon also recorded a narrow win on the lengthy trip to Titchmarsh.

James Battersey, Lee Baldwin and Danny Wagstaff all scored for the hosts but the visitors held on for a 4-3 win.

Indeed, Titchmarsh’s defeat capped a poor day all round for teams in the eastern half of the county.

Leigh Butler scored twice for Ferrers who faced Walgrave for the first time since the cup final defeat last term.

As then, it was Walgrave who were victorious as goals from Mark Gardener, Reice Grey and a Jake Hinton brace put the game beyond Ferrers reach.

Jamie Bates netted for bottom side Great Doddington, but it got no better as Exiles romped to a 6-1 success, powered by pairs from Adam Russell and Dave Baker.

West Haddon meanwhile romped to a 7-0 win over FC Higham.

Elliot Grice grabbed two, while an own goal summed things up for the visitors.

Indeed, while Grange Park Rangers were ruthless in the derby win over SPA, this was the lowest scoring tie of the day with a “mere” five goals. Ryan Maloney was the pick of the scorers with two.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division Four

If Hellenic Fisher’s defence was as potent as striker Alex Williams then they would undoubtedly be challenging Borough Alliance at the top.

Williams netted twice more at the weekend alongside Ashley White, but their side was unable to record victory after allowing Desborough & Rothwell to score three their own.

Kane Robinson, Phil Chapman and Terry Baines all found the target for the hosts.

Borough Alliance moved further ahead at the top with victory over Higham Town. James Longley and Tom Robson found the net in the 2-0 win, and better news came from Abington Road where Kingswood held Albion Vikings to a 2-2 draw.

Corby Ravens had Steven Mitchell to thank for the win over Wilbarston as his brace ensured a 3-2 scoreline.

Gavin Ledgeway meanwhile was the Park Rovers hero, getting three in the comfortable win over Corby United.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Premier Division

Table-toppers Weldon found Milton a tough nut to crack in their first round tie, but managed to get the job done inside 90 minutes despite extra time looking likely.

Mark Field netted twice for Milton cancelling out efforts from Lee Bell and James Ferguson.

However Ferguson scored his second and Weldon’s third to ensure progress to the next round.

Harpole travelled to Kettering Nomads and came away victorious. The 4-1 margin was not as emphatic as the last time these two sides met but last season’s semi-finalists are out nevertheless.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Premier Division

With the leaders in cup action, both Bugbrooke A and Brixworth took advantage and climbed the table.

The Badgers were 6-0 victors over Moulton, while Brixworth eased to a 4-0 away win over Ringstead.

Daryl Moore and Callum Norfolk scored to give ON Chenecks A a first league win against fellow strugglers Roade, while Blisworth and Spencer played out a stalemate.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Division One

Five of the top six sides enjoyed wins over opposition struggling at the wrong end of the table.

Second-placed Welford crashed to a 3-0 home defeat to Wootton, a result that saw the visitors climb off the foot of the table.

Lee Greig scored twice for Stanion Quantum Print in the 3-1 success against Earls Barton.

The win maintains a three point advantage of Weldon A, victors against Everards. David O’Neill scored both Weldon goals.

Dan Hawkins scored for Heyford, but it was Corby Locos who emerged as winners with two strikes either side of the break.

Old Grammarians thumped Orchard Park 5-1 to climb to third. Kislingbury also ensured that Welford’s slip-up was punished by defeating Medbourne.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Division Two

The top four remain unchanged as each side won their respective matches.

Leaders Spratton recorded a second successive win with a 3-1 win at Finedon Volta, while Wilby edged past Titchmarsh 1-0.

Craig Turnbull netted the winner to leave Wilby just a point behind. An emphatic 8-2 win over Corby Hellenic saw West Haddon climb to third on goal difference.

Wollaston remain in touch after a 2-0 win over Harborough A.

Three goals from Rob Bradshaw and support from Andy Mullen (2) and Steven Church saw Redstar home to a six goal win over Stanwick Reserves.

Higham Town meanwhile ended a run of three straight defeats with a 2-0 success at Strip Mills.

NFA Lower Junior Cup

Victory is sweet, but revenge proved even sweeter for Daventry Comms.

Dumped out of the competition at the semi final stage last season by Rushden & Higham United, Comms faced the UCL side again in the first round and this time ran out 4-2 winners.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Star Award

Daventry Comms are this week’s winners for their 4-2 victory over UCL side Rushden & Higham United in the Lower Junior Cup.

Jack Harper led the way with four goals as FC Ryan Munich hit the goal trail in the NFA Sunday Shield, seeing off Sixfields Rangers 13-2.

Donovan Reed chipped in with a hat-trick, while Dan Spencer and Sam Duggan scored doubles, and they was one for Daniel Letts as well as an own goal.

Rangers’ consolations were scored by Adam Christini and James Hale.

FC Gallery Reserves were 3-2 winners over Peterborough Three Horseshoes thanks to two goals from Jordan Hornby and one from and Lewis Bentham, while Butcher Loco FC hammered Oakley Diamonds 10-2.

Jamie Wright and Andrew Eaton both hit hat-tricks, James Dean scored two and there was one apiece for Chris Cully and Wesley Jarvis.

Workhouse were indebted to goals from Ross Bartley (3), Dan Brown (2), Sean Bellham, James Sedgwick and Jamie Campbell as they tamed Peterborough Cardea Tigers 8-0, and Royals Reserves were 3-0 winners over Hackleton Reserves, with Tom Humphrey, Gary Fardon and Gary White on the mark.

South Northants eased to a 5-2 win over Newcottinham thanks to efforts from Martin Blackwell (2), Rob Wills, Rob Kirby and Dave Wright.

Division four took on division five, with the higher-ranked team coming out on top with Staples beating Abington Stanley 6-2.

Scott Griffiths led the way with four for Staples, with Dan Gray and Gareth Ferrio completing the scoring, while Richard Corless and Tomasz Swiergul replied for Stanley.

Windmill Warriors were 6-1 winners over Peterborough Halcyon as Jerry Moss (2), Adam Baptiste, Mark Pittam, Ross Jayes and Dean Mabee all found the net.

Obelisk United Reserves lost by 4-3 to Burton Grange despite efforts from Ashley Draper, Charlie Cox and Kofi Mayhew, while Jamie Dearing scoring Chilton’s consolation in their 5-1 defeat to AFC Casey’s Reserves.

Victoria Park Rangers Reserves netted thrpugh Luke Berkshire but lost 5-1 at Grendon Sapphires, while Hartwell Forest had their branches trimmed, being thumped 7-0 by Melbourne Arms.

Northampton Hotspur were edged out 4-3 by Nomads of Barrett’s, with Nomads scorers being Martin Kingsnorth (3) and Dave Williams.

Peterborough Indian Society hammered Thorplands Club 81 A (Lee Coles) while The District went down 1-0 to Peterborough City.

Spring Park crashed out 4-2 Bat & Wickets despite strikes from Chris Hill and Martin Cox, while Vesta FC also went out, 3-2 at the hands of Wellingborough Phoenix Reserves. Jason Bromwell and John West scored for Vesta.

Ken Parker Cup

First round of our league cups, and the first shock was caused by Midshire Electrical who kept a clean sheet with their 4-0 win over premier division side Blakesley.

Josh Roberts, Cory Roberts, Lee Moore and Nathan Davies striking home singles for Midshire.

Monks Park WMC knocked out St Margaret’s. Park were 2-0 down at one stage to come back to win 3-2. Ross Harris and Jimmy Emefunu scored for Maggies with Park winning it thanks to an own goal and efforts from Eliot Muddiman and Tom Townsend.

AC Squirrels go into the hat after winning 5-3 over visitors The Sunnyside. Ryan Brown 2 and Dan Healey for the Sunnyside.

Manfield Rangers and Fox & Hounds went all the way to penalties. At 90 minutes it was 3-3, and after 120 it was 4-4. Jack Rayment, Alex Willett, Gavin Harding and Ben Chambers scored for Rangers, with Barry Swan, Sam Wright, Jacob Gartland and brother Joe Gartland levelling it up, before Fox & Hounds won the penalty shoot-out 3-1.

Parker Cup Sponsored by KCS

Andy Hall hit six as AFC Dee thrashed Brafield 10 -0. Also on the mar were Aaron O’Leary (3) and Adam Russell.

Crown & Cushion Reserves hit Obelisk United for six of the best, with doubles from Justin Ayre and Luke Abrahams and singles for Conner Botterill and Grant Murphy.

The next two ties produced six-goal hauls.

Devonshire Club notched a 6-1 win over Collingtree. Keith Finson netted for the visitors with Max Payne, Tim Lyman, Darren Wright (2) and Richie Bostock (2) on the mark for Club.

Golden Horse were 6-4 winners against Billing United thanks to goals from Anthony Kirby (2), Darren Andrews (2), Ashley Gale and 16-year-old Mathew Gale.

Billing’s replies camde from Nathan Loudon (2), Nathan Finley and Liam Fox.

JWC Athletic run riot as they battered Monks Park WMC Reserves 11-1. Their goals were scored by Greg Crane (4), James Moore (2), Delroy Kilborn (2), Andre Lyburd (2) and Curtis Norris. Courtney Brown scored for the Workies.

Duston & Diamonds travelled to village side Roade and returned with what they went for, a 2-0 win, with Craig Merrick scoring both goals.

Spartak FC run FC Locomotiv Moulton off the rails, just sneaking a 3-2 win. Rich Elson, Liam Norton and Ben Wright to put Spartak through to the next round, with Chris Fury and Kyle Daniels hitting back.

Victoria Park Rangers could not hold the division one side Sunnyside Corinthians Reserves and went down 5-1. Sam French scored for Rangers but his effort was swamped by Lee McConnell (2), Tom Anscomb (2), Zac Ward and Adam Quigley.

Premier Division

Only one game played in the Premier this week, and the spoils were shared as Dynamo drew 2-2 with James King Blisworth. Ian Caldwell and Dean Lukeman netted for Dynamo and Ross Arndell and Andrew Seaton for James King.

Division One

AFC Houghton Magna close the gap on leaders Harpole, whose game was postponed, thanks to a 4-0 home win over Thorplands Club 81.

Houghton scorers were Alex Smith, Paul Dempsey, Ian Dickson and Dean Humphrey.

FC Polish Champions just miss out on a point in a nine goal thriller but MDS Rangers net a win of 5-4

Tomasz Semik bagged two and Damian Janisz and Krzysztof Maziarz singles for Polish Champions, and for the Rangers the scorers were Danuals Newby (2), Niall Duffy, Paul Goodall and James Brown

Division Two

Howdenbeath pick up maximum points and keep a clean sheet at home with a 4-0 win over AC Squirrels Reserves.

Doing the business for Beath were Darren Wright (2), James McDermott and Craig Bounds.

St Margaret’s A batter home side Thorplands Club 81 Res 8-1. George Everson hit a single for Club 81, with Luke Manning (4), Jason Martin (2), Ashley Inwood and Dan Carley winning it for Maggies.

Division Three

Zedi United picked up their first maximum pointer with a 2-1 at Wootton Fields thanks to strikes from Luke Harris and Rob Stockton. Fields replied through Danny Armsby.

Nene FC’s game with Manfield Rangers Reserves was abandoned after 39 minutes due to injury to a player.

Division Four

James Mason with two and a Shaun Wilkes single secured a 3-1 win for FC Gallery at Standens Maestro (Scott Hardy).

Star Award

Midshire Electrical are this week’s winners for their 4-0 win over premier division side Blakesley.

HOT nights – and days – battling big cats! That was life on the Spanish Main (main River Ebro that is) for six town lads. Nathan Farrell, Dave Chamberlain, Tony Granfield, Rob York, James Blanchard and Ian Bowler landed 
nine super moggies up to 172lb – with a further five escaping.

With the experience a quantum leap removed from their local haunts, will they go back again? “You bet. We’ve already booked for next year,” said Dave.

Castle Ashby’s AT league opener saw Starlets blast off in devastating style leaving – yet again – six other sides wondering just what they have to do to catch up.

Starlets had 60 points, ‘Ashby A 46 and Royal 
Mail Chiltern Baits 37. At the other end of the table Maver MK got the wooden spoon on 32. ‘Ashby A’s Chris Garrett had boss weight, 62-5 of silverfish, ahead of ‘Ashby Youth’s Mick Whaddenham 46-8 (both on Scotland pond) with Starlets’ Darren Bickerton on 36-1 (‘brickyard).

Tributes have been coming in for Gilders Tackle co-proprietor Julian Davis, who died last week.

Though battling a serious illness for almost a year, he had been believed to be recovering when his sudden death left younger brother and co-business owner Tim, their families, and all in the firm’s Wellingborough 
Road and Kettering shops, stunned.

“He’d been fishing on the Thursday and had eight trout at Grafham, so he was fishing right to the end – which is something,” said Tim. “We thought he’d 
turned the corner, so this is a terrible shock despite his illness.”

Julian, 62, took over the business from his late father, Ray, in the late 70s and had, over several decades, become a popular member of the England Flyfishers Association and was widely respected in both the angling and shooting worlds. A real all-rounder, he was at home whether after trout, tench, salmon in Scotland, or on a North Sea ‘shop outing’. He will be sadly missed by many, myself included. His funeral is due to be held on Wednesday, October 24, at Milton Crem, starting 11.45am.

White Hart Flore reckon Tofts didn’t fish well for them – but their top three still totalled more than 300lb as Dave Griffiths had 117lb, Dave Gibson 110lb and Terry Adams 90lb.

CASTLE Ashby, Saturday, ‘brickyard: Mick Hewlett 62-6, Keith Bishop 61-14, Doug Jamieson 54-4.

GLEBE, Jubilee pools: Ian Beard 13lb, Paul Latter 8-1, Kelvin MacIlhinney 7-4.

CASTLE points final, Crescent lake: Paul Lafflin 9-12, John Lewis 7-8, Jeff Rice 6-8. Series result: Alf Gillard 77, Rice 68, Lafflin 59.

NENE winter open, Yardley cut: Tom Grainey 8-9, Norman Bradshaw 8-5, Derek Reeney 7-15.

TOWCESTER open, Castlethorpe cut: Mick Goodridge 7-8, Tosh Saunders 4-7-8, Paul Robinson 3-12-8.

LITTLE Harrowden, Ringsted shallows, Nene: Jim Broadbent 7-5, Mick Dudley 7lb, Ken Taylor 6-4.

FLORE & Brockhall, B’all bridge cut: Jim Tanser 5-4 (all hooked in the right end this week), Rob Rawlins 3-1, Steve Smith 2-14.

FINEDON, Heyford Fishery: Steve Dunnell 1-9, Max Beck 1-7, Dave Ross/Nick Whitnell both 0-12-0. Oops.

FIXTURES: Sunday, Bairstows open 07915 613862; Saturday and Sunday, Northampton Specimen Group carp open, Stanwick, 07565 420496.

CATCHES or matches to report? Tell Trevor Johnson at angling@intermediauk.com or on 01908 270000.

RUGBY & Northampton AC’s Angela Copson has been named female masters athlete of the year by the European Veterans Athletic Association.

Competing in the W65 category, Copson set world record age-group records f0r 1500m (5.30.7), 5,000m (20.13.23) and 10,000m (41.40.27) and gold in the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m at the European Veterans Championships in Germany.

Park Avenue gained their second Northampton Table Tennis League Premier Division maximum in a row when they thrashed Malcolm Arnold Owls.

Hat-tricks came from Gerald Henson, Andy Wood and Jamie Chamberlain with the latter pair also combining to win the final doubles against John Askey and Aaron Lee.

This big win takes them to the top of the table, although this may give a false impression as already there have been three postponed matches and two teams have yet to play.

Malcolm Arnold A, who have their eyes on winning the title this season, had a shock in their local derby encounter with Malcolm Arnold Magpies when although Aiden Smith gave them a good lead with his hat-trick.

Henry Arthur and Lee O’Boyle hit back with two wins apiece and Aaron Moore with one win.

Brian Harradine won his game against Moore so, with the doubles to play, the Magpies led 5-4.

The A team brought in Andy Trott to play alongside Aiden in the final event and this proved to be influential as they beat Aaron and Lee 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 to force a 5-5 draw.

In division one, Gayton had an 8-2 win over Headlands Hawks with Martin Wilson and David Ewen recording hat-tricks.

Headlands Hares continued their good start to their division two season with a 10-0 win against their Herons team.

RESULTS - Premier Division: Malcolm Arnold Magpies 5 (Henry Arthur 2, Lee O’Boyle 2, Aaron Moore 1) Malcolm Arnold ‘A’ 5 (Aiden Smith 3, Brian Harradine 1, Aaron Ark 0); Kingsley B 5 (Andy Harrison 3, Andy Law 1, Tony Wharton 1) DCA Dragons 5 (David Gibbons 2, Keith Lucas 2, Paul Nichols 0); Park Avenue 10 (Gerald Henson 3, Andy Wood 3, Jamie Chamberlain 3) Malcolm Arnold Owls 0 (John Askey 0, Aaron Lee 0, Mike Ainsworth 0)

Division One: Gayton 8 (Martin Wilson 3, David Ewen 3, Jim Brogan 1) Headlands Hawks 2 (Bhanu Chadalavada1, Alan Creed 1), MAC 4 (Ben Toombs 3, Cezary Ras 1) MAB 6 (Patrick Proske 2, David George 2, Ryan Haskins 1), ACC A 4 (Dave Long 1, Pete Gibbs 1, Chris Gibbs 1) DCA Panthers 6 (Jonathan Edlund 3, Guy Sparrow 3)

Division Two: Headlands Hares 10 (Trevan Vase 3, Dev Sundarranandan 3, Graham Shaw 3) Headlands Herons 0, Headlands Otis 0 ACC B 10 (Morris Freeman 3, Don Fraser 3, Dan Archer 3), Malcolm Arnold Eagles 2 (Gerry Houghton 1) Headlands Hornets 8 (Gwyn Powell 3, Trevor Little 3, Bert Bane 2)

Stephen Myler will play at full-back as Saints strive to maintain their winning start to the Heineken Cup campaign against Castres in Toulouse tomorrow night (Fri).

James Wilson has failed to recover from the injury he picked up in last weekend’s win over Glasgow, and with Ben Foden missing long-term due to his ankle injury, Myler switches from 10 to 15, with Ryan Lamb stepping in to play at fly-half.

Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder is expecting a tough game in France, and isn’t overly happy the fixture comes hot omn the heels of Sunday’s clash with Warriors.

“The tournament scheduling has not been particularly kind to us in the first two rounds, and having just five days to prepare for a tough match is certainly not ideal,” said Mallinder.

“Having played Castres in both of our last two Heineken Cup campaigns we have an idea of what to expect – some big runners, strong set piece work and accurate goal kicking.

“We also know how difficult Castres are to play at home. They have not lost in front of their own fans this season, and even though the game is in Toulouse they will still be very difficult to beat.

However we are going to France in good spirits after showing our character last Sunday to fight back and secure a bonus point win, and we will be doing everything we can to get the positive result we want.”

Saints team: Stephen Myler; Ken Pisi, George Pisi, Dom Waldouck,Vasily Artemyev; Ryan Lamb, Lee Dickson; Soane Tonga’uiha, Dylan Hartley, Brian Mujati, Samu Manoa, Courtney Lawes, Phil Dowson, Tom Wood, Rhys Oakley. Replacements: Mike Haywood, Alex Waller, Paul Doran-Jones, Mark Sorenson, GJ Van Velze, Martin Roberts, Tom May, Scott Armstrong.

Michael Schumacher has made it clear he will not be competing in any form of motorsport - either on four wheels or two - once he retires completely from Formula One at the end of the year.

Schumacher, who drives for the Brackley-based Mercedes team, announced a fortnight ago he would be bowing out of F1 for a second time once the current campaign draws to a conclusion in just over five weeks’ time.

But unlike his sabbatical away from the sport over a three-year period from 2007-2009 when the 43-year-old took part in a number of bike events, notably the German superbike championship, he has no intention of doing something similar on this occasion.

Asked by Gazzetta dello Sport about racing in other series or events, Schumacher said: “No, it’s not in my plans.

“Formula One offers the maximum as far as emotions, speed and work completeness are concerned.

“Another type of car wouldn’t give me the same feelings. I’m stopping here completely.”

Now Schumacher has made up his mind to stop, the German has admitted to a feeling of relief, and adamant there are no regrets despite his failed comeback over the last three years with Mercedes.

“From now on life will offer me plenty of new possibilities. I’m looking forward to them,” said seven-times champion Schumacher.

“If I look into my life’s rear-view mirror, I find myself happy and smiling.

“I’ve had two distinct careers: one where I won everything, and a second one where I discovered what losing means.

“Yes, I’ve learned how to lose, but this has made me more mature and more patient too, partly thanks to my age.

“Today I have to consider what I have done overall and I’m satisfied with myself.”

“Northamptonshire is open for business” was the message at a summit attracting more than 200 representatives from county companies.

The annual Northamptonshire Business Summit took place at Kettering Conference Centre yesterday, featuring a keynote speech from 1992 Olympic cycling gold medallist Chris Boardman.

Hosted by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), the event also launch a new round of funding, worth more £260,000, aimed at supporting growth in small and medium-sized enterprises. The INV-ENT initiative will support the creation of 80 jobs and 40 apprenticeships in the county.

Paul Southworth, chairman of NEP, said: “The key message is we are open for business and we are bucking the national trend. There is a lot of energy, optimism and confidence for business here.

“Thanks to the core funding from the county council, we have been able to launch projects which have supported the creation of more than 1,000 jobs, and we have attracted 10 new businesses through inward investment. And we have 1,500 jobs in the pipeline with the people we are talking to.

“We have leveraged £6 million of public funding and £6 million of private money, and add to that the Northampton Alive project and the regeneration project for the town centre.

“The business community really believes in and supports us, and they are grateful for the support NEP is giving them.”

Mr Boardman, winner of Britain’s inaugural gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, took to the stage to explain his own proven methods of achieving personal excellence and building effective teams.

He told the audience about his journey from a non-academic child to an Olympic champion, and said it was “an absolute obsession with being better”.

Mr Boardman also talked extensively about his Boardman Bikes business, and the obsessive attention to detail and hard work of his team.

Mr Boardman said 80 per cent of his life was consumed with supplying the equipment to the Olympic cyclists, who went on to achieve such success at the Olympics in London.

Speaking about his business success, he said: “I think everyone has life lessons and you apply them. I don’t do things until I am interested in them.”

And on the country’s Olympic success, he said: “We’re not quite sure what to do with it! We are used to being the underdog, but we held the games and arguably did it better than anyone else before. I think we can spend a good year enjoying it.”

Injury-hit Towcestrians survived a tense finish to seal a 17-12 victory over Newark in 
Midlands One East.

A fiery game started badly for Tows as late injury problems continued, resulting in Joe Chambers’ recall from the development team’s trip to Olney to play at tight head.

The match started in familiar fashion with Tows’ injury-riddled pack struggling to keep possession so they were forced to put up a dogged defence to protect their line, however the weight of the attack eventually told as Newark fly half Danny Coen crossed under the posts.

He then missed the conversion, was this to prove costly later on in the game?

With limited possession, Tows still looked dangerous through the probing of stand in fly half Mark Yeates. The opportunity then showed itself, Number eight Craig Holton held off tackles in a tight situation on the touch line to release young winger Gus Hopewell to race in. The score remained at 5-5 going into half-time.

After the break, Tows began to stretch the heavier Newark pack across the field gradually wearing them down, prop Chambers deciding to go blind and with overlaps to the sides charged over to score on the line.

This was then followed by captain Liam Wilkinson who bundled over the line under the posts to score a further try. Yuill converted.

Tows now looked completely in control of proceedings, but attacking deep in Newark’s half saw a pass go directly to their winger and captain Chris Tate who sprinted three quarters of the pitch to score.

This was converted by Coen to set up a frantic finish.

Towcestrians IIs went down to a strong performance from Olney IIs.

Peterborough 16 Old Northamptonians 40

Old Northamptonians made light work of Peterborough as they swept to a 40-16 bonus-point victory.

Man-of-the-match Kieron O’Connor shone for the visitors and chipped in with a try in each half.

Lewis Bodily also went over twice, with Alex Rose converting all four and kicking four penalties, including one from 40 metres.

The ONs’ second string also racked up 40 points as they saw off Peterborough IIs 41-17.

The club’s fourth string drew 12-12 with Royal Anglian Regiment in a Help for Heroes charity match.

Northampton BBOB 33 Kenilworth 24

BBOB were edged out of a thrilling Intermediate Cup contest at home to Kenilworth 33-24.

Kenilworth took early control as BB could not cope, with Kenilworth’s right winger a constant danger. The visitors led 14-3 at half-time.

Kenilworth added to their advantage with the try of the game when they moved the ball sweetly between forwards and backs.

BB suffered a further blow when lock Sam Miller was sin-binned and Kenilworth stretched their lead with another converted try.

Kenilworth looked to run everything but came unstuck when a pass was intercepted, resulting in a try for David Abraham.

But back came Kenilworth and their star winger was heavily involved in the team’s next try, which was converted to make it 33-10.

BB fought their way back with converted tries from Tom Shaul and Dan George, but BB had given themselves too much to do.

Mens Own 21 Kesteven 40

A poor start proved costly as Mens Own were knocked out of the Senior Vase after a 40-21 defeat to Kesteven.

Own didn’t get going until the 25th minute 
after they were already 19-0 down.

Own started to dominate the scrums and the driving play and were worthy of a try, but it was Kesteven who scored again to go in at half-time 26-0 ahead.

That lead increased to 33-0 before Own scored a fine try of their own by Gareth Hughes, converted by Matt Brace to make it 33-7.

Kesteven went over again, but it was Own who finished the better and encouraging play from the backs resulted in tries for Danny Golden and Stuart Brown. Brace converted both.

Old Scouts 33 Earlsdon 22

Tom Powell produced a match-winning performance to inspire Old Scouts to a 31-22 win over Earlsdon in the Intermediate Cup.

Scouts’ other tries in a reasonably comfortable win came from Richard Bussy, Matt Brown and Jordan Dolman.

Scouts introduced another product of their mini/junior section when 18- year-old Joe Martin came on for his senior debut.

Brackley IIs 33 Heathens 26

Heathens travelled to Brackley to take on their second string in a friendly that saw Heathens’ forward dominance just failing to overcome the youthful Brackley back line in a 33-26 defeat.

Heathens got off to a flyer with a try from Tony Hazell.

The visitors managed to starve Brackley of any useful possession until the 20-minute mark when a well-converted try saw Brackley take the lead.

They soon added another seven-pointer until Heathens responded on 36 minutes when another lineout drive put Pete Evans in for a try, well converted by Gavin Cottrell.

The second half saw the game ended as a true rugby match when Brackley were forced to request uncontested scrums which negated the Heathens’ dominance in that area.

This worked in Brackley’s favour and three further tries sealed the win. Heathens scored second-half tries through Daryl Richards and Mark Evans, but the earlier switch proved crucial.

West Brom have enjoyed a superb start to their Premier League season and I’m expecting them to pick up at least a point against Manchester City at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Four wins from four home games this season hasn’t stopped the bookmakers from offering monster prices on a Baggies win (21/5 BetVictor).

But I’m all over bet365’s 11/4 on the game finishing as a draw.

This is the perfect time to be playing City. Roberto Mancini’s team have stuttered on the road so far this season, while it’s fair to say they will be suffering from something of an international hangover, particularly with England’s game being delayed a day.

So far, City have struggled to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage and have been held to draws by Liverpool and Stoke City. And when you bear in mind the Baggies’ superb home record, it’s hard to understand why bookmakers are happy to offer almost 3/1 on a draw.

The last time these sides played at the same ground it ended as a stalemate and I’m fully expecting history to repeat itself here.

Cobblers to pile misery on Barnet

Cobblers look good value at 7/5 (BetVictor) to beat winless Barnet at Underhill on Friday night.

Edgar Davids’ shock arrival failed to give Barnet the quick lift they were hoping for... It was business as usual on the pitch as they were hammered 4-1 by Plymouth at home last Saturday.

To me it seems a bit crazy to offer 7/5 on Cobblers beating a side who haven’t won in the league and conceded an average of two goals per game. Get on it.

Saints on drift despite Glasgow win

Saints’ unconvincing Heineken Cup win over Glasgow has seen them drift to 11/10 to top pool 4 with BetVictor. Irish big boys Ulster are now the 10/11 favourites (from 6/4) to top the group.

Stan James offer the industry-best price (22/1) on Northampton going all the way.

Levein tipped for Scotland exit

Craig Levein is 1/9 with McBookie.com not to be in charge of Scotland for their next World Cup qualifier against Wales in March 
after the 2-0 defeat against Belgium.

Levein is 5/1 to still be manager for the game, but the next Scotland boss market has already seen plenty of movement.

Gordon Strachan is the 9/4 favourite with BetVictor to take the job.

Monday morning dawns damp, dark and dismal. Far from being a strawberries and cream day, a late breakfast of porridge is being served just off court at Dallington LTC.

The message which rings out is a simple one, namely that tennis is, and will remain, an all year round sport.

Mid-October mornings in the wet might not be an obvious first choice for most in possession of a racket, but contrary to expectation, coaching continues in the drizzle outside. Add the fact that much of the day’s preliminary discussion is of Heather Watson’s victory in the Japan Open the day before, the first British woman to win a WTA title for 24 years, and you have a healthy rounded picture.

Coaches James Haley and Steve Biss form the access squad performance programme Excel Tennis. It has just begun its first term working with many of the county’s best junior players at the headquarters of Northants tennis, within the King’s Park Centre on Moulton Park.

The timing of its introduction has been helped by recent sponsorship input of £5,000 by Ravensden PLC into the Northants junior structure which should help bring other coaches into play, so both Haley and Biss are enthusiastic about the future. Both have coaching roots around clubs at Dallington and County LTC respectively, but have been given the chance by Ben Whittaker, the manager at King’s Park, to spread their wings and utilise the indoor facilities more fully.

It is a liaison they appreciate and hope will prove a springboard for many of Northants’ most talented performers. After all, it is ultimately all about the kids...

Haley says: “We have always played a supporting role at King’s Park going back 
to when Tennis Midlands 
was put in charge a few years ago. Now we have six squads a week working with around 50 kids between the ages of 6-18 and are holding a Talent ID Day in November for mini players who have a 2005 or 2006 year of birth date.”

At the older end of the spectrum are players such as Lloyd Read and Rachel Kings while the more competitive edge, in terms of numbers, is to be found among the youngsters.

To this end, former County junior Julie Shaw, who played national singles herself as Julie White, is likely to feature strongly as part of the coaching development arm, while having a girl coach in the mix seems likely to address an area where Northants has traditionally struggled.

As Haley points out, neither he nor Biss, enter the ‘spring chicken’ category, remarking: “It was 22 years ago when I started at KLV (Kettering Leisure Village).”

Biss, also from Burton Latimer, can boast coaching credentials almost as far-reaching in the longevity stakes stretching back to 1993 and both believe that is an advantage.

“The word consistency is important in what we are setting out to achieve,” says Haley.

Access of players is the key focal point, for while the King’s Park ethos is still to build a club of its own, Excel Tennis is not about to betray its own roots by luring players away from their home clubs.

“Players are coming to us from as far afield as Brackley and Stony Stratford but must be having at least one individual lesson a week with their lead coach and must attend at least one performance squad per week with their home club or centre.”

High on the Excel Tennis ethic is a desire to work hard for any rewards which might eventually arrive on court. The point is pressed home: ‘if you don’t want to work hard, Excel squads are not for you!’

It seems the wonderful world of winter coaching and tennis has perhaps appropriately enough, an ‘iceberg’ mentality. Just because you can only see 25 per cent above the surface or outside, doesn’t mean it isn’t actually there.

It’s there alright.

Dallington LTC is hosting a mini red tournament this Sunday for eight, nine and ten year-olds. Young tennis players with an eye for the ball should ring Haley on 0774 7785344.

JUST over two years ago, Macmillan Cancer Support came to us to ask for our support to raise £1.55 million for a new cancer treatment unit at Northampton General Hospital. We were delighted to do so.

And even more delighted when the new, state-of-the-art haemotology unit was officially opened this week by the Countess of Halifax, Macmillan president.

The charity appeal started when a patient gave a donation after he was treated at the old unit, which was too small and needed improving. An incredible succession of fund-raising events followed with Chron readers taking the appeal to their heart.

Donations ranged from a few pounds from a coffee morning to many thousands of pounds from high-profile events such as the Strictly Northampton dance competition.

As the money rolled in, Macmillan was able to instruct builders and the work began.

Nurses moved in to their new unit a few months ago and are delighted with the modern facilities, which make treating life-threatening conditons a more pleasant experience for both medical staff and patients.

Another £300,000 is needed to complete the project but we have no doubt that our readers will finish the job.

If the current Saints squad were asked to list their achievements in the game, only one could write the words ‘Heineken Cup winner’.

Dom Waldouck was part of the Wasps side which conquered Europe in 2007, beating Saints in the semi-final before slaying Leicester Tigers in the showpiece.

And, consequently, the centre, who was 19 at the time, knows exactly what ingredients are needed to cook up a storm in the competition.

“Consistency,” said Waldouck when asked to reveal the recipe for Heineken Cup success. “You can’t have a day off because the teams are so good in it, they’re ruthless.

“You’ve got to be consistent in your performance, you can’t lose games. You’ve got to win your home games and you’ve got to push teams away as well.

“The challenge is the intensity and the increase in competition and quality of the teams.”

Waldouck and his Saints team-mates head to Toulouse on Friday night, looking to claim their second win in as many games in this season’s competition, against Castres.

And the clash conjures up sweet memories for the 25-year-old centre.

He explained: “Funnily enough we had Castres in our group when we won the Heineken Cup in 2007 and the victory down there to go through the group stages was a very important one.

“It was us and Castres who went through and we managed to beat them away to get that home quarter-final spot.

“It’s a great competition and you always want to do well in it.”

If Saints are to progress from pool 4, they will need to show their steel on the road.

And with a tricky trip to Ulster lying in wait, as well as a visit to Scotland to take on Glasgow Warriors, Jim Mallinder’s men will be eager to get early points on the board.

But Castres, despite being the lowest ranked team in the pool, won’t be an easy proposition.

And Waldouck recognises the importance of getting on top early as Saints aim to end the Top 14 team’s 100 per cent home record.

“It’s a huge challenge to go to France and get a result,” he said. “It will be a hostile crowd down there and it will be a tough challenge. They’ve got a good side.

“We’ll have to silence them early on and put our game plan into action in order to get a result down there. We’re aware of the challenge in hand.

“With any French side, as soon as you let them get their heads in front and get their crowd behind them it heightens the challenge.

“It’s important for us to establish ourselves early on, silence that crowd and then push on from there.”

And if they can do that, Saints will be one step closer to sampling the feeling Waldouck enjoyed five years ago.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “It’s a sweet competition to win.”

Cobblers defender Anthony Charles believes the presence of Edgar Davids in the Barnet dug-out will have a positive effect on the npower League Two strugglers.

And Charles, who returns to Bees, for whom he played from 2005-07, on Friday night, has urged the Underhill players to soak up as much information as they can from the Dutchman, who is the club’s joint manager alongside Mark Robson.

Town go to Barnet bidding to win a third game on the bounce for the first time this season following their victories over Colchester United and Exeter City.

The home side are in terrible form - they have taken just three points from their 12 league games so far and have failed to win a single match this season.

But Charles believes former Ajax and Juventus midfielder Davids will start to have an influence on the players soon.

“Having him (Davids) there will give the club a bit more exposure and I’m sure it will mean more people will go through the gates to watch them play.

“People of my generation are fully aware of the player he was and he’s now looking to start his career in management, which he has been given a chance to do so at Barnet.

“He has a lot of experience and the players there will do well to listen to what he’s got to say because he’s got a lot of knowledge and there is a lot to learn from somebody like that.

“His presence there will be beneficial to them all.”

The match between Northampton and Barnet is the only league two fixture to take place on Friday night, and Aidy Boothroyd’s side can jump into the play-off places with three points.

For Charles the game has added significance as it is against one of his former clubs, although there won’t be many people at Underhill to remind the centre-back of his time there.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve been there and when you go back to one of your previous clubs you always want to get a positive result,” he said.

“Other than Paul Fairclough, who was the manager when I was there and who is now the director of football, the staff have all completely changed.

“It’s pretty much just the name and the surroundings that I know there.”

Northants Titans claimed the town bragging rights as they beat rivals Northants Thunder 8-58 in the EBL Under 14 Boys Midlands Conference clash at the Northants Baskteball Centre on Saturday morning.

It was an early start for the Titans as they travelled to Northampton School for Girls to take on Thunder.

With Keenan Salmon, Hayden Alcindor and Scott Moore away on East Midlands duty, it seemed the remaining Titans would need to work hard to make up for the gaps on the bench.

This proved to be exactly what happened as they settled down and found their rhythm.

The first six minutes saw Titans go on an impressive 18-2 run with Trei St Vie Hutchinson causing mayhem for a weak Thunder defence.

Thunder tried to fight back when Titans seemed to take their foot off the gas, but the first quarter ended 20-10 to Titans.

A team talk certainly got the Titans back on track in the second quarter, ensuring that Thunder, starved of chances ‘in the paint’, were only able to score three baskets during the whole 10 minutes.

At half time the score was 42-16 (Trei Hutchinson laying claim to 22 points).

The third and fourth quarters saw the Titans rotate their bench more fully allowing everyone to show what they could do, including three special guests from the under 13 squad.

All in all an excellent day’s work for the boys in purple ending the derby as 80-58 winners.

Hutchinson and ‘Bosh’ Farrar both fouled out in the fourth but scored 26 and 13 respectively.

Not far behind was Charteris on 10 and Omoyeni and Smithers both scoring eight.

The Titans will be hoping to maintain their form next week when they face Thunder again on home soil.

EBL Under 16 Boys Premier Division North

Northants Thunder 59 Northamptonshire Titans 68

A tough derby saw Titans take a third straight victory in a row.

In a game that many would say was called by the referees, both teams had to contend the calls as well as each other.

They both overcame this and played the game aggressively.

The first quarter saw the Titans run the wings, which has proved successful in their games so far.

An early lead of 18-12 was not enough to keep Thunder at bay, and a comeback in the second saw Thunder level at half-time.

Thunder continued fighting back leaving Titans’ defence bare at times.

But the fourth quarter saw Titans find another gear, taking control in the last five minutes over a fatigued Thunder team.

Titans earned the bragging rights with a 69-58 victory over Thunder.

Sharif St John top scored with 22, followed by Timi Gril with 14 and Reuben David with 10.

The under 16’s play in Birmingham in two weeks to hopefully continue their winning streak.

EBL Womens National Cup

Bromsgrove Bears 42 Northamptonshire Titans 60

Titans women made the short journey to Bromsgrove.

Only fielding six players, the Titan women were expecting a tough afternoon.

It was captain Angelina Browne who dominated in both paints and was a constant thorn in the side for the Bromsgrove Bears throughout, with Titans taking a 31-25 half time lead into the locker room.

The third quarter saw both teams trade baskets and missed opportunities, and with only a six point lead going into the fourth, Bears must have believed they could turn the game around.

But Titans’ new recruits of Esme Kinghorn and Yvette Williams came to the forefront, and with Sascha Thompson sparking an 11-2 run with her trade mark 3 point shot, Titans put the game out of reach and sealed the game winning 60-42.

Browne had an impressive double double with 32 points and a massive 21 rebounds, she was well supported by Kinghorn with 13 and Williams with 10.

Coach Barry Powell said: “This was a real team effort. We may have been light on personnel, but we showed good strength in character to grind out this result.”

EBL VCARS.co.uk Division Three Men South

Northamptonshire Titans 69 Ipswich Tomcats 105

Titans men’s squad couldn’t handle the size of an impressive Ipswich side who will have a major impact on division three this season.

Titans started well enough, showing significant improvement on last week’s performance in Hackney, keeping the game tight in the early stages.

But as the game went on, Titans had no answer for Ipswich’s 7’0” centre Leigh Greenan, who ended up with 24 points and 20 rebounds in a dominant display.

They also had no answer to an Ipswich team that shot 68 per cent from the field including 50 per cent from three-point range meaning they continually edged further away from the home side.

Ttians by contrast had a disappointing display, shooting only 34 per cent as they still try to find cohesion as the squad comes together, too often trying for shots early in the shot clock.

There were positive signs of progress however from the inexperienced Titans squad, turnovers were down and Abraham Twumasi began to show what he can offer with 13 points,

Benjy Henry started to look like the player of old with 12 points and 14 rebounds but it was Danny Barrett with 19 points who led the resistance for the home side.

Next weekend offers another chance to get the season off and running with a double header, as they travel to Oxford on Saturday, and welcome local rivals Northants Thunder to Weavers in the National Shield on Sunday.

Fixtures

Saturday, October 20

12.30pm: Titans Under 13 Boys v Bucks Hornets at Weavers Leisure Centre, Wellingborough

2.30pm: Titans Under 14 Boys v Northants Thunder at Weavers Leisure Centre, Wellingborough

4pm: Titans Women’s team away v Cardif Archers II at UWIC

5.30pm: Titans Men’s team away v Oxford Brookes Uni in Oxford

Sunday, October 21

2.30pm: Titans Under 15 Boys v YH Leicester Dynamite at Weavers Leisure Centre, Wellingborough

5.30pm: Titans Men’s team v Northants Thunder in the National Shield at Weavers Leisure Centre, Wellingborough

Beautiful in every way, just about sums up the English National Ballet’s rendition of The Sleeping Beauty currently showing at Milton Keynes Theatre.

To marvel at Nicholas Georgiadis’ costumes alone, it is worth seeing the fairy tale brought to life with exquisite dancing, and choreography from Kenneth MacMillan and Marious Petipas, all played out to one of Tchaikovsky’s most ingenious of scores.

But it is of course the dancing which is the real delight.

When Petipa was premiered in 1980, mime played a much more significant part in ballet than it does today, thus the dancing is infused with much expression and subtle story-telling.

It is with great prowess that the dancers stretch the capabilities of the human body to the extreme as they tell the tale of Princess Aurora.

Good and evil struggle against one another as Carabosse, the evil queen, struggles against the Lilac Fairy, over the fate of Aurora’s life, following that fated finger prick on a spindle.

Daria Klimentova is particularly noteworthy in the role of the Lilac Fairy, as was the remarkable Tamara Rojo as Princess Aurora, demonstrating technical mastery with elegant grace, although every single dancer deserved praise.

It is a four act production, with some of the most stunning technical flourishes left for the final act, where the Prince and Aurora’s wedding is celebrated with an array of dance spectaculars.

All accompanied by the stunning English National Ballet orchestra.

The Sleeping Beauty is a feast for eyes and ears in every way, which definitely casts a spell.

At Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, for further information visit: www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre.

James Askew clinched Northampton GC’s Stanhope Cup in style as the experienced golfer birdied the final two holes to beat Colin King with a net 68.

In the final major event of the 2012 season, King also birdied the 17th hole, but could only make a par down the last as he missed out on countback.

Third place went to Adrian Peacock, who achieved the rare feat of carding gross birdies on all four par three holes in a net 69.

Kingsthorpe

John Atkinson had a weekend he will never forget as he won the October Medal with a stunning round of net 62 on Saturday, and then became a dad overnight.

The nine-handicapper, who was ready to leave the course at any stage if he received news of an imminent arrival, kept his focus to finish two ahead of Paul Walters in the top division.

Countback was needed in the second section as Andrew Tanner marked his return to the club by edging out Jonathan Riddle with a net 66.

Brampton Heath

Two separate bursts of three consecutive gross pars helped 19-handicapper Keith Thompson shoot the winning round in the first Winter Series event.

With a tally of 40 points, Thompson needed countback to secure the honours after finishing tied with Martin Bonham and John Schofield.

Ted Earl did most of his best work early on during the seventh round of the Senior Golfer of the Year as he shot the leading score of net 68.

Ian Hall, who has finished in the top six in his last four SGOY comps, picked up the runners-up prize, thanks to a 69.

Cold Ashby

Daniel Payne wasted little time in recording his first club success of the season as he carded a superb net 62 in the October Medal to clinch a debut victory in 2012.

Fellow high-handicapper Ashley Lloyd was also in good touch with a 64, the second division went to Jim Burberry (65), while James Gibson (65) was successful in the top category.

Six shots was Jayne Neale’s margin of victory in the Ladies Medal thanks to a net 67, while Neil Entwistle and Josh Entwistle (34 points) secured the Father and Son Tournament by one.

Staverton

Andy Sant’s consistency proved decisive in the Weedon Motors Cup as he held off the challenge of Michael Franklin and Michael Moran.

The eight-handicapper carded a dozen pars and six bogeys to nudge one clear of Franklin, who was four-under-par gross for his last 11 holes, and Moran.

Matthew Smith (net 70) also parred 12 holes in the October Medal as the 11-handicapper finished two ahead of David Christie and Luke Mailey in the middle section. Chris Pendlebury (72) and Gary Dorney (74) won Divisions One and Three.

Whittlebury

Richard Hunt saw his handicap come down for the third time in the last four club events after victory in the October Medal.

Competing off 14, Hunt compiled a net 69 to edge out top division winner Jason Robinson on countback.

The lower section went to Stephen Smart (70), while the junior and ladies comps both witnessed gross and net doubles as Sam Henfrey and Christine Pearce grabbed the respective prizes.

Silverstone

Silverstone retained the Ryder Cup after their biennual challenge match with sister club Cherwell Edge ended in a 7½-7½ home stalemate.

In a contest which takes place in the same year as the pro event, the defending champs looked set for a big win following the morning fourballs and early singles, before the visitors fought back to grab a draw.

Forty points was the leading points tally in the latest Pro Shop Stableford as Simon Gregory slipped ahead of Natasha Ainsley-Thomas on countback.

Collingtree

Andy Poole kept the big numbers off his scorecard in the NAGS Captain’s Day as the eight-handicapper bagged 41 points to triumph by one from Kelvin Longrigg.

A single point was also the difference between first and second in the 15th round of the Seniors Stableford Series as John Coker edged out Peter Bretherton with 34.

Farthingstone

Paul Tite rediscovered his early season form in the October Medal as the 17-handicapper carded seven gross pars in a winning round of net 68.

Barry Jones was victorious on his top section debut as a net 70 pushed him two ahead of Martin Crowder, while Andrew Kellaway produced a consistent back nine to take Division Three with the same score.

Northants County

Steve Russell fired the best tally of 39 points in the October Mid-week Stableford. Peter Darby was three points adrift in the second division.

After bagging 38 points to beat Frank Mallon and Mark Cannell by four in the top section, Paul Harris also carried off the gross award.

Hellidon Lakes

David Reeves produced the lowest net round of 73 in the October Medal as he beat Richard Wood by two strokes in the first division.

On a difficult day for scoring, Sam Wade’s net 74 was too good for the second division field, while Graham Newport was the best of the high-handicappers.

Overstone Park

Hamid Hashim was victorious in the Medal Winners Salver after shooting birdies on the third and 15th holes in a net 66. The 12-handicapper finished two strokes ahead of Adam Sandle.

Cherwell Edge

Seven net birdies were on the scorecard of Sally Crompton in the Ladies October Medal as a net 74 clinched a two stroke victory from Gillian Keenan.

Northants Basketball Club coaching co-ordinator John Collins has described last weekend as a ‘wake-up call’ for all at the club as all six matches played were lost - including two to recently-formed county rivals the Northants Titans.

Collins was disappointed with the performance of the teams, and said: This is bit of a wake up call for coaches and players alike.

All we can do is work harder in practice in order to get back to winning ways.

Junior Men’s Premier Division North

Northants Thunder 63 Sheffield Saints 67

For long periods of this Junior Men’s game it looked as if neither team really wanted to win with an absolute plethora of errors and poor free throw shooting.

The game lacked any great quality but was always competitive and played in good spirit.

It was therefore all the more surprising that so many fouls were called which resulted in no less than 88 eight free throws being shot.

Thunder shot 50 of these free throws but could convert only 50 per cent of them, and this was a major contributory factor in the defeat.

Another factor was an appalling start which saw them fall 10-1 behind after just three minutes of play.

Thunder did sort themselves out and thanks to the defensive efforts of Luke Lewis and Matt Yates actually took the period 19-18.

Having got themseves back into the contest, Thunder were then responsible for sloppy offensive play and poor defensive rebounding in the second quarter which allowed Saints to pick up easy points close to basket.

The visitors took the quarter 22-12 to take a 40-31 half time lead and from then on Thunder were playing catch up.

They narrowly won the third and fourth quarters and despite a grandstand finish which included a huge three point score from Andre Arissol and some good offensive play by Kyle Hobbs and Yates, Saints held on for the win.

Thunder coach Rob Eddon was left to reflect on the fact that his team had won three of the four periods of play, shot more free throws than their opponents and turned the ball over on the same number of occasions, but decisively Saints won the ‘battle of the boards’.

Matt Yates top scored with 27 points but Luke Lewis and Jack Thomas with 14 and 10 were the only other Thunder players to score in double figures

Junior Women’s Midland Conference

Herts Warriors 95 Northants Lightning 54

The Northants junior women made the short trip to Bushey to take on Herts Warriors expecting a very tough game.

Warriors didn’t disappoint coming out for the first quarter with an aggressive full court man-to-man press which caught the Lightning players cold.

The home side took the first period of play 25-10 and the second 22-9 to put the final result beyond any reasonable doubt by establishing a 47-19 half time lead.

Lightning were much more competitive in the third quarter which they only lost 19-17 but Warriors turned the heat back up in the final stanza which they won 30-16 to close out a 40-plus points win.

In the heavy defeat only Izzy Johns with 18 points and Rio Blessyn with 14 were able to score in double figures but Coach Stacey Shakespeare made special mention of the defensive work of Karla Pinney.

Under 14 Boys Midlands Conference

Northants Thunder 58 NEBC Titans 80

There was obviously a lot of tension at the start of this local derby, but it was Thunder who started slowly and without the services of Jacob Round, who was on East Midlands duty, struggled to find their game both offensively and on defence.

A 16-0 run in the first quarter gave Titans a healthy 18-2 lead, but a charge from Thunder got the score back to 10-20 at the end of the period. The second quarter was a nightmare one for Thunder as they threw the ball away and were guilty of not competing under the boards.

Titans outscored the home side 24-6 in the period to take a 44-16 lead into the half time break.

There were strong words from the coach Mickey Paul at half time, and this led to an improvement in the third period with Thunder passing the ball better and converting more chances.

They lost the quarter 21-17 but were able to finish the game on a positive note outscoring their opponents 25-15 in the final period of play.

Regrettably the damage had already been done and Titans ran out worthy winners despite 36 points from David Nieva.

Thunder know they face a another tough afternoon in the reverse fixture at Wellingborough this weekend

Cadet Men’s Premier Division North

Northants Thunder 59 NEBC Titans 68

With two minutes and 56 seconds of this local derby remaining, Titans held a narrow 58-57 lead.

At this stage Coach John Collins played his trump card by re-introducing his starting players back into the game.

With these players having rested, his hope was that they would produce a grandstand finish and secure the win for his team.

In fact these experienced players were guilty of committing some elementary errors which had a large crowd totally bemused.

For their part Titans were able to exploit the Thunder errors and go on a 10-2 scoring charge to take the game by nine points.

After trailing 18-12 after the first quarter, Thunder got the score back to 30-32 by half time then by the end of the third period of play had taken a 46-45 lead.

Titans were relying heavily on a pressure zone defence, while at the offensive end St John and Grill kept the scoreboard ticking over

and were ruthless when Thunder ended the game by ‘gifting’ them the ball on numerous occasions.

In the heartbreaking loss which gave Titans a double on the day, the Thunder scoring was led by Pauli Laurinolli with 25 points, while George Paul contributed 12 points and George Calvey hauled down 12 rebounds.

Not for the first time this season, coach John Collins despaired about his team’s total of 46 turnovers.

Under 14 Girls Midlands South Conference

Southend Swifts 77 Northants Lightning 61

On numerous occasions in the past, Northants girls’ teams have been guilty of not being physical enough.

For their first national league game of the season, coach Karen Goodrich insisted that her team should play with more physical presence against a Southend team who are always physically committed to the cause.

Goodrich was pleased with her team’s efforts, but slightly bemused at the end of a game which saw her team called for 20 fouls in comparison to Swifts 11.

The Southend girls shot 34 free throws while Lightning were awarded just 12, but regardless of these facts Swifts were good value for their win.

Lightning started the game well jumping out to an 18-12 lead but then went scoreless as Swifts poured in 14 points to take the first quarter 26-18.

The second period of play was a much lower scoring affair which the home side took 19-8 to extend their lead to 45-26 at half time.

This lead was extended to 67-43 by the end of the third, but Lightning could at least reflect on taking the final quarter 18-10 to reduce the final deficit to 16 points.

For Lightning, Ruchae Walton had a superb game scoring 35 points and pulling down 18 rebounds and she received good support from Caitlin Stewart who contributed 12 points and claimed 13 rebounds.

Coach Goodrich also made mention of debutant Catarina Askham who pulled down eight rebounds.

East of England Under 13 Girls League

Northants Lightning 47 Ipswich Bobcats 75

Last Saturday was a big day for several young ladies at the Basketball Centre as they played their first competitive game of basketball.

Against a bigger and much more experienced Ipswich team, the young Lightning team suffered a heavy loss despite the best efforts of Ellie Soloman who scored 26 points.

In fact, Lightning were competitive in all but the third quarter which they lost 22-9 and will have learned a lot from the game which for most of the team was their first competitive experience.

In addition to Soloman, Holly Winterburn scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds after returning from injury.

Rounds are Young Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year

Sam Round and younger sister Sarah made it a family double at last week’s Northampton Leisure Trust Sports Awards.

The presentation evening was held at the Guildhall in Northampton with Sam and Sarah picking up the award for Young Sportsperson of the Year.

Both siblings have represented their country over the past 12 months, although Sam is currently out of action following a knee ligament operation.

There was double delight for Sarah the next day when she was named in the England Under 16 women’s training squad.

Northampton School for Boys (Team of the Year) and John Collins (Long Time Contribution to Sport) were also short listed but did not win their specific categories.

Basketball Centre closed

After considerable debate, it has been decided that the floor of the Northants Basketball Centre at Northampton School for Girls will have to be totally replaced.

This decision has been made because over a period of time several areas of the floor have risen.

This has resulted in a number of small but expensive repairs with the problem continuing to occur.

The Centre will close this coming weekend as the installation of the new floor will take up to three

weeks.

The school and the Northants Basketball Club hope to have the two-court hall back in use on Monday, November 12.

In the meantime, most of the club’s practices and games will transfer to Kingsthorpe Community College, which is situated in Boughton Green Road in Northampton, although some home games will now be played away.

Karen Goodrich, administrator of the Northants Basketball Club, said: “This will obviously cause a major disruption to our practice and game schedule, but looking on the positive side we will have a brand new floor with the new international court markings on all three courts.”

FIXTURES

Saturday, October 20

9.30-11am: Under 13 Boys Practice

11.30am: Junior Women v Sporting Club West Bromwich

1.30pm: Cadette Women v Gloster Jets

All these games will be played at the Kingsthorpe Community College which is situated in Boughton Green Road, Northampton NN2 7HR

Spectators are welcome and admission is FREE

Under 12s play in the Northants Central Venue League

Under 14 Boys travel to NEBC Titans

Under 15 Girls travel to Nottingham Wildcats

Junior Men travel to Sefton Stars

Sunday, October 21

11am: Under 14 Girls v NASSA

1pm: Cadette Women v Reading Rockets (National Cup)

3pm: Junior Men v City of Birmingham II (National Cup)

All these games will be played at the Kingsthorpe Community College which is situated in Boughton Green Road, Northampton NN2 7HR

Spectators are welcome and admission is FREE

Under 15 Boys travel to City of Birmingham

Senior Men travel to NEBC Titans (National Shield)