Mayor Roger Conroy will eventually have a moment to look back on a wonderful year next May.

However, it’s unlikely there will be anything to match sitting on a bed at the newly done-up Carpetright store with his wife and a hippo dressed in pyjamas

Victorious Northants Academy jumpers returned home with a whopping 24 medals from the East Midlands Regional Grading event at Wisbech.

Stars of the show were the Grade D under 13 girls, who completed a clean-sweep of the podium as they secured the top four places.

Abigail Brown (1st), Brodie Coleman (2nd), Charlotte Price (3rd) and Olivia Baldwin (4th) also picked up the team gold, while Brown and Coleman’s scores ensured they qualified up to National C.

The club’s under 17 Grade E boys were also in fine form as they dominated the podium, with Thomas Rowland (1st), Owen Clews (2nd), Harry Johnson (3rd), Dewi Jones (5th) and Harvey Clews (7th) all finishing inside the top 10.

In the Grade D under 13 boys, Charlie Masters claimed a double as he scooped gold while qualifying to National C, closely followed by Jordan Broda in second.

Ciara McGrath also came home in top spot in the Grade F under 13 girls, her score of 50.7 enough to see her jump two levels and qualify to Grade D.

Team-mate Lara Norton picked up the bronze medal while Lucy Hamilton ended fifth.

In the Grade E Under 13 girls competition, Natasha Coleman took the honours on her way to Grade D qualification, a mark club-mate Ellie Chaplin-Haylett missed out on by just 0.1, but she claimed a bronze for her troubles.

Esme Feasey (5th), Emilia Havard (6th), Jessica Rhodes (8th), Holly Bingham (9th) and Sian McLeod (10th) completed a strong Northants Academy field.

Katie Price’s debut competition had a silver lining as she finished second in the Grade G under 11 girls.

She qualified up a level while leading team-mates Hattie Rowland (4th) and Ebby McLeod (14th) to team silver.

There was also a silver medal for Emily Zeller in the Grade F over 13 girls, Amy Rhodes finishing 10th in the same event.

In Grade G, Charlotte Aiken finished 18th in the under 15 girls, while in the over 15s, Olivia Rowland took bronze ahead of Ellie Frodsham (11th) and Chelsea Morris (15th).

Academy duo Laura Tetlow and Kirstie Thorneycroft rounded-off the medal haul in the Grade D Under 19 ladies, finishing first and third respectively.

Chris Hackett is rated as ‘50-50’ to be passed fit to play for the Cobblers against Port Vale at Sixfields on Saturday (2pm kick-off).

But the club received some further bad news on the injury front when it was confirmed midfielder Ben Harding has suffered a setback in his recovery from an Achilles problem.

Hackett picked up a groin strain early in the second half of the 4-0 defeat at Barnet last Friday night and missed the 1-0 home loss to Bradford City on Tuesday.

“Chris is probably 50-50 for Saturday but I’m not sure on that one, I’ll need to have a bit of a look at it,” said Cobblers manager Aidy Boothroyd, who admits his team are going through some ‘choppy waters’ at the moment.

“Thankfully it’s just a one or two-week injury, it’s not one of the long-term ones so we should have him back fairly soon.

“As far as Ben is concerned, he’s perhaps going to be a little bit longer. He’s had to go back into the boot because of a complication with his injury so Chris and Johnno are the nearest ones to a return.”

If Hackett does not get the green light to play against second-placed Vale, he should be fit for the FA Cup first-round tie against Bradford on November 3, where he could also be joined by John Johnson, who has made almost a complete recovery after having keyhole surgery on damaged knee ligaments.

“Next week we should have those two back,” he said. “We don’t have a midweek game, which helps. When you’ve got everyone fit and you’re playing Saturday-Tuesday it’s great, you want the games.

“But when you’ve got players injured you’re having to try all sorts of different stuff.”

David Artell (Achilles) and Luke Guttridge (foot) are not expected to resume first-team training until January.

Northants County Champion Miles Mudge helped claim the Am-Am team prize for the second year in a row at Kingsthorpe GC.

The Staverton member joined up with Northants County amateurs Laurie Johnson, Malcolm Watkins and Steve Russell to triumph with 80 points.

Cherwell Edge’s Jamie Powell bagged the leading individual total of 38 points to finish one clear of Mitchell Edwards (Staverton Park), with Jack Brown (Brampton Heath) in third on 35.

Fourth-placed Adrian Firman (Peterborough Milton) clinched the 2012 NGU Order of Merit after beating Bob Clayton (Cold Ashby) by four points following the last tournament of the five-event series.

MIDLANDS

Northants Boys Champion Jack Brown further enhanced his reputation by finishing sixth in the Midland Boys Champion of Champions tournament at Spalding GC.

The Brampton Heath teenager bagged an eagle on the third hole on his way to an opening round of 75, before shooting a second round 77.

County first team regular Kyson Lloyd also enjoyed some regional success as he won both his games for the Midlands against the South West as the match finished in a 7½-7½ draw at Copt Heath GC.

HOLLINGSWORTH TROPHY

Northants County lifted the Hollingsworth Trophy for the first time in a decade with a 4-1 victory over Peterborough Milton in the final at Overstone Park GC.

With both teams having won the crown on six previous occasions, County got the ideal start as Tom Bullough and Matthew Myers beat Rob Fredericks and Martin Humphries 4&3 in game one.

Although Ben Garrett and Malcolm Watkins made it 2-0 with victory over Scott O’Connor and Dominic Ralfs on the 16th hole, Milton responded with a crushing 6&5 win for Howard May and Rory Edwards over Andrew Nicholson and Simon Richmond.

Peterborough, who were hoping to complete a Scratch League and Hollingsworth double, saw their hopes disappear when Bob Duthie and Sav Fasula lost on the 18th hole to Paul Harris and Dan Roberts.

Northants, who also enjoyed Scratch League success as they gained promotion into the top flight, completed the scoring as Ross Mason and John McPhee defeated Chris White and Matt Barber 3&2.

SCRATCH FOURSOMES

Michael Campbell and Jon Handyside found their best at the end of an inconsistent season as they joined forces to win the Scratch Foursomes crown at Northants County GC.

After shooting an excellent nine-hole afternoon score of 35 to finish level with Graham Bott (Cold Ashby) and Harry Woan (Overstone) on 113, the Kettering pair won a two-hole play-off with pars on the first and 18th holes.

Peterborough Milton duo Neil Presto and Ian Symonds (74) had led by two shots from Bott and Woan following the morning round, before finding trouble over the closing few holes.

Campbell and Handyside sat joint-third after 18 holes, with James Barker and Richard Dalton (both Overstone) and Sam Buss and Paul Hodgkiss (both Farthingstone), who went on to finish third on 116.

The net prize went to home members Charles Marriott and Stephen Smith (net 114.25), with Barker and Dalton (118.5)taking second prize on countback.

EUROPEAN TOUR

Gary Boyd’s hopes of retaining his European Tour card for next year are hanging by a thread after he missed his third successive cut this month in the Perth International following rounds of 73 and 77.

With the leading 115 players on the Order of Merit retaining their full playing rights for 2013, Boyd currently sits 121st with just five events remaining.

If the 26-year-old misses out on a European Tour card, he will receive some invites to main events next year but will need to concentrate on the Challenge Tour, where he played in 2008 and 2009.

HELLIDON LAKES

Gross birdies On the eighth, 11th, 14th and 15th holes helped Paul Upfield clinch the October Stableford by two points from fellow top division player Richard Barnes (35).

One point was the winning margin in the other two sections as Shaun Start (31) beat Paul Washbrook in the middle category and Michael Canning (32) won the higher handicap division from David Stanford.

NORTHANTS COUNTY

Matthew Bryanton required countback to get the better of Hywel Williams after both mid-handicappers shot the best round of net 69 in the October Medal.

Countback was also needed in the other sections as Richard Draper (net 72) beat John Draper in the lower category, while Cameron Sinclair (70) edged out Paul Harris and Nick Page in the top division.

COLLINGTREE

Back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes sent Craig Hartwright on the way to a countback victory in the seventh round of the Colonial tournament.

The 13-handicapper bagged 37 points to beat the consistency of junior member Aidan Rosling, with Lloyd Backhouse and Ben Alders a further point back in third and fourth respectively.

OVERSTONE PARK

Mark Carr went through the gears in the October Yellow Tee Stableford as the 13-handicapper completed the last 14 holes in gross five-over-par to beat Daniel Smith and Craig Finnis on countback with 39 points.

Tony Middlebrook lifted the Social Cup after finishing two clear of Chris Hoy with a tally of 37 points. Dan Fowkes and Brett Crawford were a further point back.

STAVERTON

A birdie two on the 16th hole proved decisive for Guy Gibbins in the Vets October Medal as he defeated Brian Lockley on countback after both men shot a net 71.

Tracy Lane carded the lowest net round of 72 in the Ladies October Medal as she finished one clear of Lynn Davis and Jane Montgomery, who clinched the top category.

DAVENTRY

Kevin Tarbox compiled the standout round in the October Winter Medal as the 13-handicapper carded a net 66 to win the second division by four from James Berry and Daniel Brown.

A score of net 68 was sufficient to take the other two sections as Alf Chessum led the top category by one from Andy Laws, while Ian Robinson was the best high handicapper.

WHITTLEBURY

Paul Austin (40 points) overcame a sticky start in the Dick Travers Shield as the 13-handicapper dropped just four shots in the last 14 holes on his way to a countback victory from Mark Lancaster.

Christine Pearce completed a Ladies October double by adding the stableford top prize to the medal she claimed a fortnight earlier with a countback win from Gillian Long and Jacqueline Jenkinson (all 33 points).

COLD ASHBY

Two gross birdies on the back nine helped Richard Beckingham clinch the top prize on countback in the October Seniors Medal.

With Beckingham and Roger Griffiths both finishing five strokes ahead of the chasing pack on net 68, the 11-handicapper snatched the glory with his better closing half.

NORTHAMPTON

Jonathan Swann birdied the last hole to win the Dawland bogey competition on countback from two others after beating the course by four holes.

Swann nudged in front of Steve Eborall, who was five-under-par for an eight-hole stretch in the middle of his round, and Steve Fail.

KINGSTHORPE

Jason Spence and Jake Croxford were too strong for the current club captain Bob Bason and his predecessor Mark Parry in the Stuart Duncan Foursomes KO final as they triumphed 5&4.

BRAMPTON HEATH

David Brown was in good form during the Seniors Charity Stableford as the high-handicapper bagged a winning tally of 37 points. Mick Grimmer finished one point behind, with David Whitlock in third on 35.

CHERWELL EDGE

Forty one points was the leading score in the October Sunday Stableford as Neil Tombes grabbed the plaudits. Gary Somerton (38) was runner-up by four points from David Saunders.

DELAPRE

Countback was needed in the Ladies October Nine-hole Stableford after Diane Bull and Pauline Powell both carded the leading mark of 15 points. Bull gained the verdict.

Dynamo battled back from 2-0 down to secure an impressive 3-2 NFA Sunday Cup win at Netherton United.

The match-winners for the Northampton side were Liam Grisley, Ben Diamond and Dean Lukeman.

Blakesley also put paid to a Peterborough League side as they beat Parkway 5-2, the goals scored by Jamie Cunningham (2), Will Reeve, Sammy Reeve and Dave Conway.

Peterborough’s ICA Sports also bit the dust as AC Squirrels won 6-1 thanks to goals from Jamie Ellis (3), Ollie Urquhart, Andy Smith and Tom Goodman.

Elsewhere, Reece Coleman scored a hat-trick and Eddie Symonds a single as Monks Park WMC saw off Raunds Warriors 4-3, while the all-Combination battle between Standens Barn and St Margaret’s ended in a 4-3 win for Barn.

James Allcock (2) and Jimmy Emefuma netted for Maggies, but Barn won it thanks to Rosko Cook, Chris Davies, Lee Cotton and Will Robins.

Parker Cup

Martin Johnston (2), Jamie Everson, Ashleigh Noone and James Mason were the scorers as Gallery cruised to a 5-1 success over nine-man Howdenbeath.

ARAGLEN CUP

There was a goal feast as Windmill Warrriors thrashed Sixfields Rangers 9-1 with Gerry Moss (3), Mark Pittam (2), Sam Irons, Wayne Lancaster, Russell Aitkin and Mark Pinches all hitting the net.

Standens Maestro were also on the wrong end of a beating, going down 7-0 to Workhouse who won it thanks to efforts from Anthony Smith (2), Shaun Bellham (2), Dan Brown, David Arnold and Alex Parkinson.

Jamie Wright scored five as Butcher Loco battered Thorplands Club 81 A, while Hartwell Forest were easy 6-0 winners against FC Gallery Reserves, Mark Thorpe hitting three.

PREMIER DIVISION

There was only one game in the top flight, and Royals went down 5-1 to Sunnyside Corinthians, despite a goal for Gary Watson.

DIVISION ONE

Harpole had a productive morning as they smacked Thorplands Club 81 7-1.

Liam Baptiste scored for Club, but Harpole romped home thanks to a hat-trick from ex-Cobblers man Scott Cross, Dave Cave, Greg Ling, Luke Tolworthy and Josh Winters.

Fourth-placed MDS Rangers take a loss from mid-table St Margaret’s Reserves by 3-2.

Jordan Casey and Lee Wilson (2) scored for Maggies, with Stuart Reid bagging both for MDS Rangers.

Fox & Hounds welcomed their second win of the season, pushing Midshire Electrical down to second from bottom when beating them 4-3.

It was all singles from Kevin Westley, Greg Wright, Chris Aveyard and Joe Gartland for Fox & Hounds, Ross Skidmore scoring a hat-trick in defeat for Midshire.

Krzysztof Maziarz (2), Martin Misutka and Damian Polacarz set up a 4-0 win for FC Polish Champions over Manfield Rangers, who are now rooted to the bottom with only one win out of five games.

DIVISION TWO

Duston Diamonds go top with a 3-2 win against St Margaret’s A.

Robbie Bushell, Craig Merrick, Dan Webster and Harry Barnes netted for the leaders, with Denham Salmon and Ashley Inwood replying.

Roade lose top spot after a 3-3 draw with Spartak Moulton.

Craig Smith, Mickey Ryan and Leon McDonald scored for Roade, with Will Briscoe, Matt Silecchia and an own goal making up Spartak’s tally.

Devonshire Club punished Thorplands Club 81 Reserves with an 8-0 win at home.

Richie Bostock scored three, Tim Lyman and Max Payne a doubles apiece, and Christopher Swallow a single.

The mid-table clash between JWC Athletic and Outlet Sports ended in a 2-2 draw. James Moore and Darrel Birch netted for JWC, while for Outlet Stephan Chambers and Terence Williams hit the target.

DIVISION THREE

Scott Barczewski and Justin Ayre both hammered in hat-tricks as Crown & Cushion United battered Manfield Rangers Reserves 8-1.

Also on the mark for the pub side was Oliver Clarke with a double, while Sam Dengel hit Rangers’ consolation.

Struggling Collingtree take a battering from AFC Dee 11-0 at home.

Andy Hall rippled the net with four and Kieran Faulkner a hat-trick. Completing the scoring were Adam Russell (2), Tom High and Jordan McGill.

Golden Horse move up the table with a 5-1 win over Nene FC thanks to strikes from Ashley Gale, Gareth Errington (2), Leon Cosford and Anthony Broadbent.

Brafield put up a good fight but still came second when facing Billing United who won by 3-2 with Steve Warner (2) and Anthony Hammond giving United a maximum points.

Obelisk United and Wootton Fields got involved in a game that produced eight goals, with Fields nicking it 5-3.

Sam Fulks scored a hat-trick while there were singles for Callum Beech and Edmonds Locmelis. Aaron Clarke, Dave Gillanders and Carl White were on the mark for Obelisk.

DIVISION FOUR

Royals Res claimed their fourth win of the season as goals from Peter Lavery (2) and Chris Ling secured a 3-1 win over Chilton.

Sunnyside Reserves were on the wrong end of a 5-0 beating at the hands of Victoria Park Rangers, who netted through Anthony Orji, Andy Dawkins (2) and Dan Young (2).

DIVISION FIVE

A nine-goal thriller went the way of Abington Stanley as they edged past Victoria Park Rangers Reserves 5-4.

Ryan Chamberlain, Damian Keynan (2) and Dean McKenzie netted for the Rangers, but Stanley sneaked it thanks to four goals from Iain Holland-Hay and one from Gavin Saunders.

Northampton Hotspur drew 1-1 with The District. Martin Cafferty scored for Hotspur and Daniel Rednall levelled it up.

STAR AWARD

This week’s winners are Dynamo for their 3-2 County Cup win at Netherton United, the Northampton side coming from 2-0 down to win.

Niall O’Brien paid tribute to the people he will be leaving behind after confirming his move to Leicestershire.

The Ireland international has spent six years as a Northamptonshire player but was told he could leave the club despite having a year left to run on his contract.

And, while confessing he would be sad to Wantage Road behind, O’Brien is enthused about the next step his career has taken.

“I had six great years here and I would happily have played out the rest of my career with Northamptonshire,” he explained.

“I loved playing with the lads and I loved playing for Northamptonshire.

“In professional sport you have to make those hard-nosed decisions,

“But once you get over the initial thought process of leaving your friends and leaving the club you have played for for six years, there is plenty for me to be really positive about.

“My agent met with Leicestershire numerous times while I was in Sri Lanka and was very impressed with them.

“There is a good environment for me to succeed there.

“They are signing me because they want big things from me.”

O’Brien also paid tribute to the Northamptonshire faithful for the backing he has received in his time at Wantage Road

“I would like to thank the fans absolutely from the bottom of my heart.

“They have been brilliant to me the whole time I have been here.

“I’ve had a great relationship with them and a few of them have been in touch asking me not to go.

“I enjoyed my six years. I’ve had my ups and downs and my altercations – I’m a colourful lad.

“But I am getting more mature now and hopefully I can go on and enjoy many years of success with Leicestershire.”

Wins for Milton and James King Blisworth saw the top two remain unchanged in the Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Premier Division, with the Tunnelmen staying ahead with a better goal difference.

Bob Turner and Lee Bradley scored the goals for Milton to keep up the pressure on their rivals along the road.

Ben Smith managed a consolation for Weldon who could not find a second goal.

For Blisworth, the plaudits belonged to Ross Arundell, scorer of both goals.

Ringstead were the latest side to try and find the formula to stifle the prolific frontman but could not do so as he eluded them on the way to another notable goal haul.

Conner Mantone pulled a goal back for Ringstead, but once again an equaliser proved a step too far.

The defeat was the fifth on the bounce for Ringstead who sit one place off the bottom.

The only crumbs of comfort for Ringstead were the defeats for fellow strugglers Heyford and Pegasus.

Dan Harris scored for Heyford but Kettering Nomads scored four in reply to earn a maiden win since the return to the top flight.

Moulton meanwhile piled more misery on Pegasus with Ady Redmond scoring the winner.

Brixworth remain five points off the top with a game in hand after defeating Roade.

On a day dominated by 2-1 wins it was Adam Knight who picked up the winner in this match.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division One

Consistent form has seen Earls Barton reach the summit of Division One.

Unbeaten in seven and with just two points dropped so far, the Greens are well worth their four point lead.

Kislingbury were unable to match their opponents who created a myriad of chances in the 2-0 win.

Failure to convert those chances may make life uncomfortable in the future, but at the moment, it is points on the board that are most important.

Corby Locos sit at a points disadvantage, but the clinical 4-0 win over Orchard Park gives them a superior goal difference.

Burton moved up the table after a 5-1 win at Medbourne.

Jamie Smith again topped the score sheet with a double.

Four scorers shared the eight goals that Everards put past Wootton, although it was not all one way traffic with Wootton scoring three of their own.

Andy Wilson netted from the spot, and James McGrath and Stephen Millar registered two apiece.

All three were eclipsed however by George Donnelly who appears to have regained the scoring touch, and netted a first hat-trick for his new club to move them away from the bottom.

Rebuilding sides takes time and yet Gretton and Volta are still without a point this term following defeats to Denton and Stanwick respectively.

An own goal epitomised Gretton’s run of late, adding insult to injury after Ryan Machardie and Jonny Shakespeare gave Denton a 2-0 lead.

Stanwick cruised to a four goal victory over Volta.

Rothenberger Tools Division Two

Things could not have gone better for Wollaston who reclaimed top spot from Strip Mills following victory against bottom side Clipston.

Dan Parker scored twice as the Vics eased home.

With Strip Mills taking a week off, Daventry Comms and Redstar had the opportunity to close the gap at the top.

Both sides were held to draws which dented any hopes of staying in touch with the leaders.

Dan McShefferty scored for Redstar but a spirited fight back from Spratton extended the Corby side’s winless run to four matches.

For the visitors it was the first point of the season.

Similarly Daventry Comms were cancelled out by Corby Eagles. Despite twice going ahead Comms were pegged back both times as the visitors fought hard for a share of the points.

The Wellingborough derby between Old Grammarians and Rising Sun also ended with honours even. Mark Redden equalised for Rising Sun after Kael Talbot had put the hosts ahead.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division Three

Division Three saw a day of notable scores for both teams and individuals.

Drayton Grange maintained their best ever start to the season by making it six wins from six in the league.

Darren Taylor scored all four goals against Great Doddington who have now lost five in a row.

Drayton’s advantage at the top was further stretched by Weedon’s surprise defeat by Ferrers.

Ben Drinkwater scored three for Weedon, and Paul Currier added a fourth, yet once again in what has been a feature of this season, the treble came in a losing effort.

Gary Broadway cancelled it out with three of his own, while team mates Lee Butler (2) and Rob Smith plundered the others.

Ferrers show little sign of missing midfield dynamo Silviu Onica who crossed the Vine Hill divide in the close season to rivals FC Higham.

He served up a reminder of his worth for his new team with a double in the 3-1 win over Grange Park Rangers.

Reice Grey was another to score twice, firing home for Walgrave in the win over West Haddon.

Adam Russell and Sam Savage were the Exiles goalscorers in the 2-0 success over Titchmarsh.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division Four

Leaders Borough Alliance stretched their unbeaten run to eight games, but were denied a seventh win of the season by Kane Robinson who equalised for Desborough & Rothwell United.

Corby Albion Vikings failed to close the gap at the top after losing to early season strugglers Wilbarston.

Steve Winn scored the only goal of the game to move Wilbarston off the foot of the table, securing the first points of the season.

AFC Rothwell and Corby Kingswood tied 1-1.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Premier Division

With the top four not playing it was Blisworth and Ringstead who were the biggest movers of the day climbing to fourth and fifth respectively.

Josh Hudson scored twice alongside Rob Kirby for the Tunnelmen to seal a narrow win over Pegasus, while Ringstead overcame Roade 1-0.

Nomads also climbed a place with victory over Milton.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Division One

Corby Locos climbed to third in the table after defeating Medbourne 3-1.

Liam Boath, Darren Harrison and Jack Nolan all netted in the win, with Sammy Freer scoring the visitors consolation.

Bugbrooke B prevented Old Grammarians from climbing the table by defeating them 4-1.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Division Two

Harborough A romped to a 7-0 thrashing of Higham, while Stanwick defeated Spratton.

Northants FA Lower Junior Cup

The second round tie between Peterborough ICA Sports Reserves and Weldon Reserves was littered with defensive errors, ultimately costing Weldon Reserves a place in the third round.

Matthew Keefe capitalised on a goalkeeper mishap to put Weldon ahead.

ICA regained the initiative following Weldon’s own mistakes to take a 2-1 lead.

Five minutes from time Steve Grant equalised for Weldon, but a further error in the second period of extra time saw the Peterborough side through.

Northants FA Area Cup

Weldon A exited the county competition on penalties to Deanshanger Reserves.

Wootton St George followed Weldon by losing to ICA Sports A 3-2.

Craig Ginns and Steve Skinner both scored for Everards Reserves, but neither could prevent Town League side JLB from gaining the win.

It was a similar story for both Hellenic Fisher Reserves and Welford Reserves who went out to Woodford B and Middleton Cheney A respectively.

Better results were found at elsewhere with five league sides eliminating external opposition.

Wollaston Reserves enjoyed the biggest margin of victory, a 6-0 romp against Crick.

Chris Hill scored twice for Quantum Print Reserves as the Stanion-based side eased to a 5-1 success against Peterborough Sports Parkway Reserves.

Shaun Melville also grabbed two goals, leading the Higham Town charge against Town League side Thorplands 81.

Both Orchard Park Reserves and ON Chenecks A could not settle their ties inside the distance.

Orchard Park needed extra time and an Owen Bell brace to eliminate Charlton & District, while ONs edged out Peterborough Parkway Eagles on penalties.

Liam Knight, Steve Ashton and Jordan Hogden all netted for Earls Barton Reserves.

Last year’s beaten finalists will be hoping to go one better this time around, and the defeat of Park Rovers did much to boost hopes.

Matty Garscadden scored twice for Corby United who defeated Finedon Volta Reserves 5-1.

Redstar Reserves started their maiden campaign with a resounding 6-0 win over Wilby. Rob Bradshaw scored a hat-trick and strike partner Connor Grant picked up a brace.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Star Award

Wilbarston are this week’s winners after they defeated second-placed Corby Albion Vikings to secure their first points of the season, and end an 11-game losing run that stretches back to January 2012.

Saints have announced that forward James Craig has signed a new contract with the club.

The 23-year-old forward joined the Saints from Leeds Carnegie in the summer of 2011 and has so far played 18 times in the club’s first team, including in the 2012 LV= Cup final and Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-final.

He has yet to play for the first team this season due to injury, but director of rugby Jim Mallinder definitely sees him as part of his future plans.

Mallinder says Craig is a player who can provide a substantial contribution to the squad in the future.

“James is a talented player who has shown already that he has the ability to compete at the top end of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table,” said the Saints boss.

“He can play both in the second row and on the flank, and you need that kind of positional flexibility in the squad.

“We’re very happy that James has signed a new contract with us so early in the season and we’re looking forward to him continuing his development at Franklin’s Gardens.”

Craig, who represented England through the youth age-groups,

Craig can play at either lock or in the back row, and he says he is now determined to get fully fit and start contributing to the black, green and gold cause again.

“It has been a bit frustrating for me in terms of injuries this year, but I’m glad that the coaches have seen past that and seen my potential for the future,” said Craig.

“Being a part of the Saints has been a great experience, and hopefully I can get back into the matchday 23 when I get back to fitness.

“Settling into the club has been a steady transition and I feel very much at home here now. It’s a great set of lads, a good crowd, good coaches, and you can’t say more than that.

“Looking forward I know I need to break into the first team. It’s going to be hard; we’ve got quality players across the back five forwards, including a lot of England internationals, but I’m determined to keep improving as much as I can.”

Leon Henry scored 37 points as Northants Thunder beat county rivals Titans 114-94 in the second round of the National Shield.

The newly-formed Thunder, from division four, saw off division three Titans at Weavers Sports Centre in Wellingborough, and on the face of it, the result looks like an upset.

But in truth, it was a result that most people in a large crowd expected as most of the Thunder players have returned to their alma mater having played for Wellingborough Phoenix, who were Titans in disguise.

The Thunder game plan was to run, run, run and press, press, press and eventually this tactic paid off but at half time they only held the narrowest of leads at 51-47.

During that first half Thunder had looked impressive running the ball back, but their defence had struggled to contain Mark Gledhill and Ghatt close to the basket and the sharp shooting of Danny Barrett.

Thunder maintained their up-tempo style of play at the start of the third period and possibly the turning point came when Leome Francis pulled off an enormous block and launched Henry for a dunk at the other end.

Titans were visibly rocked by this single play. Thunder went on a 13-5 run to take the quarter 30-23 and extend their lead to 11 points.

Titans were far from done but in the final period of play they weren’t helped by converting only eight of 14 free throws while Henry and Francis combined for 21 points for Thunder as they cruised to a 20 point victory and a third round tie against the Derby Trailblazers’ second team.

The Thunder coaching staff of Rob Eddon and Grahame Yates were pleased that 10 of the 12 players used got on the score sheet, led by Henry with 37 points.

He was well supported by Leome Francis with 18 points while Merson Paul kept his cool at the free throw line in converting 12 of 15 free throws in his 22 point total.

Junior Men’s Premier Division North

Sefton Stars 74 Northants Thunder 88

Not for the first time a Northants team travelling north on the M6 were delayed in traffic congestion.

The latest delay mean that the Junior Men had just 15 minutes warm up time for their Premier Division North clash against Sefton Stars.

Not surprisingly, Thunder made a lethargic start to the game and slipped behind 7-2 after the early exchanges.

Without ever looking convincing at either end of the court they had eased ahead 25-24 after the first period of play.

In the second quarter Thunder were still struggling offensively and found themselves 35-40 down. but sparked into life in the final two minutes of the period going on a 9-0 run to lead 44-40 at half time.

Thunder came out for the third period of play in a more determined mood and completely dominated the quarter.

They poured in 27 points while Stars relied almost entirely on free throws for their 17 points.

In the final stanza, Thunder extended their lead to 19 points at one time but were guilty of losing concentration in the last couple of minutes of the quarter allowing Stars to reduce the final deficit to 14 points.

Thunder’s scoring was once again dominated by Matt Yates who poured in 36 points, but eight other players contributed to the final total; Andre Arissol looking particularly impressive in scoring 10 points.

Coach Rob Eddon was very pleased with his team’s effort in a difficult venue and against determined opposition.

Junior Men’s National Cup Round One

Northants Thunder 101 City of Birmingham IIs 36

Less than 24 hours after their long trip north, the Thunder junior men were back on court for a National Cup tie against the City of Birmingham second string.

COB were ecstatic after scoring the first basket of the game, but from then on struggled at both ends of the court.

Thunder took the first period of play 33-15 then romped away with the second 30-3 to take an unassailable 63-18 half time lead.

Coach Rob Eddon was able to run a number of different player combinations and defences in the second half, which was no more competitive than the first as Thunder took it 38-18 to win the game 101-36.

All 12 players scored, led by Linas Bajorunas who had four three-pointers in his 24 point haul.

Three other players Pauli Laurinolli, Lewis Mooney and Jack Thomas all scored in double figures.

Junior Women’s South-West Conference

Northants Lightning 60 Sporting Club Albion 35

SC Albion arrived for this Junior Women’s South-West Conference game with just five players.

Not surprisingly, the visitors elected to employ a zone defence aimed at restricting Thunder’s scoring close to the basket.

Initially Thunder resorted to long range speculative shots and could manage only 13 points in the first quarter.

Luckily, their defence was very sound and Albion could manage only seven points.

The same pattern continued through the second and third periods which Thunder won 12-7 and 12-10, so going into the final quarter Thunder still only led 37-24 and Albion were still well and truly in the hunt.

In the final quarter Thunder were able to pick up the tempo of their play and with the Albion players visibly tiring, Thunder captain Izzy John cut loose as her team took the period 23-11 to record a 60-35 win.

Johns top-scored with 25 points and she was well supported by Lois Bain and Hannah Nolan with 13 and 10 points respectively.

Under 16 Women’s Midlands South West Conference

Northants Lightning 81 Gloster Jets 28

All seven Lightning players had played in the junior women’s game, so not surprisingly they initially struggled against Jets.

They led throughout the first two periods of play but at half time were only ten points ahead at 34-24.

In the half time break, coach Stacey Shakespeare demanded more defensive intensity from her players and they responded superbly.

Jets, restricted by the loss of their best players could manage only four points while Lightning poured in 47 to take the game 81-28.

Rion Blessyn (23 points and double figure rebounds) and Steph Ogden (22 points and double figure steals) both recorded double-doubles.

National Cup Round One

Northants Lightning 107 Reading Rockets 22

Against a keen and enthusiastic, but very inexperienced Reading team, the Northants Lightning cruised in to the second round of the National Cup.

The game was virtually one way traffic throughout, although to their credit the Rockets players never gave in.

For the most part the visitors were limited to shooting under pressure, with Rio Blessyn and Christa Maphosa ripping down rebounds and Amy Boot and Steph Ogden launching fast break attacks.

The person on the end of a large number of these breaks was Lauren Brookes who finished superbly and amassed an impressive 40 point haul.

She was well supported by Ogden and Boot with 27 and 16 points respectively while Hannah Nola chipped in with 10 points.

Under 15 Boys Midlands Conference

City of Birmingham 85 Northants Thunder 64

The Northants under-15 boys travelled to the West Midlands for a Midlands Conference game against City of Birmingham, and returned home on the wrong end of a 85-64 score line.

Initially Thunder were rocked by a full court press from the athletic COB team which saw the home side jumping out to a 20-12 lead after the first period of play.

The Northants boys regrouped in the second quarter which saw them gain more control over the game tempo, but nevertheless they lost it 16-13 to trail 25-36 at the interval.

Thunder were unable to maintain this improvement in the third period during which they scored 21 points but leaked 33 to give COB an unassailable 69-46 lead.

With Ed Hall, Jacob Killeya and Brendan Ross working hard and getting excellent support from Carlo Nieva, Jacob Round and Ollie Thomas in the back court, Thunder were very competitive in the final quarter which they lost 18-16, finally going down by 21 points.

The team return to Birmingham this weekend to take on the Bulls.

Under 16 Women’s Midlands South West Conference

Nottingham Wildcats 81 Northants Lightning 39

The Northants Lightning under 15 girls team, playing a year young in the Cadette Women’s League, made the trip to Nottingham and found out exactly what is needed to compete at the ‘next level’.

In the first quarter, which Wildcats edged 17-15, Lightning played excellent defence and coped with Nottingham’s pressure defence well.

Charlotte Berridge scored six points and Lauren Milne showed some excellent skills close to the basket.

Wildcats dominated the second period of play outscoring Lightning 21-9, but with the half time score at 38-24 the Northants girls were still in the game.

Coach Karen Goodrich was playing all 12 of her players, and one or two of them found it difficult to cope with the Wildcats pressure and with guard Sarah Round injured, Lightning struggled to run any kind of structured offence.

The whole second half was little less than carnage as Lightning were outscored 15-43 finally losing 60-35 to a team who are likely to be one of the toughest in the Conference.

Lauren Milne top scored with 14 points while Berridge totalled eight.

Under 14 Boys Midlands Conference

NEBC Titans 106 Northants Thunder 82

Just a week after going down to Titans on their own court, the Northants under 14 boys made the short trip to Wellingborough to take on their local rivals again.

Both teams were boosted by the addition of players who had been playing for the East Midlands the previous weekend, but the result once more was a convincing win for Titans.

Coach Mickey Paul felt that his team had made some improvement from the previous week’s defeat, but was still concerned that his team’s scoring was dominated by just two players with Jacob Round scoring 36 points and David Nieva 28.

Thunder were guilty of making a slow start and found themselves trailing 22-2 after just six minutes of play.

Thunder did recover in the rest of the first period of play and after a free scoring second quarter trailed 42-66

By now Thunder were up for the challenge but despite their best efforts couldn’t close the gap eventually losing the second half 40-38 to go down 106-82.

Other Games

The Midlands Conference Under 14 Girls game against NASSA was postponed because NASSA couldn’t raise a team while a mixed Under 12’s team went unbeaten in their pool in the Northants Central Venue League. Coach Mike Round was full of praise for all of his players.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

British Colleges Men’s Midlands Elite League

Gateway College 115 Moulton College A 30

Moulton College made the short journey to Leicester for this BCS Elite League fixture against Gateway College without three of their leading players.

They knew it was going to be a tough game against a team fielding seven of last season’s squad, and so it proved.

Gateway went off like an express team pouring in 15 unanswered points in the first five minutes of play.

Most of these scores came because the Moulton players were put under so much defensive pressure that they turned the ball over leading to easy Gateway baskets.

Moulton eventually got on the scoreboard thanks to an inside move from Linas Bajournas, but from then until the end of the quarter it was a question of one for us three for them.

Gateway had recognised the threat of Matt Yates were he was being closely man-to-man marked.

This forced other Moulton players into ball handling duties and on the day it proved too much for them and by the end of the first period of play Gateway had opened up a 27-9 lead.

The second quarter was to prove to be Moulton’s best with Yates escaping his marker to score a couple of baskets while Derice McLeod twice scored with drives to basket.

Gateway took the period 28-16 to take the score to 55-25 at half time.

During the half time interval Coach John Collins tried to emphasise the importance of personal performance rather than the game score, but his advice seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Far too many of the Moulton players were playing as if they were in a pick-up game in the local park, and when Yates picked up a calf injury things looked bleak for the Moulton cause.

So it proved with the third quarter turning into an absolute nightmare.

Gateway poured in 34 points while Moulton could manage not a single score.

The avalanche continued in the fourth quarter during which time Moulton were outscored 26-5 to make the second half scored 60 to five and an afternoon the Moulton players will want to forget.

Bojournas top scored with nine points and Derice McLeod managed eight.

THIS WEEKEND’S ACTION

Saturday, October 27

12-30pm: Cadet Men versus Cheshire Jets

2-30pm: Junior Men versus Cheshire Jets

Both 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 13 Boys travel to Reading Rockets

Under 15 Boys travel to Birmingham Bulls

Under 15 Girls travel to Solent Suns

Junior Women travel to Buck Hornets

Sunday, October 28

Senior Men travel to Leicester Warriors II

Cadet Men travel to Notts Nova

Chris Perez of Rugby & Northampton enjoyed a good run in the inaugural Daventry 10 mile road race, finishing as runner-up.

The 36-year-old finished in second place when he recorded exactly 57 mins in a race that also incorporated the Northants Championships.

Although Perez wasn’t able to stay with the fast early pace of Birchfield’s Matt Almond, he was happy with his silver medal winning performance.

Finishing in fourth position was Greg Spellman when he just got pipped by Northampton Road Runners’ Danson Njoka in a time of 57.28.

But as well as winning the first M45 prize, Spellman was the County Champion in the M40 competition. Winning the silver medal in the same age group was Dave Rayfield in seventh spot on 60.50.

Rugby & Northampton were the gold medal winners in the Men’s team race, and closing off that team was Terry Egan in 12th to win the M50 Northants title with 63.17 and bring his County medal tally to 93.

Alan Mould finished 36th (67.44), which placed him as the sixth M50 runner, and new member Richard Franklin took first prize in the over-55 category for 52nd overall (72.31).

Two ladies competed for R&N, with Nikki Turner being timed at 87.24 to finish in 31st spot, and sealing victory in the Ladies Club Road Race Championship was Lisa Johnson competing in her new W45 age group and crossing the line in 92.15 for 38th place.

SILSON JOGGERS

With the Chiltern League Cross Country season now underway, the club was well represented in the first race with some 40 members turning out to tackle the excessively wet and muddy course near Oxford.

Despite having to tackle a ditch full of water that led straight into a muddy up-slope that got progressively more treacherous as each race took on the challenge, the 19 juniors and five debutants among the Silson team ran well and scored some useful points, the team placed 13th in the points table at the end of the event.

The juniors in particular did very well, with debutant Fergus Scott finishing the under 13 boys’ race in 39th, with fellow newcomer Charlie Lyon in 61st, just behind Zach Rycroft (56th), but ahead of Declan Cooper in 62nd and Ben Hanson in 65th.

The under 13 girls, performed well as a team with debuts for Reagan Cooper (67th), Caitlin Jones (73rd) and Alice Lyon who was 74th even though she lost a shoe in the very muddy conditions!

Of the more experienced girls, Anabel O’Reilly was first home in 57th, just ahead of Neave Wray (59th) and Lucy Cotterill (60th).

Skye Verwey was 68th, beating home Amy Jelley (69th), birthday girl Sophie Gray (70th) and Eleanor Rees (78th).

In the under 15 girls’ race, Layne Wray was 64th in a strong field, while the under 11 girls’ race saw Rosie Edmunds put in a strong run to claim 23rd, and Seth Rycroft and Adam Gray were 60th and 64th respectively in the under 11 boys’ event.

The junior teams contributed 155 points to the league table, and the club will be looking to build on this result at the next round at Shuttleworth in early November.

For the senior races, ‘the Hill’ was as challenging a climb as ever with its false summits and the occasional dog.

The descent was fast and furious with steps, tree roots and gulleys to negotiate before the muddiest part of the course along the base of the hill.

Scratched by brambles and covered in mud, the senior teams were led home by their captains, Heather Kirk and Simon Woodward, both coming back to form on schedule after Autumn training.

Silson’s men had three brave debutants in Simon Davies, Andy Field and Jay Fletcher, who all ran well and persevered through the mud, with Field and Fletcher both scoring points for Silson.

The ladies’ team also had a debutant in Dionne Lyon who was an impressive points scorer on her first outing for the Silson ladies.

In addition, Casey Hill also made a welcome points scoring return after a year away on duty for country instead of club, while Tasha King continued last year’s dependable, fine form to be second lady home.

Kit Rapson rounded out the team with her highest ever finish in the Chiltern League.

For anyone interested in joining the club, more information can be found on the club website at www.silsonjoggers.org.uk

A former finance manager at Billing Aquadrome has appeared in court charged with stealing more than £300,000 from the holiday park.

Andrew Stockwin, whose address was given to magistrates as HMP Onley, is charged with stealing £142,315.82 from Billing Aquadrome Limited between May 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009.

Stockwin, aged 47, is also charged with stealing £159,325.04 from the holiday park, based in Crow Lane, Little Billing, between August 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010.

No pleas were entered.

Northampton Magistrates’ Court today heard Stockwin was employed by Pure Leisure, the firm that owns Billing Aquadrome, until he resigned in 2010.

Prosecuting, Colin McGregor, said: “It was discovered thereafter that a theft had taken place during his time in employment. The money in question is about £300,000.

“The prosecution are saying this is clearly outside this court’s sentencing powers and should be heard in the crown court.”

Magistrates remanded Stockwin back into custody. He will return to court next week.

Chairman of the bench, John Maybank, said: “This matter is now being adjourned until November. In the mean time you will be remanded back into custody.”

Conservative MP for Northampton South Brian Binley has urged caution over today’s positive economic data, claiming that despite a one per cent increase in GDP the UK has dropped a place in the World Bank’s business-friendly global ratings.

Mr Binley said the Prime Minister and Chancellor “should not spend too much time patting themselves on the back, recognising that the Office of National Statistics said that the underlying pattern is one of subdued economic expansion. There is still an awful lot that needs to be done.”

The backbench MP also questioned why Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, was allowed to dismiss the Beecroft proposals, arguing that too few steps are being taken to encourage lending to small businesses and that the Government had failed to keep its promise on cutting “red-tape.”

Writing in his blog, Mr Binley says the Chancellor of the Exchequer must do more to help business.

He said: “We’re constantly told that George Osborne is a strategist and a planner but that’s no good if nothing actually gets done.”

The MP for Northampton South has previously criticised Mr Osborne’s dual role within the Government as Chancellor and policy strategist for the Prime Minister.

Mr Binley also warned that growth must be consistent and not sporadic, citing the rate of new start-up businesses has fallen.

He added: “It’s time for the Chancellor to take a more hands-on approach, display some management skills to see things through and increase private demand in the economy.

“Mr Osborne must now use the extra authority that the growth figures will give him to ensure that his promises on business are actually fulfilled.”

Greg Summers and James Knibb both scored twice as Saints enjoyed a field day against Stourport, romping to an 8-0 win.

Saints fielded a very strong side against Stourport, with the hope of making it two wins on the bounce. They handed Greg Summers his debut as the squad lowered its average age yet again to 23!

Saints dominated from the start, not letting the away side out of their half for long periods and it wasn’t long until they took the lead.

A well-worked short corner from James Knibb and Gareth Parker allowed Joe Kopka to open the scoring at the back post.

Further goals from Christian Howard and James Knibb just before half time helped Saints into a comfortable position going into the break.  

As the second half got under way, debut striker Summers set about tormenting the Stourport defence.

After a neat lay off he picked up a through pass from Press and coolly lifted the ball over the advancing keeper grab his first goal for the first team.

Shortly afterwards, he skipped past a defender before drilling in a magnificent ball to the back post which only just evaded the Saints strikers.

A goal from close range from Alex Press made the score 5-0.

A great counter attack then allowed Knibb to grab his second and a similar looking move allowed Summers to also bag two goals as it fired in from a back post cross.

Ben Scott wrapped things up with a short corner late on.

Although there will be far tougher tests to come, Saints did what they needed to do and will look for a third win in a row when they travel to bottom of the league Sutton Coldfield this weekend.

MOTM: Greg Summers

Squad: Paul Madeley (GK), Adam Croutear, Sean Henry, Jamie Webb, Steve Williams, Ben Scott (c), Dave Saunders, Christian Howard, Evan Morris, Joe Kopka, Gareth Parker, Alex Press, Greg Summers, James Knibb.

Saints IIs 0 Rugby & EW IIs 0

This weekend brought Saints to Rugby, feeling confident from the previous weeks’ 6-0 win against Loughborough Town.

Saints set out to continue their good form from the whistle, but the match started poorly for Saints with Rugby taking control right from the off.

The Northampton side settled down midway through the first half as the game balanced out, with both sides coming close on a number of attempts.

Saints created a few promising first half attempts, with the attacking midfielders creating runs and fast-paced counter play, but they were failing at the last hurdle to take the lead.

They persisted and throughout the first half, pouncing on any opportunity, and quick reactions from Alex Blunt brought the one and only successful pounce of the game.

Saints were getting frustrated towards the end of the first half, with Rugby’s constant pressure taking its toll on the team’s cohesion. 
There were strong performances from Robin Sawyer, Guy Roberts and Ben Northedge tp keep the Rugby attacks at bay.
Again, just iike the previous week, the half time team talk gave Saints the boost they needed to improve their poor start to the first half of the game.

Playing strongly throughout the second half, Saints won a number of short corners and created many chances with strong runs and play from Dan Rose, Scott Mahoney and Alex Blunt threatening Rugby’s goal.

A quick snap shot on the turn from the captain Dan Whittaker that hit the outside of the post was the closest Saints game to a goal though.

Rugby also created a few close chances, but the game ended 0-0.

Squad: Robin Sawyer (GK), Guy Roberts, Lewis Ward, Pete Riches, Matt Gausden, Chris Reid, Ben Northedge, Danny Whitfield, Alexander Rose, Dan Whittaker (C), Alexander Blunt, Scott Mahoney, Dan Rose.

Saints IVs 7 Boots Vs 0

Some good Saints passing moves from the back line of Jim Phipps, Matt Candler, James Ruse and debutant Richard Whorton saw chances come thick and fast for the Saints.

But despite all of his trying Rob Cary, could not put the ball in between the sticks.

It was captain Dave Henry to put the Saints 1-0 up which opened up the game for saints to score two more goals before the end of the first half through Rob Tee and Henry again.

The second half saw Boots try and regain a grip of the game, but only saw them concede a penalty corner and up stepped Steve Morris to slot the ball home and make it 4-0.

Chris Godman scored the fifth goal for his celebration to be short lived as he slipped over behind the goal!!

Saints pushing forward meant that at times they were overrun, but the Saints defence stood strong to keep Boots at bay.

Captain Henry then Stepped up to slot home his hat trick! And Dysko to slot home the seventh goal to seal the victory.

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Jim Phipps , Richard Whorton, Matthew Candler, James Ruse, Steve  Morris,  Gary Paterson, David Henry (c)  Rob Cary, Rob Tee,  Tom Dysko, Chris Godman

Saints Vs 5 Boots IVs 4

Saints started strongly with Nick Beattie and Joe Cliffe’s pace causing the opposition problems on the right hand side.

This shortly led to a goal from Ed Arnold when he angled a touch perfectly to beat the keeper.

A strong performance from Phil Green in goal denied any goals from the opposition attack because of his casual and effortless saves. He made their shots look poor.

It wasn’t long before Saints widened their lead as they took advantage of a short corner. A drag flick from Jon Noble that was aimed at the post beat the defence to go bottom corner and give the saints a 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Saints could not deny Boots from scoring.

A save (with his stick) on the line from Karl McGregor was deemed as a foot and a flick was given.

A diving attempt at a save from Phil Preen only resulted in the flick looking better than it was.

The momentum momentarily changed. Boots then went on to score again before half time and arguably the blame could be shared between Phil Preen and Gareth Voss when a pass from the opposition to Voss not collected and the forward made another pass into the goal.

Extreme speed from Ant Condon allowed Noble to execute a head height drag flick from another short and put Saints once again in the lead.

Saints continued to have a promising attack. This allowed Beattie to capitalise when nudged the ball past the keeper. A sloppy Saints was then taken advantage of when Boots scored two goals to make it 4-4.

A goal from Nick Beattie soon happened - a poor but effective injection went to Krish who got round two players and passed the ball on to Nick. Beattie who turned and scored. The match finished 5-4 to give Saints the win.

Squad: Phil Green (GK), Ed Arnold, Krish J, Nick Beattie, Elliot Wilde, Gareth Voss, Ant Condon, Trev Fidler, Ali Townsend, Jon Noble, Joe Cliffe, Karl McGregor, Finn Pickard, Alex Jeffrey

Leicester IVs 3 Saints VIs 2

Travelling to top of the table Leicester with only 11 players was never going to make life easy for the VIs.

The team started strongly with Darren Thorpe and Phil Knight controlling midfield and the team created the better chances with Harry Yorke slotting one of these away to take the lead.

Leicester came back strongly and the VIs conceded two soft goals, the first from another short corner with the striker having far too much time to pick his spot and the second from an acute angle when a missed trap on the left of defence proved costly.
The second half started badly with Rob O’Donnell having to go off for the rest of the game with a foot injury.

The VIs battled really well and played some good hockey on the break with the pace of Patrick Rowntree causing the Leicester defence problems, and from one break the 10 men grabbed an equaliser.

Leicester were always going to come back strong with a 13-man squad and despite some inspired observational comments from the side lines which were warmly welcomed by the team they did begin to create chances and one scramble in the D saw the umpire award a flick.

The flick was poorly taken but managed to squirm under the stick of Jake Bennett in the goal.

Saints VIIs 1 Nuneaton IVs 3

Saints started shakily, giving the ball away easily and putting themselves under pressure early on.

The defensive line was doing a good job keeping control, and in spite of the pressure there were no real shots taken. 

The biggest event of note during this passage of play was Nigel Riches getting caught in the ear from a deflected ball.

As the half wore on, Saints’ midfield started getting a bit more structure and were making some stronger runs into their D.

Rob Frost and Tim Warburton both had several close chances, but the finish was just not there for either player.

At the other end of the pitch a deflected cross flew in towards keeper Dean Gibson and land on the top of his shin guard before rolling forwards right onto the stick of an opposing forward - before Gibson was able to get a foot to the ball the forward had slipped the ball coolly into the corner to put Nuneaton 1-0 up.

Saints woke up a bit more after this and were attacking with a lot more determination and purpose.

Even the left back Tom Woodhouse got in on the act with a mazy run from the halfway line, linking up with Connor Wright nicely to get another good chance that was again left begging by the two forwards.

Connor was having another great match until on one of his penetrating attacking runs he collided with a defender and broke his glasses. In spite of this Connor continued his determined performance for the rest of the match.

In the second half Saints piled pressure onto the Nuneaton D.

Eventually Jon Keep picked up a pass just outside the top of the D and found his way past several defenders to some space for him to place a great shot into the back corner of the goal.

At 1-1 the VIIs were in good shape to push on for their first ever win.

Unfortunately while the pressure continued for a while, Nuneaton soaked this up well and then broke well on a number of occasions leaving the midfield and forwards chasing back.

Two goals came in short succession as saints became visibly tired. The Saints didn’t give in and had several further chances but in the same way as the first half, were unable to finish.

Squad: Dean Gibson (GK), Tom Woodhouse, Martin Skinner, Nigel Riches, Tim Riches, Adam Wright, Jon Keep, Charlie Harte, Connor Wright, Tim Warburton, Rob Frost.

LADIES

Saints IIIs 3 Wellingborough IIs 2

After a slow start, Saints found themselves 2-0 down.

Not applying enough pressure or marking key players was their initial downfall.

Saints’ first goal came from defence through to midfield, switched to Kate Barnetson picked up nicely then a fantastic cross through to Laura Thomas who picked up on reverse and turn and hit into the goal 2-1.

Through quick prep talk and good organising, our second goal came from a practised set piece on a short, amd it was 2-2 by half-time.

After a positive team talk, Saints were strong in the second half.

The defence marked well, the midfield was sorted out by Ness Kingston who marked out two of Wellingborough’s key players restricting their attacking moves and breaking down their play.

The forwards worked harder than ever, running onto balls, and Clare Noble scored the winning goal to make the final score 3-2.

MOTM: Becca Collins

Towcester 5 Saints 0

TOWCESTER turned in a dominant display to hammer county rivals Saints in the Midlands Premier Division.

The first half saw both sides play well, but Towcester maximised their short corner chances to score twice through Lisa Prince.

From then on it was the Helen Parr show as she scored her second successive hat-trick to seal an emphatic win.

Towcester are at Leicester on Saturday.

Squad: Sue Willers, Janet Graham, Mel Linnel, Charlotte Hurst, Gemma English, Ella Bevan, Hannah Edwards, Helen Parr, Jo Walker, Jen O’Neil, Lisa Prince, Laura Whittle

Uttoxeter 4 Towcester IIs 2

THIS was a harsh scoreline on Towcester, who deserved much more from the game.

All of Uttoxeter’s goals were scored on the break.

Towcester’s goals were scored by Lisa Groves and Laura Abbott.

Towcester IIs 0 Saints IVs 2

ANOTHER excellent performance from the IIIs went unrewarded as they were beaten by Saints.

Aidy Boothroyd has confirmed he may make ‘one or two’ additions to his Cobblers squad as he tackles an injury crisis which he says is the worst he has known as a manager.

Town will be without central-midfielders Luke Guttridge and Ben Harding for the visit of Port Vale on Saturday (2pm kick-off), and David Artell will also miss the game.

And they may also have Chris Hackett, who has only a 50 per cent chance of recovering from a groin stroin, and John Johnson, who is rebuilding sharpness after successful knee surgery, on the injured list,

Fresh blood could be drafted in, although the club can only name five loan players in their matchday squad of 18 and three will certainly start Saturday’s game - goalkeeper Lee Nicholls, right-back Danny East and midfielder Emyr Huws.

But Boothroyd, who has never known an injury crisis as severe as the current one, will explore his transfer options.

“I’ve never had a situation as bad as this in my managerial career,” said Boothroyd. “But I’m sure I will look back on this, in time, and think it was a good period for us to come through.

“We’ve got some good players in this squad but unfortunately half of them are injured.

“We have got to get them back as fast as we can and the lads that come in have got to step up.

“For the game against Port Vale, we are pretty much as we were in terms of bodies against Bradford on Tuesday night.”

The manager admits the current balance between youngsters and experienced professionals is not quite right.

Against Bradford, two of the midfield four were teenagers with just a handful of league appearances between them, with the other two - Ben Tozer and Alex Nicholls - not exactly grizzled veterans.

But taking players on loan represents something of a risk and there are other implications too, both in terms of finance and how they fit into the squad ethos.

“There are players out there with experience who we could bring in but like with anyone that we bring in they have got to fit with what we are trying to do,” he said.

“I’m certainly not going to make any panic signings or rush anything.

“I think what we’ve got to do is take a deep breath, try and assess what we’ve already got and then try and bring the right one or maybe two in, and that could happen for Saturday.”

If Saints are to beat Saracens on Saturday, they will need to put in their best performance of the season to date.

That’s something of which forwards coach Dorian West is well aware, as his men continue to strive for ‘consistency for the 80 minutes’.

Saints sit top of the Aviva Premiership after winning five of their first six games.

But they have yet to turn in a display that they will be totally happy with, with lapses threatening to cost them dear. In the 39-17 defeat at London Irish last time out, they did just that.

And against a Saracens side buoyed by big back-to-back Heineken Cup wins, West knows there will be no room for error.

“We’ve not been the best,” he said. “We’ve played reasonably well in patches in every game and what we’re striving for is that bit of consistency for the 80 minutes.

“It’s something we talked about on Wednesday morning, we played Saracens here last year and did particularly well in that game (beating them 30-8). The only game we’ve come unstuck in was London Irish when we were terrible throughout the game, so we’re looking for consistency and we’re looking to keep improving our game and our performances.

“We’re working hard.”

And he added: “Saracens are a quality side with a lot of quality players. They’ve got a quality squad and there’s quality throughout it.

“They take two good players off and put two good players on, that’s how they are and we’re going to have to be at our best if we’re going to beat them.”

So what do Saints need to do to see off the formidable challenge of a Saracens side who can name a number of England players among their backline?

“We need to play properly,” said West. “We need to control the ball and make sure we’re accurate in what we do. If we do that, we’ve got a lot of good players and we can win any game.”

Full-back James Wilson missed the 21-16 defeat to Castres in Toulouse last Friday, meaning fly-half Stephen Myler was switched to full-back, with Ryan Lamb slotting in at 10.

West says Wilson could return for the Saracens clash, but it looks likely to be a last-minute decision.

“He’s got every chance,” said West. “He’s had a bit of a strain.

“He’s got until Saturday so we’ll see where he gets to.”

Young winger Jamie Elliott is also not far away from coming into contention after getting two tries and 26 minutes under his belt in the Wanderers’ 26-0 win against Oxford University on Monday night.

“It’s part of his rehab and getting him back into things full on,” said West. “He needs to build up gradually and that game time has fitted in around other training that he’s doing.

“You don’t want to fatigue him and put him at risk so there’s a plan involved in getting him back into the team as soon as we can.”

A battling final-quarter fightback wasn’t enough to stop Northants Titans from slipping to a 70-68 EBL Under 13 Boys Midlands South Conference defeat to Bucks Hornets at Weavers at the weekend.

After an exhausting overtime match the previous weekend, Titans were up against much stronger competition in the Hornets.

A concerned Titans entered this game knowing that it would be much more challenging, but after such an eventful season so far, would this be an issue?

With skipper Joseph Mcgrady out of play with a knee injury and the team not having a training session at all that week... maybe!

The beginning of the quarter saw both teams match up surprisingly evenly, until the sixth minute hit and Hornets took off on a scoring streak and finished the quarter with a nine-point lead.

Titans took this all in their stride, following last week’s underdog win, and continued to play up to their fighting name.

However, once again in the sixth minute of this quarter Hornets flew at Titans with numerous fast breaks, attacking the gaps in their half court defence and running in lay-up after lay-up.

Titans certainly felt the Hornets’ sting as they displayed what seemed to be boundless scoring ability, combined with profound athleticism and they buzzed in 18 points in a row, without Titans taking a single basket in return.

The first half ended with Titan trailing 27-45. It was a worrying deficit, yet there was still a lot of the game to be played.

A short half time and some words of encouragement later, and Titans were back on the floor.

This period consisted of Titans taking difficult shots and constantly turning the ball over.

However, this was balanced with their scoring success rate, missing only two shots of the nine taken that quarter.

For both teams this was a low scoring period and finished with Hornets only winning the quarter by two baskets.

Although, on the discouraging side, Titans now only had one period left to pull back a 22-point gap!

The final 10 minutes of play was expected to follow pattern of the previous periods, however, Titans were about to pull something out of their lockers!

Titans marched into the fourth quarter and forced Hornets to witness a real comeback.

After only three minutes of hectic play, Titans had reduced a 22 point shortage to just 12. This was an outstanding effort from such a young, inexperienced side.

Tyler Mutemasango scored all of the 10 points to dent this deficit.

This advantageous start, motivated both the team and crowd and Titans were unstoppable, continuously stealing the ball and improving upon everything they didn’t do as well earlier on in the game.

Titans continued this reign throughout the whole quarter, and by the eighth minute they were only three points behind and sitting comfortably on Hornets’ shoulders.

As the clock took us into the last minute, it was now a one-point game, after Hornets sunk just one more free-throw in the last few seconds, this appeared to seal the deal for the Bucks side.

Titans threw up one last attempt, but it was not enough to take the win.

Titans were exceptional in the final quarter, and surprised family, friends, coaches and more importantly themselves.

This unexpected ending to the game saw Titans take the quarter 29-9, the highest points difference accomplished in one period throughout the whole game.

“This is a winning scoreline within itself, and a great team performance throughout the game, yet again proving Titans potential for the rest of the season.” said coach Bayliss.

Tyler Mutemasango top scored with 25 points, supported by Elijah Mckiernan with 16, backed up by youngster Bradley Powell with nine points and PJ Preston with a steady eight.

EBL Under 14 Boys Midlands Conference

Northamptonshire Titans 106 Northants Thunder 82

With all members of both teams available after East Midlands duty, it was ‘game on’ at Weavers on Saturday.

The Titans starting five came out strong leaving Thunder under no illusion as to who wanted the match.

Titans continued working hard in the first half and ended it by leading by 22 points opening up the lead to enable all of the bench to get good game minutes and show us that training was indeed paying off as they maintained the lead well for the rest of the game.

Everyone contributed to the score sheet with some great improvements from Scott Moore and Tom Weatherson.

With Keenan Salmon and Elliott Farrar sharing only half of Titans’ final score, it was true to say that it was a true team performance that Thunder could not match.

However, Thunder won the final quarter by three points with superb effort from Jacob Round and David Neva.

EBL Under 15 Boys Midlands Conference

Northamptonshire Titans 67 YH Leicestershire Dynamite 88

The second game of the season saw a home game against Leicester Dynamite.

First blood was drawn 90 seconds in by the away team, and it was a tough first quarter with the Titans coming slowly out of the blocks.

The seconnd quarter the team found rhythm and found the basket pulling back 20 points to go into the half time six points down.

The second half continued with Dynamite putting pressure on with fast break and good passing taking an 18 point lead.

In the fourth quarter the Titans stayed their ground and fought back, both Cameron Hawes and James Andrews scoring eight points each.

Titans showed some great defence at times but was not enough to be overrun by Leicester Dynamite with their tough physical play.

Top Scorers were James Andrews 25, Sam Stopps 14 Cameron Hawes 10

EBL VCARS.co.uk Division Three Men South

Oxford Brooks Uni 85 Northamptonshire Titans 68

A busy weekend for the Men’s squad started with a depleted squad travelled to Oxford.

They came frustratingly close to matching a team they will be confident of beating at home.

After a strong opening, Titans had a couple of two minute spells when the defensive intensity dropped, and that was enough to allow Oxford to open a gap that was too big for a late flourish from Titans to close.

The Northamptonshire side conceded an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter, and despite closing the half with a 9-2 run of their own they trailed by five after the first quarter.

The second quarter was another close one, but again defensive lapses and the tendency to rush the offence allowed Oxford a 10-0 run towards the end of the half to leave Titans 34-49 down at the half way stage.

Oxford opened up the second half with a flourish extending the lead to 23 points, before a Titans fightback closed the gap back to 14 points midway through the final period, but they could not sustain the effort to turn the result around.

Abraham Twumasi top scored with 18 points, Benjy Henry added 14 and Anthony Ghatt and Danny Barrett each chipped in with 11 in what was another improved performance.

EBL Mens National Shield

Northamptonshire Titans 94 Northants Thunder 114

On Sunday the Titans side returned home to Weavers to face the young and quick Northants Thunder side, and in a fast and entertaining game the visitors speed was the deciding factor as former Wellingborough Phoenix player Leon Henry ran in 41 points for the visitors.

The first quarter was tight with the lead changing throughout with Mark Gledhill establishing some solid offense with eight early points, but a last second basket from the visitors edged them into a 23-22 lead after the first quarter. Benjy Henry added five quick points to open the second before the visitors went on an 11-0 run to open the first significant gap between the sides.

Titans came back into the game closing the gap to 51-47 at half time as Danny Barrett and Gledhill led the recovery.

Titans opened the second half the stronger as Abraham Twumasi got into the game offensively with seven quick points and Barrett tied the score at 59 midway through the third period, before the visitors ran in a 20-9 burst to close the quarter to open what proved to be an unassailable lead 81-70 going into the fourth quarter.

As the game got more open, the younger and faster Northants team stretched their lead as Titans chased the game in the final period, eventually running out 114-94 winners.

Titans had 22 points from Gledhill leading the way with 17 from Ghatt, 15 from Barrett, Illy Murison added 11 and Twumasi chipped in with 10 in another improved performance.

After a difficult weekend, coach Pete Burgoine said: “We are on a difficult path and we are looking for improvements on a game by game basis.

“Each game showed that this weekend and we have a weekend off next week with a chance to work on some of the details.

“I am convinced this group of players can make the adjustments required to start picking up some wins.”

FIXTURES

Saturday, October 27

13:30: Titans Under 13 Boys away vs. Milton Keynes Lions

15:00: Titans Under 14 Boys away vs. Shropshire Warriors

14:15: Titans Under 15 Boys away vs. Derby Trailblazers

12:20: Titans Under 16 Boys away vs. City of Birmingham

Sunday, October 28

11:45: Titans Under 16 Boys vs. Cheshire Juniors at Northampton Academy

13:15: Titans Women’s team away vs Reading Rockets

Gerrit-Jan van Velze admits his start to life at Northampton Saints has been far from ideal but he’s vowed to put things right against a few familiar faces in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday.

Back row van Velze, 24, arrived from the Bulls in the summer as one of South Africa’s brightest prospects, having skippered the national schools team, but things have not go to plan upon arrival at Franklin’s Gardens.

After making his Aviva Premiership debut against Gloucester Rugby on the opening day of the season, van Velze was sin-binned in his second appearance for Saints against Exeter Chiefs for a tip tackle on Will Chudley.

A subsequent four-week ban ensured van Velze has yet to feature in the Premiership since, despite being an unused replacement in the Heineken Cup win over Glasgow Warriors before coming off the bench in last weekend’s narrow defeat to Castres.

In his absence, Welshman Rhys Oakley has filled the void at No.8 manfully but van Velze is in line for a start against Saracens on Saturday where he will lock horns with a number of fellow South Africans, including John Smit and Schalk Brits.

“It has been frustrating and it has not been an ideal start,” said van Velze. “But I put the incident and the ban behind me straight away.

“The one word that keeps springing to mind is desperate – desperate to get out there and prove a point and prove myself in this team.

“During the ban I was working hard with the coaching staff and I went back home for half a week which broke things up nicely, I’m just eager to get going again.

“The rivalry with Saracens and Northampton is huge and then on a personal level I know quite a few of the Sarries boys – Schalk Brits, Jacques Burger, although he won’t be playing, and John Smit is someone I always looked up to as a youngster.

“But it’s not about me, it’s about the team playing well and producing a performance together.”

Saints return to domestic action, following a Heineken Cup double header, top of the league but itching to get back to winning ways in the Premiership after a disappointing 39-17 defeat to London Irish prior to the European break.

And van Velze believes Saints must prove that match to be the exception to the rule.

“That match was a disappointing one for the team, it was not up to the standards that we set ourselves but it’s not something that we want to dwell on, it’s in the past now.

“We want to get ourselves a home semi-final in the play-offs at the end of the season and to do that you need to win your home games, starting on Saturday.

“We were pleased with our Heineken Cup performances – one win and one defeat but an away bonus point which keeps us very much still in the competition.

“We’ve got two more very big games in Europe in December (against Ulster) and they will go a long way to deciding how we fare but we remain confident.”

Aviva are proud to be title sponsor of Aviva Premiership Rugby - one of the world’s leading rugby union competitions. Each season will feature 135 games, which will be watched by 1.7 million people live at the grounds and many more through our broadcast partners Sky, ITV and ESPN - visit www.premiershiprugby.com

A VAN driver deliberately knocked a man off his motorbike, then returned and kicked him while he was unconscious.

Glenn Tweed, 26, was jailed for two years at Northampton Crown Court for a road rage attack which hospitalised his victim.

Michael Waterfield, prosecuting, said Adam Laflin was talking with friends in North Oval, Kings Heath, on Thursday, May 31, when Tweed approached and asked who had been picking on his cousin. He said: “No one appeared to know what he was talking about so the defendant went back to the vehicle, shouting that he would be back later, and drove off. Five minutes later, he came back and drove straight into the bike.

“It knocked Mr Laflin off and in the process knocked him into the windscreen. The next thing he remembers is waking up in hospital.

“The other witnesses say he drove off, turned round and came back, again challenging the others to fight and kicked Mr Laflin on the floor.”

Tweed, of Highfields, Towcester, admitted attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving.

Judge Richard Bray, who also imposed a two-year driving ban, said: “It’s quite clear you completely lost your temper. Fortunately, the injuries were not as serious as they could have been.”

Imraan Ladak insists his “full focus” will be on resolving the key issues at Kettering Town after the club were given one week to prove they can continue in the Southern League.

Majority shareholder Ladak represented the Poppies at an emergency meeting of the Southern League Board on Wednesday.

And, after what Ladak described as a lengthy discussion, Kettering were given until next Wednesday to ‘satisfy certain conditions placed on them by the League’.

It means their scheduled home clash with St Neots this weekend has become the fourth game in a row to be called off as the Poppies continue to fight for their existence.

Ladak confirmed that paying the playing squad was one of the key issues to be resolved over the next week.

He said: “We had a lengthy discussion about the issues affecting the football club, it was a very good and fair hearing.

“We agreed on everything aside from the amount of time the club has been given to get things resolved. We were hopeful for more time.

“We have been given seven days to reach an agreement with the players.

“When it comes to football, I am never 100 per cent certain of anything and will not speculate on what may or may not happen.

“We are doing what we can to sort things out.

“The Southern League understand the situation the club is in and now we have to try to sort things out in a short space of time.”

The Southern League confirmed they will be making no further comment on the Poppies’ situation until next Wednesday.

The emergency meeting came following three successive postponements for the club, which entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement during the summer to clear reported debts of £1.2m.

A proposed takeover by George Rolls fell through after he was banned from football activity for five years after a breach of FA betting rules.

Since then, players have gone unpaid with the majority leaving while payments for the CVA were not met as scheduled.

The electricity was cut off at their Nene Park home due to unpaid bills and a registration embargo was placed on the club by the Southern League.

The Poppies currently have just five players registered with the league.

A staff nurse on Northampton General Hospital’s Paddington children’s ward has been nominated as an ‘NHS Hero’ by the mother of one of her youngest patients.

After her five-day-old daughter Amélie lost too much weight and was admitted to Paddington ward, first-time mum Philippa Wright was moved to write to the NHS Heroes national website about the care provided by Olivia King.

She wrote: “Olivia was an absolute rock. She was friendly, positive and available, giving great impartial advice. Olivia helped me bounce back and work out a solution that works best for Amélie and myself.

“She is an absolute credit to the team and the hospital.”

The NHSHeroes.com website was set during a limited time in the summer to recognise the great work that individuals and teams do every day in the NHS in England.

Olivia, who has been working on Paddington ward since completing her training at NGH a year ago, said: “I remember mum and baby very well, and Philippa thanked me when she was here, but this award came as a complete surprise. I’m overwhelmed by it and really grateful.

“The first year has been great. Not without its challenges, but recognition like this makes everything worthwhile. I take a great deal of pride in my work, and I absolutely love what I do.”

Although the scheme is now closed, all NHS organisations continue to welcome feedback about members of staff who provide outstanding care.

To recognise staff from Northampton General Hospital, email pals@ngh.nhs.uk or write to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, NGH, Cliftonville, Northampton NN1 5BD.