Residents living in south Northamptonshire are among the first to be able to sign up for the ‘next generation’ of high speed broadband which ‘went live’ yesterday.

Government minister Ed Vaizey was at the launch which marked the first stage of deployment in Northamptonshire of new fibre powered green cabinets which support speeds of up to 80Mbps.

Most residents and businesses in the town can now benefit from faster speeds from the 10 fibre cabinets with other cabinest also ‘live’ in Weedon and Paulerspury, supporting 4,175 homes and businesses.

In the coming weeks, a further 17 fibre cabinets will be switched on across Towcester, Silverstone, Long Buckby, Braunston, Blisworth and Weedon to support 8,157 premises.

Cllr Andre Gonzalez De Savage, Northamptonshire County Council cabinet member for strategic infrastructure, economic growth and public protection, said: “This is undoubtedly one of the biggest impacting projects we’re involved with which will make an enormous difference in bringing prosperity to the county.

“More and more, the internet is used in nearly every aspect of our lives both in business, public services and leisure.

“Having widely available superfast broadband is essential if we are to compete in the digital global economy and I’m delighted that we’ve reached such a significant stage of this initiative.

“BT has delivered more coverage two months earlier than expected at this stage of the project which is a real achievement.”

As part of this first deployment phase, engineers laid about 90km of optical fibre cable and are installing a total of 41 new fibre broadband cabinets throughout the Superfast Northamptonshire Project area

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The ‘switching on’ of the first tranche of superfast broadband cabinets marks the start of a remarkable transformation of broadband throughout Northamptonshire.

“The UK already does more business online than any other European country and widespread access to superfast speeds will provide a welcome boost to Northamptonshire’s economy.”

This is part of a £11.4m investment in the county by Northamptonshire County Council, BT and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to deploy fibre-based broadband to more than 50,000 premises by the end of 2015.

Bill Murphy, BT’s managing director for Next Generation Access, said: “This ambitious project will boost the productivity of local businesses and help to attract a more diverse range of high-growth companies to the area.

“It will play a major role in creating prosperity in the county.

The project establishes the foundation for Northamptonshire’s plans to secure access to superfast broadband for all businesses and homes in the county by 2017.

The new fibre based network will be open to all communications providers

For more information, visit www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/buy-it-now.

A deal to lend the University of Northampton £14 million for its new Waterside campus will be debated by Northamptonshire county councillors next week.

The funding proposal breaks the £10 million value of loans allowed by the council which means it has to be approved by cabinet.

The funding will take the form of a third party loan in which the county council will receive the cash and pass it to the university.

In November, the Government confirmed an application for funding by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) for the new campus had been approved by the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB).

Councillor Bill Parker, cabinet member for finance, said: “The university’s plans to create a waterside campus will be a massive boost to the local economy. The plans were nominated by NEP for a new concessionary lending rate for infrastructure projects.

“It’s clearly a hugely significant element in the regeneration of the Northampton which includes projects like the £3m makeover of our main shopping centre in Northampton, a £20 million redevelopment of our train station and a £7million project to bring a new bus interchange to the town.

“The council is effectively acting as a conduit for the loan, so there will be no financial strain for the council. Repayment of the principal amount and interest will be met by cash flows from the university.”

The cabinet meeting takes place at 2pm on Tuesday, February 11 in the Blue Room at County Hall in Northampton. The council’s full report is available on its website.

Moulton College has been selected as a possible team base for one of the countries taking part in the rugby World Cup in 2015.

England will host the World Cup next year and up to 50 bases are required for the 20 teams due to take part.

Each team base must include an indoor and outdoor training facility, a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a hotel.

Moulton College is on the approved list, which means it could be chosen as a country’s base, depending on where their matches are being played.

There are more than 80 contenders to be one of the 50 team bases. The final team base list will be confirmed later this year.

Principal of Moulton College, Stephen Davies, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to get behind Rugby World Cup 2015.

“Selecting Moulton as a potential team base is an honour and a ringing endorsement that the outstanding facilities here are truly world class – something our students in the rugby academy certainly benefit from with several representing England at all levels”.

Robbie Speirs, commercial manager for Moulton College, said: “The criteria that was set by the inspection team was of a very high standard.

“Every detail was assessed to make sure that the visiting teams would have the highest quality of resources available to them.

“Having achieved ratification the work now begins liaising with the tournament organisers and the various team mangers and looking at the logistics of planning a smooth and seamless training operation.

“Having worked with many national and international sports teams including many England squads, we understand the needs of visiting teams very well at Moulton.

“We are very excited that the college will play an integral part in the build up to one of the Planets major sporting tournaments.”

GJ van Velze says Saints will always have a place in his heart after agreeing to join Worcester from the start of next season.

The South African No.8 will switch to the Aviva Premiership’s bottom side, having found starts hard to come by at Northampton during this campaign.

Van Velze has only made nine appearances this season after falling behind Samu Manoa and Sam Dickinson in the pecking order.

The 25-year-old, who joined from Blue Bulls in the summer of 2012, was a key member of the squad during the previous campaign, scoring crucial tries in wins at Ulster and Saracens.

But he is now looking forward to a fresh challenge and a reunion with former Saints performance director Nick Johnston at Sixways.

“I had a conversation with (Worcester boss) Dean Ryan, during which he explained the challenge ahead,” said van Velze.

“It’s a different challenge to the one I’ve had at Northampton but it’s something I’m looking forward to.

“I know Nick Johnston from his time at Northampton so it is clear that players are looked after on and off the pitch and it is an environment which will allow me to grow as a player and a person.

“I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time at Northampton and credit must go to all the backroom staff for all they’ve done.

“I have been proud to represent the club on all levels during the last two seasons.

“I would like to thank all the players I have been privileged to play with and all the supporters who made me feel at home from day one.

“Franklin’s Gardens will always have a special place in my heart.”

Cobblers boss Chris Wilder is close to making his fifth signing just one week into life as manager at Sixfields.

Town have already recruited defender Leon McSweeney, midfielder Ricky Ravenhill and strikers Emile Sinclair and Alan Connell in what has been a hectic first seven days in charge for Wilder.

And he has confirmed to the Chron that talks are at an advanced stage to recruit a defender who is current without a contract on a deal until the end of the season.

The player in question has made more than 250 appearances in senior football and would bring experience and depth to the Northampton squad.

A woman was robbed by two men, one of who was wearing V for Vendetta mask, in a Northampton street.

The robbery happened on Sunday, January 26 at 9.30pm in St Andrew’s Road, Semilong.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: “The victim, a 28-year-old woman, was knocked to the ground and had her mobile phone stolen from her.”

One of the men was wearing grey clothing with a hood. The other was in dark clothing and a ‘V for Vendetta’ style face mask.

Anyone with information can call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Cobblers have signed utility defender Gregor Robertson on a contract until the end of the season.

The 30-year-old, who can play at centre-back or left-back, is able to sign permanently because his registration at Crewe Alexandra was cancelled during the January transfer window.

Robertson has played more than 250 senior games, and has 12 international caps for Scotland under-21s to his name.

He becomes manager Chris Wilder’s fifth signing, following Alan Connell, Ricky Ravenhill, Leon McSweeney and Emile Sinclair.

Wales are using Saints as inspiration as they bid to beat Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Northampton upset the odds to defeat Leinster 18-9 in a Heineken Cup clash in Dublin in December.

It was a stunning performance from Jim Mallinder’s men, who had been hammered 40-7 by the Irish side at Franklin’s Gardens a week earlier.

Saints turned the tables thanks to tries from Jamie Elliott and Wales wing George North.

And North and his Wales team-mates will now look to inflict a similar fate on an Ireland team containing plenty of Leinster stars in the Six Nations showdown this weekend.

“Ireland are a tough team and we just have to be very direct against them,” said Gatland.

“A good example is Northampton’s performance at Leinster, they were embarrassed at home then turned it around in a week.

“It’s a pretty good blueprint about how to play against Ireland. They ran hard, there wasn’t anything flash about it, they just fronted up physically after being blown away.

“They had two good midfielders on that day in Luther Burrell and George North and we’ve got some physicality in our back line, so expect us to be fairly direct.”

Samu Manoa has urged his Saints team-mates to ‘hold down’ their impressive form until the international players return from Six Nations duty.

The powerhouse forward drove his side to victory last weekend, starring in a 20-16 LV= Cup success against Saracens at Franklin’s Gardens.

Manoa scored twice and helped set up the opener for James Wilson as Saints coped without a missing list that was well into double figures.

They will again be without five England players this weekend, with Wales wing George North also unavailable for club action.

And Manoa is keen to ensure he and his team-mates step up in the Premiership game at Exeter on Saturday evening as they bid to claim a ninth successive win.

“Hopefully the win we got on Saturday can carry us into the Premiership,” said the American star.

“Hopefully we can still hold it down until the big boys come back.

“You’ve just got to step it up with every game you play in every week.

“You’ve got to bring something to the table and help the boys out.”

Plans to build nearly 26,000 homes in Northampton by 2029 will be discussed for the second time tonight after it emerged there was a procedural error when they were voted through last month.

The proposals, which have been in gestation since 2006, say that 41,760 homes will need to be built across West Northamptonshire by 2029, with 25,758 of these in Northampton borough.

Residents and politicians say there are serious concerns over a lack of infrastructure, congestion on already-crowded roads, flood risk and pollution.

The latest version of the report, which is called the joint core strategy, was debated by the West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit in December.

Under the proposals, Daventry is set to receive just 6,984 more homes, nearly 19,000 fewer than Northampton.

West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit says the plan is necessary to ensure controlled housing developments.

The result of the original meeting was declared invalid when it emerged that a substitute councillor on the committee had not been nominated in time.

The re-running of the meeting will take place in the council chamber at Daventry District Council tonight at 6pm.

The Northamptonshire Labour Party is calling for emergency talks with Northamptonshire Police following an outspoken attack on elected members by Chief Constable Adrian Lee.

Mr Lee hit out at magistrates and councillors last month, saying they do not know what happens on the county’s streets after dark.

He also claimed that councillors were bullied by drinks companies into blocking moves aimed at dealing with alcohol-fuelled incidents.

Councillor John McGhee (Lab, Kingswood) is the Leader of Labour Opposition at County Hall.

He claims the Chief Constable needs to engage in constructive discussion rather than making comments that are without foundation.

He said: “I would like to meet with Adrian urgently to discuss his comments.

“I can assure residents of Northamptonshire that the Labour Group would never entertain lobbying from drinks companies, nor would we allow ourselves to be bullied by them.

“These comments are without foundation, and the chief constable needs to explain what he means by them.

“The chief constable knows that we would be only too happy to help him, but we can’t provide support if we are not asked.”

Councillor Julie Brookfield (Lab, Corby West), Labour’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel, said: “These comments are most unfortunate. I would be more than happy to support Chief Constable Lee on introducing changes to how we deal with binge drinking and incidents that stem from the late night economy.

“The reality is the chief constable has not come to me or any of my colleagues with a package of measures that he would like us to support. He is in charge of policing our town centres and we would only be too happy to help him if we can.”

Saints forwards coach Dorian West has hit back at comments from Pat Sanderson, branding the Sky Sports pundit ‘out of order’.

Sanderson was critical of the Northampton scrum during the 34-16 win against Newport at Rodney Parade on January 25.

The former Worcester and England flanker accused Saints of using illegal techniques in the set piece.

West has taken offence to Sanderson’s views and even phoned the analyst, brother of Saracens forwards coach Alex, to express his annoyance.

“The set piece stuff we’re doing here we pride ourselves on and I think we’re doing well,” said the Saints coach.

“I know after the Newport game we had a bit of criticism from one of the Sky pundits, which was very disappointing because if you look at what took place we were dominant and we were working hard.

“Our mentality is that we’re going to scrum, we’re going to go forward and we’re going to dominate the opposition and for somebody to say what we do in our scrum is illegal, we found it very frustrating.

“I look at scrums every day and there’s always something new to learn so for someone to make such a clear statement that we’re scrummaging illegally is out of order.

“It’s something we’ve got in the back of our minds.”

And he added: “For somebody to come out with such a sweeping statement, and somebody who only does a bit of punditry at the weekend and has got a job somewhere else and probably hasn’t watched another game since then, it’s pretty disappointing.

“People will be sat at home watching those comments and they will take something from what he says because he’s supposed to be an expert. It’s frustrating.”

Alan Connell insists he would not change anything about his time at Bradford despite seeing his first-team chances limited by the presence of one of lower-league football’s best strike duos.

Connell became Chris Wilder’s first signing for the Cobblers last week when he traded Valley Parade for Sixfields on a deal until the end of the season.

It ends a spell at Bradford that saw his first-team opportunities limited to substitute roles - of his 59 appearances for the Yorkshire club, 40 came off the bench.

But there is no bitterness on Connell’s part, especially as he was behind Nahki Wells and James Hanson in the pecking order, a strike partnership whose abilities are well known to Northampton fans.

“It was definitely hard to get in the side because those two (Wells and Hanson) are excellent,” he said. “When I first got there Wells was a promising youngster who had done a little bit in league two and his rise from that has been rapid.

“He’s got his multi-million pound move to the championship as a result of what he did for Bradford and how well he has done there.

“James Hanson is an old-fashioned number nine but he’s scored a lot of really important goals for the club and he’s vital to the way the manager wants to play there.

“So it was difficult for me but I really enjoyed my time there and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

“I’m excited to be part of the challenge here now.”

Connell arrived at Sixfields on the same day as another fellow Bradford player, Ricky Ravenhill, who spent November and December on loan with the Cobblers.

The duo are joined by a third ex-Bantam in goalkeeper Matt Duke and the presence of several familiar faces helped make the transition south a smooth one for Connell.

“It definitely helped having them here,” he said. “Dukey was really complimentary about the club and everything he said has been accurate.

“There has been a really good feel about the place and it was important for me to know I have two good friends here with Ricky as well.”

Special constables have increased their patrols and launched an electronic security marking scheme following a spate of burglaries at nine schools in Northamptonshire.

Since the start of the latest school year, nine primary schools in Northampton, including a school for disabled children, have been broken into and electrical equipment has been stolen.

Operation Annex will see specials register valuable items and offer people crime prevention advice.

Specials Inspector Peter Hazelgrove said: “There has been a number of thefts from schools and other facilities recently, during which a number of iPads and other electronic devices have been stolen and we understand this is causing concern in the community.

“My team, made up completely of special constables, is offering to go out and register any equipment people have. While we’re registering people’s equipment we’ll also offer them SmartWater, a type of forensic, traceable DNA.

“My team of specials is also increasing patrols around vulnerable locations, completing both high visibility and plain-clothes duties.”

Anyone with a large number of valuable electronic items can email OperationAnnex@northants.pnn.police.uk with the name and address of the organisation, a contact name and a phone number.

Dorian West says Saints are more confident than ever that they can cope with international absences during the Six Nations.

Northampton will be without seven England players, including injured duo Alex Corbisiero and Ben Foden, and Wales star George North for Saturday’s Aviva Premiership trip to Exeter Chiefs.

In years gone by, Jim Mallinder’s men have been guilty of suffering a dip in form during the Six Nations.

But West is confident the squad, which has claimed 18 victories in 22 games in all competitions this season, can handle the strain of key league matches in the coming weeks.

“We’ve got a strong squad that can compete,” said forwards coach West.

“We feel more confident than we have done in the past in this period, but that’s only in the back of your mind.

“You’ve got to go there, you’ve got to produce the goods and put in a real good performance to get over a top Exeter team.”

Saints will welcome back their England Saxons players this weekend, with Alex Waller, Calum Clark and Sam Dickinson returning to the fray.

But Tom Mercey might not make it in time for the trip to Sandy Park, as he is currently struggling with a knee injury sustained on Saxons duty.

“He’s still not quite right, but we don’t quite have to make decisions on our starting team just yet so hopefully he’ll get better in time,” said West.

“It’s only been less than two weeks, so a relatively short period of time, and we’ll see where he is on Friday.”

Cobblers boss Chris Wilder feels the squad will now settle down following a week of reshuffling of the playing squad.

Wilder signed utility defender Gregor Robertson this week after his contract at Crewe Alexandra was terminated during the transfer window.

The new recruit is Wilder’s fifth since his arrival 10 days ago and the exit door has been busy too, with loanees Matty Blair and Sean McGinty being sent back to Fleetwood and Sheffield United respectively.

All of his signings have been on longer term contracts than the one-month loan signings his predecessor Andy King was restricted to making.

“We had an assessment last week and it’s an ongoing assessment,” he said.

“There will come a time when you have to settle a squad down but we’ve only had a week to look at it.

“Gregor can cover left-back and left-sided centre-half, he was available and we’ve taken him on.

“We won’t be extending Sean McGinty’s loan beyond Saturday and it is important we have players who are going to be here until at least the end of the season.

“I’m mindful that the loans were totting up as well so we need to keep them down to a minimum.

“We had a decision to make with Matty (Blair) as well.

“It’s an assessment of the current squad and this signing gives us some experience and some quality right through to the end of the season.”

The signing of Robertson paved the way for McGinty’s return to Bramall Lane but Blair’s return to Fleetwood is a slightly more surprising one.

The winger scored the equalising goal at Cheltenham last weekend but has an ankle injury that would have kept him out of the Plymouth game on Saturday, a match that would have been the last of his loan spell.

“I would like to thank both players for their efforts,” said Wilder.

“Matty has a minor ankle injury which would have kept him out for this weekend anyway, and with the players coming in the opportunities for both players here would have been limited moving forwards.

“I wish both every success in the future.

“James Hurst is now training back at Crawley. He still has a couple of weeks left on his loan so we can call him back if needed but again his opportunities would be limited so it is best he trains with his parent club.”

Stephen Peters, David Murphy and Alex Wakely will fine tune their preparations for the upcoming domestic season with a week on the sub-continent.

The trio, who have funded the trip themselves, are heading to Bangalore in India during the half-term week for some intensive batting practice.

And Peters admitted he is excited by the excursion.

He said: “By all accounts there will be bowlers on tap and our plan is to spend as much time as we can batting.

“It’s the one Test-playing country that I haven’t played cricket in so personally it’s an itch that needed scratching.

“There’s only so much you can do indoors and I’m looking forward to it.”

Peters, with the best part of two decades worth of professional cricket behind him, knows exactly what needs to be done to get his game in order and playing on grass, regardless of where it might be, is always his preferred choice.

He continued: “I find that I get into bad habits indoors, camping on theback foot a bit and driving balls that I wouldn’t do outside.

“In the winter, I initialy like doing some work on the bowling machine but then I’d rather do as much outdoor batting as possible.”

With Peters’ sphere of influence incorporating the four-day aspect of the County’s season, he is content with the plans that are in place, including both the trip to Barbados and the warm-up cricket that will be played prior to the season getting under way on April 13.

A strong start to the year last time out formed the foundations for a very successful summer and Peters is adamant that the same needs to be produced in the higher division.

“We’ve had a chat about the pre-season stuff and it will all be geared towards the first six weeks of the season which are all red ball cricket,” he said.

“I think it’s important that we concentrate heavily on that becuase last year it was one of the keys to the good season we had.

“It’s vital that we start well and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”

Matt Pownall’s excellent run in the Champion of Champions tournament came to an end at the first stage of the finals in Hampshire.

The county ace, who beat former England international Bill Hobart in the Inter Area stage, was beaten 21-10 by Malvern’s Ryan Atkins.

At the Warners Lakeside club, Pownall was second best against Atkins who went on to claim the title.

Wordingham called up by England juniors

Chloe Wordingham has been called up by the English IBA to take her place as a travelling reserve’ for the England junior international team’s upcoming international series.

The series is being held at Nottingham IBC this weekend and involves Wales and Scotland, in addition to England, who will be contesting the Acle Trophy.

National competitions deadline extended

The deadline for entries into the 2014 Bowls England National Competitions has been extended until Monday February 17.

Bowls England would like to remind entrants that the qualifying rounds of the Men’s Senior Singles and Senior Pairs (Former Over 55s) will now be played within county areas, therefore reducing travel during the qualifying stages and enabling all 35 county winners in both events to participate at the National Finals in Royal Leamington Spa.

For more information call the Bowls England Office on 01926 334609 if you wish to receive entry forms for the Champion of Champions.

Bowlers prepare for School of Excellence

The County School of Excellence, organised by Northamptonshire Bowls Youth Development Scheme, will be held on Saturday at Northampton & District IBC.

Registration is at 9am with play commencing at 9.30 am. The schemes are split into two age groups, one for under-15 years and the other for 15-18 years.

The County event has attracted 26 young bowlers in each group, drawn from Desborough IBC, Kettering Lodge IBC, Kingsthorpe IBC, Northampton & District IBC, & Rushden Town IBC.

Somerton shines in big Northants victory

The men of Northamptonshire Indoor Bowling Association welcomed their counterparts from Norfolk County IBA to Desborough IBC for a friendly contest.

On the day, although the County only had two winning rinks and one drawn, the overall scores came down in favour of the home team by 14 shots.

Richard Somerton’s rink was the pick with a 20-shot victory.

The final score was Northamptonshire 130 Norfolk 116.

Rink details (Norfolk skips only) Rink one: Jim Diver, Andy Purcell, Bob Tingle, George Warren 20 Mal Cushing 20. Rink two: Will Clelland, Brian Langton, Brian Diver, Ron Jacklin 18 Vic Moore 24. Rink three: Roger Miller, Keith Howlett, Brian Sherwood, Terry James 29 Tony Dunton 10. Rink four: Geoff Allen, Peter Byworth, Geoff Hunt, Peter Mellor 7 Peter Hurren 24. Rink five: Stuart Lowe, Ted Guiver, Geoff Harris, Richard Somerton 37 Roger Greef 17. Rink six: Harvey Fruish, Bryon Mills, Tony Warren, Tony Weston 19 Ray Cutting 21.

Walker and Height to play for England

Two of the county’s finest young bowlers will be representing England in the forthcoming International Series in Ireland this weekend.

Callum Height and Jamie Walker, both of Wellingborough IBC, will be playing on the same rink, which will be skipped by Abington-based Walker. Height, earning his debut cap, plays at lead.

They will be joined by another debutant Lewis King, of Swale IBC at No. 2, and regular junior international Daniel Morris of Wey Valley IBC at No.3.

Fellow county player Connor Cinato, of Desborough IBC, has been selected as a travelling reserve.

First up for England at 10am on Saturday will be the match against Wales, and Walker’s rink will play against Joe Mower, Jordan Davies, Liam Bouse and Ross Owen (skip).

At 3pm the same day England will face Ireland, and Jamie’s Rink will play against James Watson, Chris Brogan, Robert Allen and Gary Kelly (skip).

The next day sees England face the ‘auld enemy’ Scotland and in this final match for them, Walker’s men will play against Jason Banks, Ewan Fallon, Kevin Wallace and Calum Taggart (skip).

County name team to face Bedfordshire

The following players have been selected to represent Northamptonshire Women’s Indoor Bowling Association in a friendly match against Bedfordshire CWIBA on at Rushden Town IBC next Wednesday.

Rink one: Vicki Rushall, Daventry/Joan Bryan, Kettering Lodge/Chris Cooper, Wellingborough/Brenda Bishop, Daventry. Rink two: Pat Starsmore, Kettering Lodge/Barbara Oliver, Daventry/Joan Watts, Daventry/Eleanor Winters, Desborough. Rink three: Jean Burgess, Wellingborough/Sue Lomas, Desborough/Wilma Walker, Desborough/Audrey Height, Kettering Lodge. Rink four: Linda Warren, Northampton & District/Pat Symonds, Daventry/Jan Hunt, Wellingborough/Joyce Porter, Northampton & District. Rink five: Lynn Upton, Brackley/Sue Ellerby, Rushden Town/Valerie Blackwell, Rushden Town/Pat Mattinson, Rushden Town. Rink six: Julie Spreadbury, Daventry/Denise Carlin, Desborough/Donna Williamson, Kingsthorpe/Pam Lewis, Rushden Town. Reserves: Rita White, Rushden Town/Pam Page, Desborough/Maxeen Belsky, Desborough/Dorothy Diver, Desborough. Non-travelling reserve: Sandra Radburn, Rushden Town IBC

Brixworth All Saints turned in a superb performance to storm into the final of the NFA Junior Cup.

The villagers took on Peterborough Northern Star Reserves from the United Counties League, and ran out 3-1 winners.

Adam Knight scored twice and Ben Foster once to secure a fantastic win.

DIVISION ONE

Clipston travelled to Heyford Athletic and were on the wrong end of a 4-0 defeat.

DIVISION TWO

Weedon endured a nightmare day.

The leaders took on bottom-of-the-table Higham Town and were hammered 5-1. It was only their second defeat of the season.

DIVISION THREE

AFC Rothwell seem to have found their form with a 4-0 win over Corby United making it their seventh consecutive win.

Desborough & Rothwell United’s game went ahead due to the use of a 3G pitch,and they beat Northampton AFC Obelisk 4-0.

A close game between Wellingborough Aztecs and AFC Shamrock saw Shamrock edge it 3-2.

RESERVE DIVISION TWO

Spratton Reserves racked up another win as they saw off West Haddon Albion Reserves 2-0.

Men on the mark were Steven Brown and Taylor Wilson.

STAR AWARD

THE Duston Garage Star Award this week goes to Brixworth All Saints for their Junior Cup win over PNS.

MONTHLY AWARDS

THE Combination likes to acknowledge good work within the league’s clubs, so monthly awards are given.

Club Assistant

September 2013 - Dale Warren of Kettering Nomads

October 2013 - Dave Rogers of Weedon

November 2013 - Rob Wood of Gretton

December 2013 - Kevin Briggs of Higham Town

Managers

September 2013 - John Harrison of Wellingborough Rising Sun

October 2013 - Danny Chapman of Weedon Reserves

November 2013 - Nathan Tanser or Corby Ravens

NOTICEBOARD

The league is looking to strengthen its management committee for next season and would like to hear 
from anyone who may be interested in contributing a few hours a month to help run the league.

The league structure is also under review and provides the opportunity for new teams to join the league.

In both cases please contact David Jarrett the league secretary.

WITH the Borough Council postponing all games on public park pitches due to the wet weather, only three Sunday Combination matches were played

In the NTFA Plester Shield, Zedi United cruised into the next round as they won 4-0 against Phoenix.

Men on the mark for Zedi were Nick Pankewcyz, Dan Healy and Gavin Nullatamby, who scored twice.

DIVISION TWO

FC LOCOMOTIV Moulton and Devonshire Club cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw.

Kyle Daniels scored for Locomotiv, with Glen Thompson replying.

DIVISION THREE

THE only other match played also ended in a 1-1 draw as Billing United entertained AC Squirrels Reserves at Pocket Park.

Dan Luckett notched for Billing, with Dan Grey levelling things up.

FIXTURES

Sunday, February 9

NFA Sunday Cup: AFC Corby Shamrock v Dynamo

NFA Sunday Vase: P’boro Brotherhood Works v Duston & Diamonds, Windmill Warriors v Devonshire Club

NFA Sunday Shield: Brafield United v Kett Orchard Park United

NTFA Plester Shield: Roade v Head Quarters, Kislingbury Res v FC Ryan Munich

The Parker League Cup sponsored by KCS: FC Jeckyll v Bugbrooke SM, St Margarets Res v AFC Obelisk United

The Captains League Cup sponsored by KCS (formally Araglen Cup): FC Locomotiv Moulton Res v The District

Premier Division: Sunnyside Corinthians v St Margarets, Standens Barn v Monks Park WMC, Harpole v AC Squirrels

Division One: Midshire Electrical v Fox & Hounds, Spartak FC v Sunnyside Corinthians Res, Royals v FC Fotogold

Division Two: FC Locomotiv Moulton v AFC Dee

Division Three: Wootton Fields Wanderers v Thorplands Club 81 Res, Butcher Loco FC v Tesco DG FC

Division Four: FC Gallery v Northampton Hotspurs, Nene FC v AFC Obelisk United Res, Royals Res v AFC Pioneers, Vesta FC v Hartwell Forest

Division Five: Thorplands Club 81 A v FC Gallery Res, Hartwell Forest Res v Welland Valley FC, Northampton Hotspurs Res v Spartak FC Res, Billing United Res v Abington Stanley