A man is in hospital after being involved in a collision with a car in Northamptonshire.

The pedestrian was seriously injured in a collision in Midland Road, Wellingborough, yesterday evening (Tuesday).

The collision happened at about 7.15pm, when a black Vauxhall Corsa, driven by a 34-year-old woman from Wellingborough, was in collision with a pedestrian.

The pedestrian, a 35-year-old local man, was taken to Northampton General Hospital with suspected head injuries and later transferred to University Hospital Coventry.

Witnesses to this incident, or anyone who has any information, is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

Staff and pupils at a Northampton primary school are celebrating after the school was rated “good with outstanding features” by Ofsted.

Eastfield Academy was visited by inspectors from the Government’s education watchdog last month and they spent two days observing lessons and interviewing staff, pupils, governors and a representative from the sponsor, the David Ross Education Trust.

The inspectors found that teachers devise imaginative activities for pupils that engage them well in learning and attendance is now above average reflecting “pupil’s enjoyment of school.”

Chris Hill, Headteacher, said: “The inspectors said how impressed they were with the school. The general feedback was that we are on the cusp of being graded as an outstanding school, there are just a few minor areas to address in order for us to get that against the new monitoring framework.

“Our Key Stage Two results also saw a significant increase this year, we have been winning sports tournaments left, right and centre and Ofsted praised our collaboration with the David Ross Education Trust. We really are offering our children some outstanding enrichment opportunities and giving them the best possible platform to succeed after they have left here.”

Wendy Marshall, Chief Executive of DRET said: “This is a great result for Eastfield. They work relentlessly to improve pupil outcomes and cater for the many and varied needs of all their students.

“Whilst I am delighted with the outcome, we will be taking the feedback on board so we can ensure we will reach Outstanding at our next inspection. We will continue working hard to make sure this academy goes from strength to strength. “

Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ final home Natwest t20 Blast outing of the season ended in defeat as Nottinghamshire Outlaws secured a 22-run victory at the County Ground.

That leaves a dead rubber at Durham on Friday evening for Kyle Coetzer’s men who were second best against a visiting side who should fancy their chances of going all the way.

It was a performance that was typical of the campaign as a whole, with periods of promise but ultimately not enough to come away with the spoils and it pours cold water on any lingering hopes they had of somehow reaching the knockout stages and defending the title claimed 12 months ago.

Having won the toss and elected to bat on a fresh surface, the Outlaws made a typically explosive start.

Steven Mullaney, opening in place of the injured Michael Lumb, took a quartet of boundaries of David Willey’s first over - the second of the innings and Alex Hales wasted little time as he drilled his fourth ball from Olly Stone into the top tier of the member’s pavilion.

A second maximum followed, this one struck baseball-style over midwicket off Willey, but his fun ended shortly after the 50 had been brought up as an attempted pull off Steven Crook resulted in his stumps being rattled.

Mullaney picked out fine leg in Muhammad Azharullah’s initial offering straight after the powerplay had concluded and this led to a period of consolidation with both Riki Wessels and Samit Patel relatively circumspect.

Three figures arrived in the 13th over which is fairly standard fare and James Middlebrook’s appearance in the attack was the signal for the acceleration to start.

Willey’s forgettable night with the ball - he leaked 49 in three overs including 20 from his third - bled into the field as he spilled Wessels at long-on when the former County man had 47.

That became a good 30-ball 50 a delivery later and with Patel playing the silent partner, the duo realised their 100 partnership from 66 balls.

Patel promptly located long-on and James Franklin skied to Ben Duckett as Crook, by some distance the pick of the attack, finished with 3-19 from his allocation.

Wessels’ stint then came to a close on 64 as he edged an Azharullah slower ball behind and Chris Read missed a straight one in the same over.

Theses four wickets in under two overs kept the total in check and rather than something closing in on 200, the end result was a much more chaseable 174-6.

It didn’t look promising three overs into the reply with both Willey, his dreadful evening ending with a swipe at Ajmal Shahzad ending in cover point’s hands, and Richard Levi, caught behind from the next ball, back in the pavilion.

Adam Rossington didn’t last too long as he played six and out to James Franklin, lofting the New Zealander over midwicket before giving long-off catching practice.

Crook located the middle of the bat straight away and with Coetzer going nicely at the other end the midway point of the chase saw the score at 64-3.

An equation of 111 from 60 deliveries is by no means an impossibility in these days of inflated strike rates and this had been reduced further and to within the realms of merely difficult when Crook failed to clear Wessels at long-on.

Coetzer continued to a 36-ball 50, his highest Twenty20 score of the year, and while he was there the hosts’ hopes, while slim, were still alive.

But a superb over from Harry Gurney, the 18th of the innings, which went for five and included the wicket of Coetzer for 67, put the final nail into the coffin of the home side.

Kyle Coetzer says that a poor start to their innings cost Northamptonshire Steelbacks the chance to sign off their Natwest t20 Blast home campaign with a victory.

Chasing Nottinghamshire Outlaws’ 174-6, the hosts were reduced to 9-2 with dangermen David Willey and Richard Levi both back in the pavilion.

And captain Coetzer, who top scored with a fine 67, commented: “We needed to get off to a good start and I thought they bowled really well.

“They picked up a couple of early wickets and that put us on the back foot right from the start.

“You’re asking a guy to go out and play a wonder innings every single time and you know that’s just not going to happen.

“We back them both (Willey and Levi) to perform really well and they have both shown they can do it in the past and at times this season.”

While the batting didn’t fire, it was a different story in the field where a good fightback in the final overs saw the Outlaws cut down from a score of 158-2 which threatened to become a final total nearing the 200 mark.

And that pleased Coetzer who added: “They took us on early and maybe we didn’t hit the length we wanted to hard enough but we pulled it back really well.

“There were a few guys who put their hands up and said they really wanted the ball,especially when two guys were set and it was good to see some character.”

Kelvin Langmead was one of six senior Cobblers to play the full 90 minutes of a friendly match against United Counties League side Cogenhoe United.

Langmead, Ben Tozer and Emile Sinclair completed all of the 0-0 draw at Compton Park, with youth-team graduates Dean Snedker, Connor Roberts and David Moyo also putting in full shifts.

Alex Nicholls played for 80 minutes, with the rest of the team made up of players from the Sixfields youth system.

The closest the visitors came to a goal was when Nicholls struck the foot of the post after being played in by Sinclair in the first half, while the latter also had a shot blocked by Cooks keeper Jamie Brassington.

Cogenhoe’s best chance came through Josh Urquhart, who saw his powerful effort well saved by Snedker.

The Cobblers’ next pre-season assignment is against Leyton Orient at Sixfields on Saturday (3pm kick-off), while Cogenhoe travel to Shepshed Dynamo on the same day.

Cogenhoe: Brassington (Harding 46), Herbert, Olowayo (Cayton 64), Smeathers, Harris, McGowan, Thomason (Webster 72), Urquhart (Leslie 69), Bates (Bates 46), Allen (Gordon 46), Parkes (Heavey 46)

Cobblers: Snedker, Roberts, Langmead, Jackson, Warburton, Nicholls (Parker 80), Clifton, Tozer, Cooke, Moyo, Sinclair

Subs not used: Agbenu, Andrews, McWilliams, Burt, Westwood

Attendance: 281

Some traffic queues at a University of Northampton campus will be more than four times longer once a housing estate is built in its place, a traffic survey has suggested.

The audit was carried out as part of the application to build 800 homes on the Park Campus site, in Kingsthorpe.

Experts predict that by 2026, morning rush-hour queues in the southern section of Boughton Green Road will rise from about 10 to about 16 vehicles. And in the evening rush hour, “the worst queue increases from nine to 39 vehicles”.

However, because the overall effect of replacing a busy campus with houses is predicted to be a decrease in traffic – and shorter queues at the northern Boughton Green Road access – experts still recommended the scheme, which is set to begin in 2019, claiming it will not be bad for the area. It also recommended a T-junction be installed.

The report said: “This would address residents’ concerns on Boughton Green Road delays. It would reduce current delays by through-traffic, as the existing mini-roundabout proposal gives priority to traffic leaving the site and right turners into it.”

The predicted traffic increase at the southern Boughton Green Road junction is due to the current split between the site exits being 58 per cent / 42 per cent, where as the housing estate would see nearer a 50:50 split. New pavements and cycle paths will be linked to the surrounding area to help encourage motorists to use their vehicles less.

The chairman of the board of governors at the University of Northampton is to step down at the end of this month.

Milan Shah has completed a three-year term of office and, from August 1, will be replaced by Andrew Scarborough, the current Chair of the Project Assurance Committee at the university.

Mr Shah said: “I have been privileged to lead a high performing Board of Governors, talented volunteers from all walks of life, focused on the stewardship and strategic direction of the University.

“The development of plans for the new Waterside Campus from the germ of an idea to emerging architectural plans supported by an innovative financing package has been a particularly fulfilling challenge.

“I retire with absolute confidence that the trajectory of the University is in the safest of hands.”

Mr Scarborough has lived in Northamptonshire for many years and has 30 years experience in management and leadership roles in the public sector.

He has served as chairman of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, as a member of the board of the East Midlands Development Agency and deputy leader of Wellingborough Borough Council.

Mr Scarborough said: “I am looking forward to working as Chair of the Board of Governors, working closely with the Vice Chancellor, University management and Students’ Union.

“I believe the University of Northampton will continue to develop as a leading Higher Education provider in the UK and Internationally. As we continue to develop our plans for a brand new state-of-the-art Waterside Campus, our focus will remain on creating outstanding education facilities for our students, staff and the local community.”

THURSDAY, July 24

Leburn Maddox, Jazz Café at Auntie Ruth’s, George Row, Npto, 8pm. £1 admission.

Open Mic, hosted by Hannah Faulkner at The Obelisk Centre, Obelisk Rise,Npton, 8.30pm

Alan Barnes/TonyKofi Quintet at the Castle Theatre, Wellingborough, 8pm. £12.50 (£10 concessions).

THEATRE

Priority, The Core at Corby Cube, 7pm. 01536 470470

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

OTHER

County Market in The Chantry House, Towcester, 8.30am–noon.

Evening Walk with Northampton & District Ramblers (5.25 miles). 7pm from Courteenhall telephone box.

Wellingborough Ramblers walk (10 miles). Start nr Three Jolly Butchers, Wyton. 07748 618089.

FRIDAY, July 25


MUSIC

Dancing At The Park, Ballroom, Latin & Sequence Dancing at Wicksteed Park, Kettering, 8pm. Tickets £7 in advance.

Hannah Faulkner at O’Neill’s, the Drapery, Npton, 9pm

Salsa Estrellas presents Saints & Sinners Party at The Picturedrome, Kettering Rd, Npton, www.salsaestrellas.com

Night of cool funky tunes at Auntie Ruth’s, George Row, Npton, 9pm.

PushPop 90s Night at Barratts Club, Barrack Rd, Npton, 8pm

Kontra Roots Club at Kennedy’s Bar, Finedon, 8pm. Free.

Memphis Blue at Kingsley Park WMC, Npton

THEATRE

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

DNA, Royal Auditorium, Guildhall Rd, N’pton, 7.45pm. Box Office 01604 624811

OTHER

Quiz at Brafield WMC, A428.

Ballroom & Rock n Roll Dancing at Church ofHoly Sepulchre Rooms, Church Lane, Npton, 8pm to 11pm.

Playworld Opening Night at NN, 9 Guildhall Road, Npton, 6pm. Free. www.nncontemporaryart.org

SATURDAY, July 26

MUSIC

D Trio, Brafield Working Mens Club, A428, 8pm.

Mid Sensation Soul Band at Great Doddington WMC, Lower Street

Jamie Benkert Band at O’Neill’s, the Drapery, Npton, 10pm

Back To The Old School Part 1! at Charles Bradlaugh, Earl St, Npton, 9pm–3am

Mystic Crew, roof terrace, Auntie Ruth’s, George Row, Npton, 10.30pm.

Andy Stone at Northampton WMC, Sheep Street, N’pton

Tony Gee Soul & Motown at Far Cotton WMC, N’pton, 7.30pm.

Soundcheck karaoke at Kettering Rifle Band Club, Havelock Street, Kettering

Viva Las Vegas at Aspers Casino, 8pm. £25pp (show, three course dinner and disco).

The Beer Parlour Jivers at Kingsley Park WMC, Npton

Soul & Motown Night at Towcester Football Club, Islington Road, Towcester.

Quiz & Disco at Semilong WMC, St Andrews Road, Npton

Cold Cold Heart at The Artichoke, Moulton, 9pm

THEATRE

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

DNA, Royal Auditorium, Guildhall Rd, N’pton, 7.45pm. Box Office 01604 624811

OTHER

Military Fitness Class for adults and children at Delapre Park, Northampton, 9.30am to 11am. For info www.bpt-uk.com

Carpetbagger Secret War Museum, Sunnyvale Farm, Harrington, 10am to 4pm. £4 entry,

Newton Hall Indoor Market, Newton Road, Rushden, 9am to 5pm. 07954 179299

Beach Party at The Sunnyside Hungry Horse, Boughton Green Roadk, Npton.

Jumble Sale at Church Hall, Edinburgh Road, Kingsthorpe, 10am. 20p admission.

Artisan Bread Making half day workshop at Bay Tree Cottage, Maidford Road, Farthingstone.

www.btcworkshops.co.uk

Afternoon Walk with Northampton & District Ramblers (5.5 miles), 2pm from Shutlanger Village Hall. No dogs.

Dowsing and Divining for Life’s Answers: Workshop at Roade Village Hall, Bailey Brooks Lane, 9.30am–12.30pm; then Group Healing. Workshop, 2pm–5.30pm. 07974 443363 or cindy@wolseleyhouse.eclipse.co.uk

Hallaton/Medbourne – Kettering & District Ramblers Club (7 miles). 01536 390024

Wellingborough Ramblers walk (9.5 miles). Start at Dovers Hill car park (nr Chipping Campden), 10am. 01604 459156

Trash & Treasure Table Top Sale at the Village Hall, Laxton, 10am–2pm. 01780 450475 or 01780 450005.

Jumble Sale in the church hall, Edinburgh Road, Kingsthorpe, Npton, 10am. 20p admission.

Super Summer starts at Weston Favell Shopping Centre; Caribbean Music 11am–3pm www.westonfavellshopping.com

SUNDAY, July 27

MUSIC

Bullit’s Karaoke at The Welcome Inn, Irchester Road, Rushden

Karaoke at Jekyll & Hyde, Wellingborough Road, Npton, 8pm

Bobby Daniels, Brafield Working Mens Club, A428, 8pm.

Marsh Gibbon Wind Band will be performing in the bandstand in Abington Park, 2pm to 5pm.

Morgan J at Kingsley Park WMC, Npton

Rachel Johnson Trio at the Three Horseshoes, Ecton, 2.30pm. Free entry.

Ben Holder Quartet at the Courtyard Hotel, Stanwick, 8pm. £7 entry.

Open Mic hosted by Hannah Faulkner at Ken’s Diner, Finedon, 2pm to 4.30pm

A Night of Acoustic at the Penny Whistle, Abington Sq, Npton, 7.30pm. Free entry.

OTHER

Morning Worship at Whitefriars Junior School, Rushden, 10.15am,

Craft, Gift & Vintage Market, Newton Hall Indoor Market, Newton Road, Rushden, 10am to 3pm.

Tea & Cake, Fotheringhay Village Hall, 3pm to 5.30pm. £2.

villagehallfotheringhay@gmail.com

Family Day raising awareness of the Group B strep condition which can be deadly for newborn babies. Desborough Services Club, Lower Street, 2.30pm to 6pm.

Dog Show, Rockingham Village Hall. Registration 1pm and juding 2pm. Entry £2 per class. 01536 770717 or 07721 063885

National Penstemon Collection Open Day at Froggery Cottage, 85 Breakleys Road, Desborough, 11.30am–5pm. In aid of national and local charities. Lunches and teas served in aid of the Marlow House Day Centre and the Town Welfare Committee. £2.50 admission, children free.

Cat Rehoming Day at The Obelisk Centre, Npton, noon–3pm.

www.rspca-northamptonshire.org.uk

Sibbertoft 5th annual open gardens day, 11am to 6pm. £3 admission, under 16s free. Free parking. 13 gardens on display including the Manor.

Circular Day Walk with Northampton & District Ramblers (12 miles). Three Rivers Ramble. Meet leader at Church Lane, (adj to rear of Church of Holy Sepulchre) N’pton, 9am for 9.45am start from Badby.

Full Day Walk with Northampton Ramblers (9.5 miles). Meet 10.30am Wakerley Wood Car Park (no charge).

Morning “Honour Walk” and barbecue in aid of the Desborough poppy appeal. Start Desborough Football Club, 9am to 9.30am (6 miles or 4 miles) 07557 117847.

Car Boot Sale at Nene Park Stadium, Irthlingborough. Sellers 7am, Buyers 8am. www.neneparkcarboot.info

Summer Teas at King’s Cliffe Village Hall, 2pm (last orders 4.30pm).

MONDAY, July 28

THEATRE

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

OTHER

Pub Quiz, Charles Bradlaugh, Earl St, Npton, 8pm. Entry £1 or £5 for 5+

Kids Summer Screening returns to The Picturedrome, Kettering Rd, Npton. “The Lion King (12.30pm) and Cloudy With A Chance of 
Meatballs (3pm); also Movie Night from 8pm. Tonight – Noah. Free entry.

COYS Touch Rugby Club training at Dallington Park, Harlestone Road, Npton,

6.30pm–8.30pm. www.pitchero.com/clubs/coystouchrugby

Laxton Village Hall hosts Learn Through Play fun session for 0-8 years old, 2pm to 3.30pm. Free. No booking required.

TUESDAY, July 29

THEATRE

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

OTHER

Yoga for Well-Being at Spencer Dallington Community Centre, Npton, 9.30am–11.30am. Free.

Moving Toys, workshop at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, 10am–noon & 1pm–3pm. Understand the mechanics of moving toys and create your own oscillating woodpecker. Free.

Evening Walk with Northampton & District Ramblers (4.5 miles). 7pm start from Mill Road, Kislingbury, by the green.

WEDNESDAY, July 30

MUSIC

J for Jazz at The Coach & Horse, Lubenham, 8.30pm. Free admission. 01848 463183.

Acoustics Night, Horseshoe Inn, Sheep St, Wellingborough, 9pm. Free entry.

Rhythm Roots ‘n’ Rhyme at Thomas A Becket, St James, Npton, 9pm

Jazz & Blues at Charles Bradlaugh, Npton, 8pm. Free entry.

Country Music Scene at The Headland, Longland Road, Npton, 8.30pm. Tonight Fox Chase plus Country Born.

The Blue Road – Wednesday Blues Club at The Malt Shovel Tavern, Bridge Street, Npton, 8.45pm.

Dave Johnson Band at the Artichoke, Moulton, 9pm. Free.

Open Mic Night, Golden Horse, Far Cotton, N’pton, 8.30pm

THEATRE

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

Looking Glass Theatre presents Jungle Book at Newspaper House, Derngate, Npton 2pm&6.30pm. Tickets £6. 07711 540546/01604 624811. www.lookingglasstheatre.co.uk

OTHER

Storytelling in the Garden at Kelmarsh Hall. Entry is £5 with free admission for under 5s. 01604 686543 or www.kelmarsh.com

Wellingborough Ramblers walk (8 miles). Start at The Griffins Head, Mears Ashby, 9.30am. 01933 676660

Leather Stamping Workshop at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, 2pm–2.45pm & 3pm –3.45pm. Booking essential. Tickets £2.50. Tel 01604 837397.

Morning Walk with Northampton & District Ramblers (7.5 miles). 9.45am from Northampton Golf Club Car Park, Harlestone. No T-shirts, trainers or jeans in the clubhouse.

THURSDAY, July 31

MUSIC

Rock ‘n’ Roll Tea Dance at the Picturedrome, N’pton, 1pm. Free entry. Also, audio-visual experience hosted by Sofia

Benhayoun from 7.30pm.

Jazz Numbers at the Windhover, Brampton Lane, Chapel Brampton. Npton, 7.30pm. Free.

Dave Johnson at Corkers Wine Bar, Npton, 8pm. Free entry.

Cool Jazz Quintet at the Stirrup Cup, Barton Seagrave, 9pm. Free entry.

THEATRE

Much Ado About Nothing in the courtyard of Abington Park Museum, Npton, 7.30pm. Tickets £10 adults, concessions £8,

children (under 16) £5 or family (2 adults & 2 children age 16 and under) £26. Pay otd.

Looking Glass Theatre presents Jungle Book at Newspaper House, Derngate, Npton, 6.30pm. Tickets £6. 07711 540546/01604 624811. www.lookingglasstheatre.co.uk

OTHER

Wellingborough Ramblers walk (15 miles). Start at Crown Meadow CP, Abbey Road, Evesham, 10am. 01604 403597

Junk Modelling – robots and cars. Workshop at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, Guildhall Rd, 10am–noon & 1pm–3pm. Design and create your own robot or vehicle using boxes, cartons and your imagination. Free. .

Evening Walk with Northampton Ramblers (3.5 miles). Meet 7pm at Hunsbury Hill Country Park, N’pton.

A man was left with a broken arm and a badly damaged car following an altercation in the car park of a Northampton pub.

The incident happened outside the Bat and Wickets in Louise Road, close to the Racecourse, at about 3.45pm on Monday.

Three men were involved in the incident and one was left with a broken arm. His black Volkswagen was also damaged.

Officers investigating the case would like to speak to one of the men who was Asian, about 5ft 10in, heavily built and clean shaven with a bald head.

Witnesses, or anyone with any information, can call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Live music returns to the annual Silverstone Classic event, held at the famous Northamptonshire the racetrack this weekend.

Canned Heat and Bonnie Tyler headline tomorrow and Saturday night respectively, while Sundayis led by Mike Brewer Live Clinics.

Bonnie Tyler has a career spanning more than 40 years, an instantly-recognisable voice and has recorded some of the biggest hits in chart history.

She shot to prominence in the late 70s and early 80s with a string of singles including Lost In France, More Than A Lover and Total Eclipse of the Heart.

Canned Heat remain one of the world’s most famous boogie rock groups.

Support on the Friday is from tribute acts Ultimate Eagles and Aerosmith Big Ones, with Signed Sealed & Delivered, the Jim Stapley Band and Mo Evans playing on the Saturday.

The Silverstone Classic is from tomorrow, Friday to Sunday, July 27.

Music is from 7pm on Friday, 6.20pm on Saturday and throughout the day on Sunday. Adult weekend tickets cost £110 with day, two-day and concession tickets also available.

The price includes admission to watch the races and other activities taking place.

The Silverstone Classic is the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival.

Admission is by advance purchased tickets only.

For more information about the event and details of races over the weekend visit www.silverstoneclassic.com or call 0871 231 0849.

The Milton Keynes International Festival (IF) 2014 concludes this weekend with Seth Lakeman and The Puppini Sisters among a host of acts still to perform.

IF has been bringing a mix of live music, cabaret and comedy to venues and public spaces since 2010.

Folk musician Seth Lakeman headlines The Stables in Wavendon tomorrow night while The Puppini Sisters will take their swing pop harmonies to the venue on Saturday.

For ticket availability for both shows, contact the venue on 01908 280800.

The final day of IF includes The World Picnic at Campbell Park from 1pm until 6pm on Sunday, which is free and includes multicultural music, dance and workshops and The Monster Ceilidh Band who will be playing at The Stables.

For full details all of the remaining performances, visit www.ifmiltonkeynes.org

THE Lamplighter in Northampton celebrates its fifth anniversary this weekend with two nights of live music.

On Friday, An Army Of Lights (pictured) will perform, followed by Glam Racket DJs playing into the early hours. Music is from 9pm.

The following day Danny Connors, We Wear Glasses, Neighbour, Broadbay and Code500 will play, followed by The Blair Mix Project DJing until the early hours. Music is from 5pm.

Landlord Paul Hanna said: “We have come a long way since we opened in July 2009 and won a few awards along the way.

“The highlight came this year when we were nominated the Northamptonshire Branch of Campaign for Real Ale Pub of the Year, ranking us as one of the top 200 real ale pubs in the country.

“To celebrate we are going to do what we do best; have an ale fest featuring loads of live music and DJs all weekend.”

The Lamplighter is in Overstone Road, Northampton. Visit www.thelamplighter.co.uk

Heavyweight ska legends Bad Manners headline The Castle theatre in Wellingborough next week.

The band formed in the mid- 1970s and had 12 top selling singles including Special Brew, Lip Up Fatty, Can Can, Walking On Sunshine and My Girl Lollipop between 1980 and 1985.

They also released five top 20 albums and, thanks to their outrageous frontman, Buster Bloodvessel, made many memorable appearances on Top of the Pops.

After disbanding in the late 1980s, Bad Manners reformed and released their first single in 13 years in 2012.

The best of British Ska – Live & Loud is at The Castle on Thursday, July 31.

Doors open at 8pm and admission is £16 in advance.

For more details 01933 270 007 or visit online at www.thecastle.org.uk

The Moons released their new album, Mindwaves, on Monday.

The LP by the Northampton quartet is the follow-up to their 2012 LP, Fables Of History. Mindwaves features singles Heart and Soul and Body Snatchers.

Frontman Andy Crofts said: “Mindwaves definitely has a different vibe. The album had been slowly building while finishing the Fables of History. The songs remain strong and very melodic.

“I had been listening to a lot of old electronic music, especially by Delia Derbyshire who was a pioneer in early electronic music.”

A full interview and track by track guide to Mindwaves by Crofts is online now at www.northamptonchron.co.uk

Key promotion and relegation battles loomed for the senior Northants men and ladies sides in the Aegon County Cup at Hunstanton and Ilkley Moor this week.

Victories on exceptional grass courts on the east coast on the first two days put Mark Taylor’s county men in with a realistic crack of lifting themselves from Group Seven and continuing the upward trend set with a march to Group Four in the winter championships, and the success of 
the 18 & Under side in February.

In Yorkshire, the first ladies campaign tackled under the captaincy of Laura Mineards in Group Six brought a mixed start with a 5-4 win over Shropshire but a 6-3 loss at the hands of Derbyshire 24 hours later.

There were hugely encouraging aspects gleaned in both camps although Wednesday tussles with Cumbria (men) and Hereford & Worcestershire (women) threatened to be pivotal.

Men’s skipper Taylor said: “We need to win on two of the last three days to go up. We have South Of Scotland on Thursday who were beaten heavily on the first two days and don’t really want it to all go down to the Staffordshire match on Friday.”

Mineards said: “They are talking about having a Group Seven next year. Four counties are going down from our section, so a win on Wednesday would leave us in the top 
half.”

Taylor kept a largely unchanged team for the first two days although Oxford University tennis President Peter Whight came in for the final round of matches on Tuesday replacing Jonathan Searle, alongside Charlie Swallow.

Whight duly registered a first win for Northants as the side followed up a 6-3 win on Monday against Avon with an 8-1 drubbing of Shropshire.

Taylor pinpointed the opening-day performance of Jordan Parker as a highlight, the Corby Tennis Centre and Medbourne coach picking up two rubbers alongside Jack Haworth, on a day when 
Avon’s best pair won all three rounds.

Parker and Haworth were the only partnership to remotely come a cropper on Tuesday against Shropshire’s top pair but Nikki Rae, who failed to drop a serve in the first two days, playing in tandem with Ben Foster, made it five wins from six.

At Ilkley Moor, first-day ladies wins were secured by the pairings of Cassandra Dix/Sophie Walker and Jemima Potter/Lucy Horbatowski (two apiece) and Catherine Thompson with her regular ally Mineards (one).

Mineards revamped the line-up on Tuesday which brought a Northants debut for Zimbabwean girl Vimbai Ugaro, who is a student at Northampton University. She stepped in to play with Potter and that pairing picked up two wins to give the latter 
four from six while Dix/Thompson also collected a rubber.

Also on standby in Yorkshire awaiting a Northants debut is Kettering teenager Leah Milligan, who has shown a pleasing aptitude for tournaments during the spring months.

King’s Park host regional championships

King’s Park hosted a regional 9 & U championships on Saturday during which Northants wins were achieved by Faith Alade (singles) along with Miranda Jackson/Adethya Srinibasan and Ryan Stinton/Guy Wilkinson (doubles).

County A move a step closer to retaining title

County A ladies moved a step closer to retaining the John Henry League Division One crown when they defeated Northampton A 7-1. While first pair Laura Mineards/Lauren Phillips took all four sets, Catherine Thompson/Abigail Clifford notched three, halving 7-5, 3-6 against Pippa Fisher/Sarah Vickers.

Mineards and Clifford also took a hand in County B’s 6-2 loss at Brackley A, beating Brackley’s second pair Carolyn Richardson/Janet Sandford 6-3, 6-1.

RESULTS – Men’s Division One: Abington A 0 Corby TC A 8, County A 8 Northampton B 0, County B 4 Northampton B 4, Dallington A 8 Duston A 0, Dallington B 0 Corby TC A 8. Division Two: Brackley A 5 Roade 3, Northampton D 5 Duston B 3, Rushmere A 2 LMRCA 6. Division Three: Duston E 3 County F 5. Division Four: Collingtree B 8 Northampton H 0, Crick & West Haddon A 8 Duston F 0, Towcestrians 6 Heyford A 2. Ladies Division One: Brackley A 6 County B 2, County A 7 Northampton A 1, LMRCA A 4 Dallington A 4, Rushmere A 4 Dallington B 4. Division Two: County D 2 Harpole 6, Dallington C 4 Towcestrians B 4, Duston B 2 Brackley B 6. Division Three: Rushmere B 8 Heyford 0. Mixed Division Two: Dallington D 4 County D 4. Division Three: Duston B 8 Northampton D 0, King’s Park A 2 Towcestrians B 6, Priors Marston 6 Duston C 2, Rushmere C 2 Heyford B 6.

A teenager who took money from music lovers for festival tickets he did not have has been sentenced to 15 months in a young offenders’ institute.

Nathaniel Gamble, aged 19, advertised tickets for music festivals across Europe on the internet.

His victims paid him for the tickets, but he never sent them.

The Brackley man was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on July 18.

Detective Sergeant Michael Nelson, who led the investigation into Gamble’s online activities, said: “There were very many victims involved in these offences from all over the country and some from abroad.

“There were 65 victims involved from 2013 and 20 from 2014 and there may well have been many more who did not report it.”

Gamble’s offences were initially reported to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre, before being passed on to Northamptonshire Police’s financial crime team.

Action Fraud provides a central point of contact for information about fraud and financially motivated internet crime.

The service is run by the City of London Police working alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

To contact Action Fraud visit www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 1232040.

Assistant manager Alan Knill was delighted with the workout the Cobblers players were put through in Wednesday night’s 0-0 draw at Cogenhoe United.

A Town team including first team squad men Dean Snedker, Kelvin Lanmead, Alex Nicholls, Connor Roberts, Ben Tozer, Emile Sinclair and David Moyo were given a stiff examination by Andy Marks’s UCL Premier Division side at Compton Park.

And that is exactly what Knill and Town boss Chris Wilder wanted.

All of the first team squad players, apart from Nicholls, played the full game, and Knill said: “It was another 90 minutes for some, another 80 minutes for Alex, and that’s really what we got out of the game.

“The players that didn’t play on Tuesday (versus Sheffield United) had a decent game at Cogenhoe, and it was a decent game.

“It was a tough match, as they always are. It was a tough pitch, the opposition want to win, and it was exactly what we wanted.

“It was very competitive, and I have to be honest, I have played in loads of these sort of games, and as a professional it is sometimes quite hard.

“But I thought the players did really well, and approached it how we wanted them to.”

The Cobblers’ next pre-season friendly is at Sixfields on Saturday against Leyton Orient, with the only other first-team fixture pencilled in before the start of the campaign being next Friday’s trip to Eastleigh.

Town do also have ‘Cobblers XI’ fixtures lined up at Wellingborough Town on July 29, and Daventry Town on August 5, and Knill made it clear that players not involved in the Orient and Eastleigh matches can expect game time at the Dog & Duck and Communications Park.

“We have two games left, against Orient and Eastleigh, and it is open for everybody,” Knill told ntfc.co.uk.

“But it is important that everybody is at the same level, and gets the same minutes in.”

Northamptonshire all-rounder David Willey was today named in the England Lions squad to play in forthcoming series against New Zealand A and Sri Lanka A.

The 24-year-old, who toured with the national second-string in the winter but had to return home because of injury, will join up with a strong squad next month.

The 13-man group will be managed by the ECB’s technical director of elite coaching Andy Flower and contains players like Steven Finn, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Patel and captain James Taylor who all have Test match experience.

They will play two 50-over matches against each of the touring teams as part of a triangular series.

National selector James Whitaker said: “With the Royal London One-Day International series against India rapidly approaching and next winter’s tour to Sri Lanka and ICC Cricket World Cup also firmly in our sights, this is the perfect opportunity for these players to impress the selectors in the 50-over format of the game.”

Squad: James Taylor (Nottinghamshire) captain, Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Stephen Parry (Lancashire), Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ravi Patel (Middlesex), Tom Smith (Lancashire), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Northamptonshire).

Brackley Town boss Jon Brady is offering a trio of former Cobblers players a pathway back to the Football League.

And Brady feels it is good for the town that his Skrill North outfit are able to give players such as Michael Built, Claudio Dias and Will Green a chance to shine.

All three of those youngsters played in Tuesday night’s drubbing of Biggleswade Town, with Brackley cruising to a 5-0 win.

Green netted a hat-trick and Dias added a brace as they bid to earn a deal at St James’ Park.

And Brady is now preparing to offer all three of the former Cobblers youngsters something.

“We need young and hungry players,” said the Saints boss. “They’re doing all we can ask of them during pre-season.

“The Cobblers have been releasing players and we’re looking to turn them into good ones for our club.

“It’s also positive for the town to have boys who didn’t make it at the Cobblers getting another chance in the area.

“We’re hoping to agree some deals this week.”

Brady already has 11 players signed on for the new season, but his squad is totally transformed from the one which finished seventh in the previous campaign.

John Brown, formerly of Hereford, and Greg Pearson, the ex-Burton Albion striker, are among the players who have been drafted in.

And Brady said: “We’re getting there. Build and they will come.

“We know it’s okay to do well in pre-season, but it’s about what you do when the games that are worth three points begin.

“We have the belief that the players we’ve got can do well and we’ve been really impressed with their energy and enthusiasm.”

A second-place finish in their home meeting secured Rugby & Northampton’s under-13 and under-15 teams a place at the national finals of the Youth Development League.

A 19-point haul after Sunday’s fourth round captured the divisional runners-up spot for the Northants and Warwickshire outfit, behind Swansea (24pts) but ahead of Birchfield (15), Cardiff (14), Charnwood (8) and Solihull (4).

Strong performances from the under-15 boys aided R&N’s efforts as they placed an athlete in the top three of each track event. Aiden Leeson took bronze in the 100m (12.0) and 200m (23.7) A races, while Oliver Lambert was also a winner in the 200m B race (24.5), adding to his third in the 100m B (12.4).

English Schools bronze medalist Tom Jasper cruised to victory in 300m A in 37.3, while team-mate Jay O’Leary took the honours in the B race with a time of 39.5, as well as third in the 80m hurdles A (11.8). Sam Tutt was a winner in the B race in a time of 12.5.

Ryan Hodges’ PB of 29.74m saw him take third in the discus A, which he followed up with another massive PB of 42.94m in the javelin A to take second. James Ball’s big PB of 29.05m in discus B saw finish as runner-up, adding third in the hammer A later on with 31.23m, while William Ballinger threw a PB of 35.94m to win javelin B.

Another impressive performance from Adam Searle saw him win the 1500m A race in 4.25.1, with Josh Lay taking an excellent second in the B race with a PB of 4.30.7. There was also a PB of 2.12.5 from Joe Musgrove to take second in the 800m B.

In the under-13 boys the star performance came from Bradley Whitehead, who produced three PBs to finish as runner-up in the 100m (13.5), 200m (27.6) and long jump A (4.50m) competitions. Will Dean continued his development with a PB in 100m B to finish third (13.8), while Sam Whittaker took a PB in 200m B to cross the line second in 28.1.

A PB time of 13.1 secured second for Alfie Bowers in the 75m hurdles A, adding to his win in the javelin B (23.96m) and third place in the high jump (1.35m), again with a PB performance. Ben Gidley remains unbeaten in the Youth Development League after winning javelin A (30.96m) for the fourth successive match.

Katie Print continued her outstanding season with first place in the under-15 girls 100m A (13.0), matching the finish of Poppy Carmichael in the 800m A (2.22.2).

A strong PB performance from Caitlin Mills saw her take second in the B race with a time of 2.25.6. Emer Wintsch (A, 4.58.3) and Amy Walker (B, 5.10.1) both took second in the 1500m events with strong performances while Anousha Salehi, Milan Clues, Laurone Ager and Katie Print took third with a promising relay run of 53.2.

In the under-13 girls, a pair of fifth-place finishes were scant reward for Elizabeth Truslove, who set new personal-best times in high quality 75m (10.5) and 150m (20.6) A races and anchored the 4x100m relay team to an excellent second place alongside Fenella Downes, Adele Blenkinsop and Abbie Draper in 56.9. Draper won the 70m hurdles B race in 12.5, while Georgina Woodward finished a strong second in the A race thanks to a time of 12.0.

It was an excellent day for Adele Blenkinsop who produced PB performances in the non-scoring 75m (10.6), shot put A (second, 7.82) and long jump A (third 4.36).

Abigail Pearce continued her domination of the javelin with a comfortable victory in the A string thanks to a distance of 25.98, and a PB of 20.39 from Abigail Ward saw her take a close second place in the B string with her first 20m throw.

A much-improved Amelia Tutt continued her consistent progress by taking second in the B string shot put with 6.63. Solid runs from Abigail Pearce, (3rd 800m A, 2.35.4) and Georgina Woodward (2nd 800m B, 2.38.3) were backed up by Molly Williams’ 1200m A third place (4.01.6) and Holly Walker’s 1200m B second (4.13.9).

The club’s under-17 and under-20 teams will be looking to emulate their younger team-mates this weekend as they travel to Swansea for the final league round of their Youth Development League, needing a solid performance to secure a place in September’s National Final.