Northamptonshire chief executive David Smith believes that Stephen Peters was the natural choice as club captain.

With Andrew Hall standing down from the role after two-and-a-half years at the helm, Peters has been appointed to the job - for four-day cricket only - with Alex Wakely assuming the vice-captaincy and leading the side in coloured clothing.

And Smith, who has now overseen a change in coach and captain in the 10 months he has been in the position, is comfortable with the decision that has been taken.

He said: ““We were looking for someone senior who is going to play all of the red ball cricket and Stephen was the natural choice and it will fit him nicely.

“He commands the respect of the dressing room, which is important, and his place in the team is secure.”

Split captaincy is nothing new with a number of international sides and counties going down this particular route and it is one that Smith thinks is right for the County.

He added: “We needed a change and we think this is the best way to go.

“Alex has experience of doing the job in white ball cricket and Stephen has been playing the game for a long time now.

“I don’t think it will cause any problems and they both understand the reasons behind it.

“Also, we feel that the trio of Rips (head coach David Ripley), Stephen and Alex will work well together.”

As for Hall, Smith believes that he has a pivotal role to play in the next couple of years.

“It’s critical that we get the best out of Andrew over the next two years,” he said.

“He has a huge amount to offer with the bat and ball and what he achieves is key for us.

“We want to get the balance right and he will be an important part of that.”

Detectives have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in connection with three assaults in Northampton town centre this summer.

The attacks took place between 4am and 4.30am in Horsemarket, near to the Base and Fever nightclubs, on Monday, June 4.

Officers have today released these CCTV images in a bid to get witnesses to come forward.

Three men, aged 23, 29 and 32, all received facial injuries in the attacks.

The offender was a white man, aged in his early 20s, around 5ft 5ins, of slim build, with short light brown hair, and wore a grey jacket and dark coloured trousers.

It is believed he later changed into black tracksuit bottoms, red hooded top and a dark coloured baseball cap.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have any information regarding it.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incidents and has been released on bail, pending further enquiries.

Police & Crime Commissioner candidates have united in their criticism of an advertised job at Northamptonshire Police with a salary of up to £76,000 a year.

The force has advertised nationally this week for a ‘head of service transformation’. It comes with a salary of up to £76,000 plus pension costs, which is likely to be more than the county’s new PCC will earn once elected.

The advertisement, which has a closing date for applications is November 19, just three days before the commissioner will take office, explains the person will be “accountable for strategic assessment and enhancement”.

They will “explore, understand and interpret our performance” and manage key strategic relationships, “including those with the Police and Crime Commissioner”.

Conservative PCC hopeful Adam Simmonds said: “It is beyond belief that this job is being created at this time. We are just a few days away from the elections for Police and Crime Commissioner. Whoever is elected is likely to want to determine what management structure they think best.

“I am frankly amazed that a police force with one of the highest ratios of managers to front line police officers in the country should be doing this at a time when at least £4 million needs to be saved this year.”

Paul Varnsverry said: “As the closing date for applications falls between election day and the date upon which the PCC officially takes office it would be unwise for any interviews to be arranged or for the position to be filled before the new PCC has had an opportunity to ask questions about the need to fill the vacancy.

“The new PCC should be afforded the opportunity to review the staffing structure, to ensure vacant posts are only filled where absolutely necessary, with any savings used to fund additional frontline policing.”

UKIP candidate Jim MacArthur added: “I think it is very unwise of them to be advertising such a post at this time. Particularly as they are not warning applicants for it that the incoming PCC might not want such a post established.

“I note November 19 is the cut off point for applications, which means any interviews would have to commence the following week, which is the week the new PCC takes over.

“If I am the new PCC, I will want to assure myself firstly that the post is one that is actually needed and secondly, even if it is, that I want to pay someone more money than I am being paid as PCC to fill it.”

Graeme Swann is expected to play in next week’s first Test against India despite returning to England to be with his ill daughter.

A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board this afternoon revealed that Northampton-born Swann had already returned home to be with his family.

The 33-year-old spinner is, however, expected to return in time for the start of the four-Test series in Ahmedabad on November 15.

“Graeme Swann has returned home to support his family and spend time with his daughter who is currently unwell,” the statment read.

“Swann will return to India ahead of the first Test in Ahmedabad, commencing November 15.

“This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at this time.”

Here’s your weekly guide to events taking place across Northamptonshire over the next seven days.

To send an event for inclusion on this weekly list fill out our online What’s On form.

TODAY

MUSIC

10cc 40th Anniversary Tour, Derngate Auditorium, Northampton, 7.30pm. 01604 624811

Katherine McLean with the Maurice Merry Quartet, The Stirrup Cup, Woodlands Ave, Kettering, 9pm. Free.

THEATRE

God Of Carnage, Royal auditorium, N’pton, 2.30pm/7.45pm. 01604 624811

Wuthering Heights, Carnegie Room, Central Library, Abington Street, N’pton, 7.30pm. 01604 624811

Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro, The Core at Corby Cube, 7.30pm. 01536 470470

OTHER

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

English Medieval Martial Arts at Doddridge Centre, St James, N’pton, 8.30pm. 01604 903043

We Are Most Amused, comedy event at The Victoria Inn, Poole Street, N’pton, 8.30pm. Free

Wellingborough Ramblers day circular walk via Pattishall, Stowe & Flore (12 miles). Meet nr Bugbrooke Church, 10am. www.wellingboroughramblers.co.uk

Caring For Your Treasures opinion service surgery, Manor House, Museum, Kettering, 2.30pm–4pm.

East Northants Supporters Group, 7.30pm, Cornmarket, Rockingham Road, Kettering: “Tales from a farmers wife”. Non members £3.

The Northamptonshire Branch of the Royal Army Service Corps and The Royal Corps of Transport meets at Ex-Servicemans WMC, Sheep Street, N’pton 8pm. 01604 628292

Discover shoe collection and archives at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, 8.30pm. Tickets £11.

NAB Mobile Sight Centre at Oundle Co-op car park, St Osyth’s Lane, 10am–1pm; also Meadows Surgery, Meadow Lane, Thrapston, 1.30pm–2.30pm

Rock ’n’ Roll Tea Dance, The Picturedrome, 1pm

Northampton Borough Council drop-in session to help residents reduce fuel costs, Doddridge Centre, St James, N’pton, 11.30am–12.30pm

FRIday

MUSIC

Auntie’s Acoustic Sessions, Black Bottom Club, Northampton, from 8pm.

Armistice Concert and Act of Remembrance at Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Sheep Street, N’pton, 7.30pm. 01604 754782.

Rhythm ‘n’ Roots, Golden Horse, Far Cotton

Acoustics night, Foundry Tavern, St James, N’pton, 8pm. Kate Rusby, Derngate Auditorium, 7.30pm. 01604 624811

Martyn Joseph: Songs For The Coming Home (supported by Luke Jackson) at The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, 8pm. 01908 280800

Kontra Roots Club, Kennedy’s Bar, Finedon (on the A6 adj to the sports ground), 8pm. Free.

Retrobution, Red Lion, Bozeat, 9pm. Free entry

THEATRE

Wuthering Heights, Brigstock Village Hall, 7.30pm. For tickets info@lookingglasstheatre, co.uk or 07711 540546

OTHER

Table Tennis at NASO Rooms, St Michaels Road, N’pton, 10.30am. www.naso.btck.co.uk

“The Picture Wot I Took” by Colin Southgate, 8pm at Desborough & Rothwell Photographic Society, Marlow House, Gold

Street, Desborough, 8pm. www.drps-photo.co.uk

Wicksteed Model Boat Club at the International Model Boat Show (until Nov 11), Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, nr Leamington Spa. www.wicksteedparkmbc.com

NAB Mobile Sight Centre visits Shopping Centre, Queens Square, Corby, 10am–2pm

SATURday

MUSIC

Obsession, Queens Park WMC, N’pton

Roy Smith, Kettering Rifle Band Club, Havelock Street

Billy Delaine entertains at Brafield WMC, A428, from 8pm.

Cloud at Monks Park WMC, N’pton

We Will Remember Them Armistice Concert and Act of Remembrance, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Sheep Street, N’pton. 01604 754782.

Deep Roots, Tall Trees: A Corby Song Cycle with Barb Jungr and Friends, The Core at Corby Cube, 7.30pm. 01536 470470.

Laura Lou, Northampton WMC, Sheep Street, N’pton

Viva Santana at The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, 8pm. 01908 280800

Rhythm ‘n’ Roots, O’Malleys Bar, W’borough Road, N’pton, 9pm

A Musical Salute in aid of Help for Heroes, Kettering Camerata and guests, 7.30pm, Lighthouse Theatre. 01536 414141

Venus Fly Trap, Charles Bradlaugh, N’pton, 9pm. Freey.

Mojo Soundsystems, The Picturedrome, N’pton, 8pm. £5.

DJ Slinky & Neil Harrison, a DJ takeover at Black Bottom Club, N’pton, 9pm

Shaun E B, British Rail Sports and Social Club, St Andrews Rd, N’pton

Whole Lotta Led, Roadmenders, N’pton, 7.30pm. 01604 231688

Northampton Symphony Orchestra, Spinney Theatre, NSG, N’pton, 7.30pm. £13/£11

THEATRE

God Of Carnage, Royal auditorium, 2.30pm/7.45pm. 01604 624811

Wuthering Heights, Loddington Village Hall, 7.30pm. nfo@lookingglasstheatre, co.uk or 07711 540546

OTHER

Indoor Tots Tennis for 2-4 year olds and parent at Duston Sports Centre. 9.20am– 10pm. £4 admission (1st session £2) 07912 746693 for more info.

Chess Club, Room G9, The Northampton Academy School, Wellingborough Road, N’pton, 11am–4pm. £1. www.
northants61.freeserve.co.uk

England rugby on TV at The Sir Pickering Phipps, N’pton, 2pm

Russell Kane, Derngate Auditorium, 8pm. 01604 624811

Wellingborough Ramblers walk Gt Oak Wood (7.5 miles). Meet St Mary’s Church, Stevington, Beds, 10am. www.wellingboroughramblers.co.uk

Afternoon Walk (5 miles) with Northampton Ramblers. 1.30pm, from Ecton Church.

Vintage Inspired Accessories. Art workshop at Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering, 10.30am to 4pm. Materials supplied

Baby/Kids Nearly New Sale, The Pemberton Centre, Rushden, 10am –noon. £1 entry, kids free

Afternoon Walk (6.5 miles) with Northampton Ramblers. Meet 2pm Haversham, nr The Greyhound pub. 07986 137488

Introduction to Clawhammer Style Banjo, adult/15+ workshop at The Stables, Wavendon, 10am to 3pm. 01908 280800

If We Could Be Heroes, theatrical exhibition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Northampton company Jeffery-West at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery (until February 3)

Makeover photography experience at Glam Diva, Abington Sq, N’pton. 10am to 6pm. Booking essential – 0845 287 5765 or info@glamdiva.co.uk

Coffee Morning, Nether Heyford Baptist Church, 10am–noon. Proceeds to Gangama Orphanage. 50p admission

Sugar & Spice Ladies Club Autumn Fayre at Duston Community Centre, Pendle Road, 2pm. Proceeds to local charities.

Arts & Craft Market, Wappenham Village Hall, School Lane, 2pm to 4.30pm. Free.

Beginner Dance – Ballroom Latin, Jubilee Hall, Broadmead Ave, N’pton, 12.30pm. £3 admission. 01604 787246

Talk by Polly Toynbee “Dogma and Disarray”, St Peter’s Church, Oundle, 7.30pm. 01832 274734

Jumble Sale, Hawthorn Community Primary School, Hawthorn Road, Kettering, 9.30–11am. Proceeds to PFA. 25p adults, children free.

AlterNativity, Toller United Reformed Church, Gold Street, kettering, 10am–3pm. Christmas gift fair to buy family and friends alternative gift in their name to help the poor, hungry, sick and homeless. www.
ketteringalternativity.org

Kettering Cyclists’ Touring Club Afternoon Leisure Ride – Cold Ashby and Guilsborough (25 miles) meets Brampton Valley Way, Welford Road, 1.30pm. www.ctc-northampton.org.uk

Whist Drive at Great Easton Village Hall, first hand 7.30pm. £2.50. Newcomers welcome.

Northamptonshire Natural History Society walk at Welland Park, Market Harborough with. Meet in bus station for bus SC X7 at 10.20am.

Diwali event in Northampton’s Market Square starting with a workshop, 10.30am. Dance performances, 1pm, procession, 6pm. www.ihwo.org.uk

Braybrooke Bazaar, 11am–2.30pm, variety of stalls with gifts and refreshments

SUNday

MUSIC

Americana Roots, Thomas A Becket, St James Road, Northampton, 8.30pm

Disco/ Karaoke at The Welcome Inn, Irchester Road, Rushden

The Frog Island Jazz Band, The Walnut Tree, Blisworth, noon–2.30pm

Steve Perry at Monks Park WMC, N’pton

NMPAT Youth In Concert, Derngate Auditorium, 7.15pm. 01604 624811

Shona, Queens Park WMC, N’pton

Bobby Daniels entertains at Brafield WMC, A428, from 8pm.

Miss - Tat British Rail Sports and Social Club, St andrew’s Rd, N’pton

OTHER

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

Northampton Sun Group meets 5.30pm–8pm. Naturist club. www.nsgswim.org.uk

Classic Car Meet at Queen Eleanor Pub, off A45 Northampton, 11.30am. Contact Jenny on 01604 646963 or 07833 141869.

Kettering Cyclists’ Touring Club all day ride to Oundle. Meet Rothwell, 9.30am or Fermyn Woods (Skylark Café) 11am. 01536 712507

Wellingborough Ramblers walk, Castle Ashby & Yardley Hastings (6.5 miles). Meet at Denton Village Hall, 10am. www.wellingboroughramblers.co.uk

Northampton Ramblers Walk (8.75 miles), 9.30am start from The Old Plough, High Street, Braunston. No dogs please.

Bingo at Kettering Rifle Band Club, Havelock Street, 8.30pm

Craft Market, Village Hall, West Street, Weedon, 10am–4.30pm. Around 30 stalls. Free entry.

Weather Workshop, Northamptonshire Natural History Society, The Humfrey Rooms, Castilian Terrace, Northampton, 2.30pm.

MONday

MUSIC

All That Jazz, The Golden Lion, Sheep Street, Wellingborough, 9pm. Free admission.

OTHER

Stu’s Quiz Night at The Welcome Inn, Irchester Road, Rushden.

Weekly Art Class at Irthlingborough Methodist Church Hall, 2pm–4pm. 01933 650195

Magic Mike, free film night at The Picturedrome, N’pton, 8pm

tUESDAY

MUSIC

Paco Pena: Quimeras, Derngate Auditorium, 7.30pm. 01604 624811

The Roy Civil Band, The Wig & Pen, St Giles Street, N’pton. 9pm. Free admission.

Peter White at The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, 8pm. 01908 280800

THEATRE

Steptoe & Son, Royal Auditorium, N’pton, 7.45pm. 01604 624811

OTHER

Quiz Night at The Golden Horse, Far Cotton, 8.30pm

Ninjutsu Martial Arts at St James Community Centre, N’pton, 8pm. 01604 903043

Kettering Cyclists’ Touring Club morning ride to Hallaton (Bewicke Tea Room). Meet Rothwell, 9.30am or Hallaton 11am. 01536 712507

Salsa Classes, The Picturedrome, N’pton. £8.

Social discussion groups and activities, NASO Rooms, St Michaels Road, N’pton, 10.30am. www.naso.btck.co.uk

Wellingborough Ramblers circular walk via Lady Wood (6 miles). Meet nr The Vane pub, Sudborough, 10am. www.wellingboroughramblers.co.uk

Monthly Barton Seagrave WI meeting, Church Rooms, St Botolph’s Road, Barton Seagrave, 7.30pm

Beginner Dance – Ballroom Latin, Alliston Gardens Community Centre, N’pton, 1.30pm. £2 admission. 01604 787246

WEDNESday

MUSIC

J for Jazz, The Coach & Horse, Lubenham, 8.30pm. Free.

Chris Parker Jazz Quartet, King William IV, Kingsthorpe village, N’pton, 8.30pm

The Platform continues! Open Mic & Jam Session, Charles Bradlaugh, N’pton. 9pm. Free

Marty Wilde’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Party, Derngate Auditorium, 7.30pm. 01604 624811

Traffickers, Malt Shovel Tavern, N’pton

Sandi Thom, supported by Scarlette Fever at The Stables, Wavendon, 8pm. 01908 280800

THEATRE

Steptoe & Son, Royal Auditorium, 7.45pm. 01604 624811

OTHER

Archaeological Finds Surgery at Manor House Museum, Kettering, 2.30pm–4pm.

“Play It Forward”, The Picturedrome, N’pton. Raising awareness and funds for Thrive. £2.50

Wellingborough Ramblers walk, Clopton & Barnwell (7.5 miles). Meet at The Wheatsheaf pub, Titchmarsh, 9.30am.www.wellingboroughramblers.co.uk

Morning Walk (7.5 miles) with Northampton Ramblers. 9.30am start from Five Bells, Bugbrooke.

NAB Mobile Sight Centre at Northampton Market Square Events Area, 10am to 12.30pm

Chelveston WI meets in the Village Hall, 7.30pm: Mary Grace with “Laughing Yoga”. Visitors £3.50.

Northampton Borough Council drop-in to help residents reduce fuel costs, Lodge Farm Community Centre, Goldings, N’pton, 6pm–7pm

Jim Mallinder tied George Pisi and Vasily Artemyev to new contracts at Saints – then claimed the club can achieve a ‘legacy of success’.

Centre Pisi, who joined from Clermont Auvergne last summer, is now a key man at Northampton, having scooped the players’ and supporters’ player of the season award in his first campaign at the club.

And Russian rocket Artemyev has also established himself as a first-team regular following his switch from VVA-Podmoskovye.

Mallinder has been delighted with the emergence of the duo, and he believes Saints now have the necessary ingredients in place to conjure up a recipe of success.

“George and Vasily have shown already that they have the ability to contribute to a successful future at Franklin’s Gardens,” said the Saints boss.

“George had a superb first season and has carried that on in the current campaign.

“Vasily has shown regularly that he has the talent to shine in the Premiership and although he knows that he can still add things to his game he is eager to learn and works with all of the coaches.

“We have a squad which includes England players on long-term contracts, already this year some of our best senior academy youngsters have put pen to paper, and with George and Vasily both having plenty more years in front of them we believe that the pieces are in place for a legacy of success at the Saints.”

Artemyev, who dropped to the bench for last weekend’s 16-12 defeat to Leicester Tigers, knows he has plenty to work on at Saints.

But the wing is confident he in in the right environment to allow him to flourish and feels the club has great potential.

“It wasn’t a hard decision to make and I’m really happy to stay at the club,” said the 25-year-old.

“It’s been a massive learning curve for me as a player and I think that I still have a long way to go to be at the top of my game, but I’m enjoying my rugby, which is important for me.

“The whole town has been good and the people have been friendly, which has been important for myself and my partner to settle.

“It’s a good squad and a good place to come into work, but while everyone says that there is a lot of potential here at the Saints we know that we have to keep on working. Having said that, there’s a lot more in the tank for all of us.”

Adebayo Akinfenwa says the Cobblers’ away form is not an accurate reflection of the team’s qualities as he prepares for the second of three long road trips this week.

Town have only won once on their travels this season - a 1-0 victory at Dagenham secured with an Akinfenwa header - and they have lost four of their eight away games so far.

The worst of those was a 4-0 beating at the hands of a Barnet side who were rock bottom in npower League Two at the time, but have since overtaken Aldershot at the foot of the table.

There were encouraging signs for Northampton supporters at York City on Tuesday night, where the team secured a spirited 1-1 draw despite having Louis Moult sent off in the closing stages of the first half.

Saturday’s trip to Accrington is the team’s next assignment, followed by their first away cup tie of the season - an FA Cup first-round replay at Bradford City on Tuesday night.

“We’re not here to make up the numbers, we want to do something with this season,” said Akinfenwa, who scored his seventh goal of the campaign in the York draw.

“Every game is a massive game for us now and if we can get four points from the two games this week that will be a good return.

“Our away form is not really showing our true capabilities as a team at the moment so if we can get a win at Accrington it would be a real statement of intent.

“Rest has been important between the games and we’ll go there fully rested and ready to get a result.”

Akinfenwa’s goal at Bootham Crescent means he is one behind Alex Nicholls - who will not play again this season due to a broken leg - in the list of Northampton’s leading goalscorers, and takes him to 64 in Northampton colours.

But the powerhouse striker is not concerned with such matters while he is still an active professional.

“Anyone who knows me knows that, for me, statistics come at the end of my career,” he said. “It was nice to get a goal in midweek but it was more important to come away with at least a point.

“We deserved that and so while I’m happy that I got a goal, the point meant more.”

An aggressive ginger Tom, branded an “Asbo cat” by terrified villagers, brought his bad-boy lifestyle to Northampton after going missing, it has been revealed.

Ginger cat, Oscar, went missing last month, much to the relief of residents in Wingrave, Buckinghamshire.

Bully-boy Oscar, who shot to fame two years’ ago when he starred in a television advert, is said to have terrorised the area, attacking dogs and residents.

One victim, retired lieutenant colonel Tom Ridgway, aged 77, spent six days in hospital after Oscar mauled his right arm and sank his teeth into his left thumb all the way to the bone.

But to the regret of Mr Ridgway and his neighbours, Oscar, who vanished on October 17, is now back home – safe and sound.

He turned up at an empty house in Northampton - 25 miles away from his home - where he was found muscling in on food put out for the owners’ pets by a cat sitter.

His behaviour was so bad the cat sitter has refused to help out ever again. Determined to get rid of him, the homeowner had Oscar scanned by a vet, who found the details on his microchip.

He arrived back in Wingrave on Saturday – where villagers are now believed to be arming themselves with water pistols.

One, who asked not to be named, admitted many had hoped the only way Oscar would ever return would be ‘in a body bag’.

They said: “Children can’t walk down the alley to the school”, while another added: “They all know about the cat and they are all frightened it’s going to get them.”

Mr Ridgway, who described Oscar as “ferocious”, added: “He can be very aggressive and will even attack dogs and people around the village.”

However, Oscar’s owner Caroline Hughes, aged 36, was pleased at the return of her cat, dubbed as the “Lion Cat of Wingrave”. She has had him since he was a kitten.

She said: “When I got the call I asked: ‘Is he okay and alive?’ The vet said: ‘He’s very much alive and causing problems.’

“I said: ‘That’s Oscar – he’s okay.’ I am super-happy to have him back. I never ever gave up but I was definitely starting to lose faith. Life just wasn’t the same without him.

“Because of his bad boy antics I hoped, if he was still okay, he would stay true to form and make himself known at a house where cats already lived and where somebody would know what to do rather than get angry with him.

“It seems ironic now that it was his notorious bad behaviour that brought him back to me.”

But Miss Hughes, a telecoms worker, defended her pet, who sprung to fame in 2010 after he appeared in an Ikea. She insists he has never attacked children or dogs.

Ms Hughes is now looking into herbal therapy to treat Oscar’s aggression and is planning to move to a house with a large and secure garden for him to roam

In the meantime, she has put him under house arrest.

She added: “The fact that people are saying they want Oscar dead is awful. I can’t believe anyone would say that.

“Oscar has a lot of character.

“He is a lively cat but the accusations some people are making about him are just not true. He has never attacked children or dogs.

“‘Oscar did attack one of my neighbours once but my neighbour had scared him when he tried to pick him up.

“He even appeared in a Ikea TV commercial - so if he was that vicious how on earth would they have filmed him in that.

“He is a great cat - it has all got too much and I think I am going to have to move home.”

Ms Hughes has two other cats, who are both Oscar’s brothers.

A “sadistic and dangerous” 20-year-old who quoted a line from the film American History X before raping a man has been locked up for 11 years.

Troy Foster, formerly of Northampton, subjected two brothers to a horrific ordeal after he managed to force his way into their flat in Kettering.

Northampton Crown Court heard that Foster, of no fixed address, was seen in CCTV footage standing outside a block of flats in the Northamptonshire town shortly before midnight on May 26 this year.

Claire Howell, prosecuting, said the brothers could not understand what Foster said when he buzzed the intercom but one of them went down and let him in as they assumed he was there to visit someone else.

But, as soon as he was inside the communal area, Foster, who was bare chested, began punching one of the brothers and barged his way into their flat.

Foster then picked up a broom and threatened the two men before he then cornered them and got hold of a metal pool cue which he used to hit one of the brothers.

Ms Howell said Foster then ordered the brothers to go into the kitchen and strip and lay down on the floor.

One of the brothers refused and Foster said he would “stab him with a broken vodka bottle” if he did not do what he was told.

Ms Howell said: “He stamped on one of the men’s heads and said ‘I will show you what sort of man I am’.

“He then pulled down his trousers and exposed his penis.”

At this point, one of the brothers managed to push Foster into the living room but he then grabbed hold of the other brother and marched him out of the flat and to a nearby industrial estate.

Ms Howell said Foster then quoted a line from the film American History X which was an instruction to “put his front teeth on the kerb.”

Foster then raped the 26-year-old man which was followed by a “savage attack” which included kicking and punching.

The rape victim then managed to walk back to the flat where he was discovered by police officers who had been called by his brother.

Ms Howell said the victim initially did not mention the sexual element of the attack but this was discovered after police studied CCTV footage of the rape in the industrial estate.

Ms Howell said the rape victim, who was heterosexual, had been left “struggling to come to terms with what had happened to him” and suffered a fractured cheekbone and chipped front tooth.

His brother suffered heavy bruising and a fractured rib.

The court was told that Foster, who refused to appear in court for his sentencing, had 24 convictions for 55 offences and had been released on licence nine months into an 18-month custodial sentence for robbery, just four days before he carried out the rape.

Foster also had a history of violence which dated back to when he was six years old and threw a chair at a teacher.

Judge Rupert Mayo, sentencing, said Foster was someone who “enjoyed having power over others” and was an “extremely dangerous man who was a risk to the public.”

Judge Mayo said: “You enacted control over your victims in an extremely sadistic and humiliating manner.

“The rape was a deliberate act of sadistic humiliation which was partly motivated by a hatred of gay men.”

Judge Mayo said the rape had “destroyed the relationship” between the two brothers as one blamed himself for not stopping the attack.

Foster, who pleaded guilty to all four charges against him, was given a custodial sentence of four years for grievous bodily harm (GBH), four years for false imprisonment, five-and-a-half years for another GBH charge and seven years for rape.

The first GBH charge and the rape charge will run consecutively which makes a total of 11 years. Foster will also be on licence for at least a further five years and must sign the sexual offenders register for life.

A despondent week for tipster Mick Penny ended with a golden flourish as he landed a 10/1 winning nap as our winter Dalepak Naps Challenge kicked into gear.

Penny and his wife Tonya (The Wife Can Do Better) ended the day as joint leaders with Ashington Flyer as no fewer than 42 of our 170-plus teams found scorers of all shapes and sizes.

Text messages from Penny earlier in the week concerning supposed ‘good things’ from his Heart Of The South Racing syndicate had gone west... but it was a case of all’s well that ends well thanks to the 10/1 winner Trustan Times in the handicap hurdle at Wetherby for trainer Tim Easterby and jockey Dougie Costello.

On Saturday, selections can be made at Sandown, Wincanton and Kelso...

NAPS TABLE WEEK - 1 of 25

Ashington Flyer TRUSTAN TIMES (10/1) +10.00

The Wife Can Do Better TRUSTAN TIMES (10/1) +10.00

Admiral Rodney ROBERTO GOLDBACK (9/1) +9.00

Chelsea Pensioners ROBERTO GOLDBACK (9/1) +9.00

Queen’s Park Snooker ROBERTO GOLDBACK (9/1) +9.00

Wright Nag ROBERTO GOLDBACK (9/1) +9.00

Brinley’s Banker RAYA STAR (8/1) +8.00

Cogenhoe Star RAYA STAR (8/1) +8.00

Dave’s Doublers RAYA STAR (8/1) +8.00

King’s Head Utd RAYA STAR (8/1) +8.00

Manor Mayhem RAYA STAR (8/1) +8.00

T&S Racing RAYA STAR (8/1) +8.00

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Plough Inn Everdon GUS MACRAE (9/2) +4.50

Rifle Drum GUS MACRAE (9/2) +4.50

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West Haddon Bowls IVOR’S KING (7/2) +3.50

Cassandra OVERQUEST (11/4) +2.75

M & B Racing PROSECCO (11/4) +2.75

Moulton Mules PROSECCO (11/4) +2.75

The 3 Js OVERQUEST (11/4) +2.75

Nene Valley Racing HADRIAN’S APPROACH (7/4) +1.75

3 Ms UNE ARTISTE (13/8) +1.63

Brixworth Wanderers PUFFIN BILLY (13/8) +1.63

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Snowy’s Daughter UNE ARTISTE (13/8) +1.63

Barnstaple Nomads TAP NIGHT (6/4) +1.50

Postman Pat TAP NIGHT (6/4) +1.50

Abfran Racing SILVINIACO CONTI (11/10) +1.10

Cock At Roade SILVINIACO CONTI (11/10) +1.10

Golfing Gourmets SILVINIACO CONTI (11/10) +1.10

NIBS SILVINIACO CONTI (11/10) +1.10

Yeoman Boys SILVINIACO CONTI (11/10) +1.10

Barley Hill Punters MY TENT OR YOURS (4/7) +0.57

Black Symphony YOUR TENT OR MINE (4/7) +0.57

NCT Racing MY TENT OR YOURS (4/7) +0.57

Sywell Flyers MY TENT OR YOURS (4/7) +0.57

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Abington LTC Cannington Brook -1.00

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Max Alasi -1.00

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Hayden Alcindor scored 31 points as Northamptonshire Titans claimed an emphatic 126 36 win over Leicester Warriors in the EBL Under 14 Boys Midlands Conference.

It was a strong start from which Titans never looked back on Saturday at Weavers Leisure Centre.

The first half saw the Titans manage to create an enormous 67-11 lead, and it became clear that the only competition in this game would be which Titan took top scorer.

All along it looked to be a Chateris versus Salmon lay-up extravaganza, but ended with king of the paint, Alcindor just taking the title with his haul.

Chateris ended up with 29 points and Salmon 23.

EBL Under 13 Boys Midlands South Conference:

Northamptonshire Titans 51 Northants Thunder 86

Titans indulged in a civil war this weekend, facing local team, Northants Thunder.

With Titans still missing key players due to injury, the team was well aware this was going to be a tough game.

Titans began the game well, knocking down the first basket, however Thunder retaliated immediately and as a result Titans were entering the second quarter trailing by 20 points!

Titans were slightly disheartened, yet continued to play with strong Titan spirit.

They now realised that Thunder were relying heavily on one player and began to understand that they needed to help each other through the remainder of the game.

Although Titans managed numerous steals and stops, they were only able to put up an additional six points that period.

After a quick five-minute break Titans felt they had nothing to lose.

Having now established nearly a 40-point lead Thunder eventually decided to sit down their top scorer and Titans came out swinging, stopping Thunders fast breaks, and forcing them to commit to outside shots.

This resulted in Titans losing the quarter only 14-18, the closest score difference in the game so far, and with this success in mind Titans were able to continue to play their own game and with quick rotation during this period everyone was able to contribute and as a team drew the fourth period 14-14.

Despite such a well improved second half, Titans lost the game 51-86, but an unfazed Titan squad will be well prepared for a second round, when they travel away to face Thunder on their home court later on in the season.

In the unfortunate loss, Titans managed to put three players into double figures.

Tyler Mutemasango top scored with 16 points, followed closely by Bradley Powell with 13 and supported by big rebounder of the day Elijah McKiernan with a round 10.

EBL Under 15 Boys Midlands Conference

Northamptonshire Titans 76 Coventry Tornadoes 49

A home game for NEBC Titans started the first quarter strongly and they stopped Coventry Tornadoes for five minutes before they scored, ending the quarter 19-10.

The second quarter saw a more even match, finishing 14-11.

After the half time break, the third quarter saw Titans rotate their bench more with almost all players getting on the score sheet finishing 24-16.

The fourth quarter saw Muzzy Tijani coming out of the starting block to play one of his best games, scoring nine points out of 19 in this quarter.

Titans won 76–49, but still lacking a consistent performance.

Top scorers were James Andrews with 17 points, Muzzy Tijani scored 12 and Theo Biggs nine.

EBL Under 16 Boys Northern Premiere

Northamptonshire Titans 83 Derby Trailblazers 87

The under 16s faced their first real challenge of the season on Sunday against Derby Trailblazers.

Both teams entered the game undefeated and both were to put in respectable performances.

The game was close throughout with neither team gaining a decisive lead.

The first quarter saw both teams exchanging baskets, Titans showed the depth of the starters distributing the points between them, while a single Derby player scored 12 points in the first period alone, leaving them trailing 22-21 at the end of the period.

Titans fell asleep in the second quarter, unable to convert easy opportunities in a very physical and fast-paced game.

The same could not be said for Derby who managed to win the quarter 23–16, leaving the game 44-38 to Derby at the half.

NEBC found their structure on offence after the break, again exchanging baskets with the visitors.

Key Derby players began to get into foul trouble in the third quarter, but Titans seemed unable to take advantage, too often settling for midrange shots instead of taking advantage of their presence in the key.

Entering the final quarter 70-63 down, Titans started to move the ball much better, but once Derby’s key offensive threat was fouled out of the game they appeared to relax, thinking that the game was theirs and simple errors started to reappear in the final five minutes of the game.

Titans eventually won the final quarter 20-17 but still lost the game 83-87.

Timi Gril top scored for Titans with 20 points, aided by Terrell Salmon with 17 from the inside, Jamal Brownbill and Sharif St John also hit double figures.

Derby’s captain King led the points in the game though, with 20 points in the first half alone, and after fouling out ended the game with 28 in total.

Titans play Derby again on Sunday in the National Cup, where they will be looking to improve on last week’s performance and come home with a win this time, hoping that their league game on Saturday against Manchester will not leave them too tired to perform.

EBL VCARS.co.uk Division Two Women SW Midlands

Bromsgrove Bears 43 Northamptonshire Titans 73

It was only two weeks ago that Titans women played Bromsgrove Bears in the National cup, and on that occasion Titans walked away with a slender win over the Bears.

However, this time coach Powell had with him returning Nauel Cali, Katie Bayliss and Helen Fogden to add to the squad, but was without influential guard Sascha Thompson and Atlanta Cox.

The Titans, right from the tip-off, showed their strength with Izzy Johns opening the scoring and sending the Titans on a 9-0 run.

The Bears had trouble stopping Esme Kinghorn getting to the rim and with the strong presence of Cali around the hoop Titans finished the first quarter 14-23 up.

In the second quarter the Titans defence really turned up the heat and only allowed the Bears to score just eight points resulting in a Titans half-time lead at 22-39.

The only shining light for the Bears was Cooper who scored 14 of their 22 points.

Titans continued to dominate in both paints and Bears struggled to get Cooper going again as Titans kept the player locked down for the remainder of the game, scoring zero points in the second half.

Titans ran out 43-73 winners.

Top scorers were Browne 27 Cali 21 Kinghorn 13 Johns 10

FIXTURES

Saturday 10th November

12:00 Titans Under 13 Boys away vs Bracknell Cobras

12:30 Titans Mens team vs Ealing Phoenicians at Weavers Leisure Centre Wellingborough

13:00 Titans Under 16 Boys away vs Manchester Magic

15:00 Titans Womens team vs Cardiff Celts at Weavers Leisure Centre Wellingborough

Sunday 11th November

11:45 Titans Under 16 Boys vs. Derby Trailblazers at Northampton Academy in National Cup

14:00 Titans Under 15 Boys away vs Notts Nova

14:30 Titans Women vs Solent Suns in National Trophy at Weavers Leisure Centre Wellingborough

Saints flanker Tom Wood will start on the bench for England when they kick-off their autumn international against Fiji on Saturday.

Exeter’s Tom Johnson, Leicester’s Thomas Waldrom and Harlequins skipper Chris Robshaw, who captains the red rose side, get the nod in the back row.

Wood is the only Saints representative in England’s matchday 23 as Courtney Lawes, Ben Foden and Dylan Hartley are injured, while Lee Dickson and Phil Dowson have not been retained.

Leicester’s Tom Young will make his international debut in place of Hartley at hooker, as England boss Stuart Lancaster makes five changes to the side which started the final Test against South Africa during the summer.

Gloucester’s Charlie Sharples comes in on the right wing for suspended former Saint Chris Ashton and Ugo Monye replaces Foden on the left.

“This QBE International series will be a real marker of where we are as a squad,” said Lancaster.

“We are playing four back-to-back matches in four weeks against the top teams in the world and we are confident we can rise to the challenge.

“The foundations are in place, now it’s time for us to execute and deliver.

“Fiji is a good first Test for us and we can’t wait to play back at Twickenham. The atmosphere against Ireland back in March was superb and you can’t underestimate what it means to the players to have 82,000 people and the nation behind them.

“Congratulations to Tom Youngs, who has made a great transition from centre to hooker in a short period and deserves his chance, as do Joe Launchbury and Mako Vunipola, who we are pleased to be able to include in the squad.”

Only one side will be relegated from the Northants Cricket League in 2013 after a proposal to change to two was defeated at the Annual General Meeting.

This was the most significant development at the meeting which was held in Wollaston on Wednesday evening.

In fact, in what was a fairly routine affair, the three proposed changes to the rules by member clubs were defeated with the result that the league in 2013 will be virtually the same as this year.

The only major change was the addition of three new sides to the bottom division, namely Brixworth 4th, Barby 3rd and Wellingborough Indians 3rd.

With regard to the league officials, the departing vice chairman Howard Cooke was replaced by Keith Parsons.

The proposal to increase the number of sides relegated from the top division to two, and double the number promoted from Division One, was put forward by Peterborough Town, as was the case 12 months previous.

But with a two-thirds majority required from the 24 sides able to vote, the motion was dismissed after it could only claim a 14-10 tally.

A league recommendation that the three up, three down system employed from Division Five down be changed to two up, two down was opposed by Findeon Dolben and unanimously defeated.

Also failing to find any real support was Overstone Park’s idea that, from divisions 6-14, average points be used to decide league positions rather than total points.

After a short debate, this proposal failed to be seconded and was cast aside.

The thought that all games in division 6-14 start at 1pm, which was put forward by Wellingborough Town, was also lacking in support.

It was revealed that the league are sitting on a cash surplus in excess of £23,000 and after the top table were questioned as to what plans were in place for the money to be used to benefit the members, the clubs were asked to forward any ideas that they had.

Northamptonshire head coach David Ripley has said that the 2013 season will constitute a new beginning.

The appointment of Stephen Peters as the new club captain after Andrew Hall stood down earlier this week will lend a refreshing air to the club following a poor campaign this year.

Add to the equation the installation of Alex Wakely as Peters’ deputy and captain for all one-day cricket and you have a comnpletely changed management structure in place.

But while it may be a more convoluted set-up that some would prefer, Ripley believes that the twin captaincy policy can be a success.

He said: “When you look at the candidates they are both strong.

“The benefits for us are that they are both frehs and energetic and will throw themselves into their roles.

“Captaining in all three competitions, which I’ve done, can be a tiring business as a county season can be tough.

“This will be a fresh start for me, even though I’ve been doing the job for a short whole, and the captains and I think it’s the right one.”

It would be easy to draw the conclusion that Ripley has had an agenda to shake things up, especially given the stagnation that had occured prior to his ascension, but he indicated that this wasn’t the case.

He added: “It’s just the way that it’s panned out really.

“I’ve had a couple of months in the dressing room assessing things and seeing who was well placed to grab hold of things.

“Hally (Andrew Hall) had done a good job over the past couple of years and this is about getting the most out of him in the next two years.

“And I’m excited about the management team that we’ve got in place.

“Stephen is a bit more experienced and Alex is younger so we’ve got most bases covered.”

With Wakely being groomed to take over at some stage in the future but not considered ready to assume full responsibility quite yet, Peters was the obvious choice for the job and Ripley has no concerns.

“He’s well respected by the younger and older players,” he said.

“He’s passionate about his own game and the club and he’ll bring his own twist to it.

“In terms of the bread and butter stuff like tactics, there are no issues there as he’s been around for a while.

“It’s a big job but he’s got his own style and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

England legend Paul Gascoigne has been announced as the headline act at Northampton Town’s next big dinner date in the new year.

An Evening with Paul Gascoigne is being staged by the Cobblers, in association with the Business Times and Gala Casino in Northampton.

The dinner will be held at the Park Inn hotel in Northampton town centre, on Thursday, January 31, 2013.

Gascoigne will talk about his colourful football career, that saw him play for the likes of Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton, as well as, of course, England.

Gazza was one of the biggest names in world football in the early 1990s, following his starring role for Bobby Robson’s side that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup at at Italia 90.

Once his playing career was over, Gascoigne also spent a short time as manager of the Cobblers’ county rivals Kettering Town.

The evening will include a three-course meal, and as well as Gazza’s talk, there will be a stint from a comedian.

Standard tickets for the night are £55 plus VAT, while VIP tickets are £85 plus VAT.

VIP tickets are subject to availability, and are sold as tables of 10 including a group photo with Gazza and the option of having a Cobblers player or players sit at your table.

Contact Northampton 683734 or 259900 for further details, or email ben@business-times.co.uk or commercial.admin@ntfc.tv

Victims of Britain’s “forgotten war” were remembered this morning at a service in Northampton town centre where a newly restored stone plaque was unveiled.

The memorial service, held in Abington Square, remembered the victims of the Korean War, with veterans from across the county in attendance.

The names of eight soldier from Northamptonshire who died in the conflict, including Peter Garwood, from Northampton, Alan Mills, from Moulton, and Roy Rose, from Brixworth, were read out.

A minute’s silence was held as dignitaries, including Councillor David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, remembered the dead.

The event was organised by the council, the British Legion and the Korean Veterans’ Association.

It also marked the unveiling of a newly restored plaque, which has been moved to inside the fenced off enclosure.

It had suffered from neglect while on the street.

Speaking afterwards veterans said it was important people remembered the Korean War, in which around 100,000 British troops, many of whom were conscripts, fought.

John Cowell, aged 80, from Northampton, was a prisoner of war for two years during the war, having been sent to Korea during his national service.

He said: “It is important because in this country it is a forgotten war. It annoys me more than anything that they never mention it.

“It is terrible really.”

Another veteran, Michael White, aged 80, from Kettering, said: “There were more British servicemen killed in Korea than in Iraq and the Falklands and other wars all put together and yet no one has really heard of it.”

Councillor Mackintosh said: “It is only right we take time to remember their sacrifice and the restoration of the Korean War memorial is an important part in showing how we still appreciate, value and respect what they did so far from home.”

The Cobblers will wait until Friday morning before making a decision over whether to include defender John Johnson in their squad to travel to Accrington.

Town head to the Crown Ground on the back of three games without defeat but they will be without Louis Moult, who sits out the first of a three-match suspension, and possibly also Johnson, who landed awkwardly on a knee that underwent surgery last month.

“We’ve got a few bumps and bruises like normal but nothing too serious,” confirmed manager Aidy Boothroyd.

“I wanted to give John Johnson another 24 hours so we will assess his knee again on Friday before we travel to see how it is.

“I don’t think it’s anything too serious but obviously we want to make sure he’s a hundred per cent right and that we don’t risk him doing any further damage.

“Ben Tozer did very well in defence on Tuesday and he could slot in there no problem.

“Ben does an awful lot for the team and the fact that he can play in so many different positions means he’s a good player to have in your squad.

“We lose Louis Moult for the next three games but Ben Harding should be back training with us next week so that is a plus.”

Harding has been missing since injuring an ankle in the team’s only away victory of the season so far, a 1-0 success at Dagenham.

He is joined on the injured list by Alex Nicholls, who will not play again this season after a double fracture of his left leg, and David Artell (Achilles) and Luke Guttridge (broken metatarsal) are not due back in contention until January.

With just 70 seconds of this VCars Senior Men’s Division Four game remaining, Bromsgrove Bears were holding a five-point lead at 76-71 and Thunder looked to be heading for their first league defeat of the season.

In desperation, Thunder sent their opponents to the free throw line and the home side co-operated by missing a number of the resulting free throws allowing Thunder to launch a number of fast break attacks to draw level at 76-76.

Another Thunder foul once more sent Bears to the charity stripe and they converted the first of two free throws to lead 77-76 but missed the second; Nick Waller hauled down a huge rebound and Thunder launched one last desperation shot.

To the dismay of players and coaching staff alike the shot missed but Jacob Holt who had rebounded superbly all game, scored a vital put back and was also fouled. Holt duly converted the bonus shot to give his side an unlikely 79-77 win.

Earlier Thunder had made a lethargic start to the game allowing Bears to take a 10-2 lead but they were able to reduce the deficit to 17-19 by the end of the first period of play. The second quarter saw a contrast in playing styles with Bears running well organised patient offences while Thunder relied on their usual fast break attacks. Thunder edged the quarter 25-20 to lead 42-39 at the half time break.

The third quarter saw a highly motivated Bears team take control of the game and Thunder being punished with a series of technical fouls for questioning decisions. This allowed the home side to win the quarter 17-10 and take a 56-52 lead which they maintained throughout the first nine minutes of the final stanza and setting up the bizarre and unbelievable finale.

In the nail-biting win Thunder had 10 scorers led by Leon Henry with 27 points while good support came from Nick Waller with 10 points

Sporting Club Albion 56 Northants Thunder 84

After all the excitement of the previous evening the Northants Thunder senior men made another trip to the West Midlands the following day and picked up a routine win that takes them to joint leadership if the VCars Division 4.

Thunder edged the first quarter 23-15 and this lead was extended by two points to 43-33 at half time. Coach Grahame Yates called for a better defensive effort in the second half and his players led by David Nuttall, responded superbly restricted Albion to just 23 second half points. Meanwhile at the offensive end Leon Henry once again looked impressive as Thunder poured in 41 points to take the game by 86 points to 54.

For Thunder Henry top scored with 31 points while Thomas Vladicka enjoyed his best game for the club in scoring 10 points while the Thunder big men, Nick Waller and Leome Francis performed well.

Junior Men’s Premier Division North

Leeds Carnegie 73 Northants Thunder 53

The Northants Junior Men made the long journey to Leeds and on the return trip were left to contemplate a disappointing 20 point set back. Thunder made a lethargic start but edged the first quarter 18-7 but then everything went ‘pear shaped’ as Leeds outscored them by 23 points to nine.

Trailing 40-27 Thunder needed a decisive second half revival but although they avoided the carnage of the second quarter they still lost the half 26-33 to end up on the wrong side of a 73-53 score line.

Cadet Men’s Premier Division North

Leeds Carnegie 55 Northants Thunder 70

The Northants cadet men picked up their second league win of the season with a 15 point win over Leeds Carnegie but in so doing displayed both the good and bad sides of their character. At times they played excellent decisive basketball but they were also guilty of missing easy shots and defending naively.

After the long journey north Thunder looked a little jaded during the first period of play with their four England squad players looking fatigued after attending a two day training camp. Leeds edged that first quarter 13-12 but by half time Thunder had taken a 29-23 lead. The half time team talk was all about looking after the ball because Thunder had been guilty of turning the ball over no less than 15 times during the first 20 minutes of play.

Thunder could only extend their lead by a single point during the third quarter and Leeds were still in the game midway through the fourth. Thunder then switched back to their full court man-to-man defence and Leeds cracked coughing the ball up on a number of occasions to give Thunder easy scores.

In the morale boosting win George Paul top scored with 19 points and he was well supported by Pauli Laurinolli with 13 points while Josh Round scored 8 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. The performance of the day came from Andre Arissol who scored 18 points hauled down 10 rebounds and stole the ball on nine occasions although the point guard wouldn’t have been happy with his double figure total of losses.

Under 16 Girls Midlands South-West Conference

Solent Suns 35 Northants Lightning 69

The previous weekend the Northants under 15 girls had beaten Solent so the under 16s were expecting a similar result and that’s how it turned out.

By half time the Northants girls led by the scoring power of Steph Ogden, had taken a 31-17 lead thanks in the main to their full court pressure defence and some excellent perimeter shooting from Hannah Nolan.

Lightning went off the boil in the third period of play which they only won 17-15 so Coach Stacey Shakespeare switched her team to a pressure zone defence in the final quarter. With Amber Leiba and Tara Hings dominating on defence and making numerous interceptions Lightning were able to run in a number of easy scores taking the period 21-3 to record a 34 point win.

For Lightning Ogden top scored with 27 points, Nolan contributed 12 while Leiba matched her 9 points with the same number of rebounds.

Under 15 Boys Midland Conference

Coventry Trojans 67 Northants Thunder 89

The Northants Thunder under 15 boys made it two back-to-back wins after getting the better of Coventry Trojans in what turned out to be a very physical game.

Thunder started the game in lively mood bursting into a 7-zero lead initiated by a Carlo Nieva three point shot. The Northants full court press was intimidating the Coventry players who repeatedly turned the ball over leading to easy Thunder scores. After a Trojans time out the home side responded strongly but a 10-zero Thunder run at the end of the quarter, gave them a 28-20 lead.

The two teams exchanged baskets during the second period of play as the game became increasingly physical. Thunder were struggling with Trojans height advantage and thanks to a number of second chance shots the home side took the quarter 19-18 to reduce the deficit to 39-46 at half time.

The message for the Thunder players at half time was simple, maintain the full court defensive pressure, box out and don’t get physically intimidated. The Northants boys were struggling to contain the Trojans big men and Coventry got the score line back to 53-57. Coach Rob Crump decided to ‘front’ the Trojans post players and this had the effect of restricting their options. Thunder were still unhappy about the physical nature of the game and things came to a head when Jacob Round was ‘submarined’ whilst making a lay up. The period was tied at 18 all which meant going into the final quarter Thunder held a narrow 64-57 lead.

In the final quarter the relentless Thunder pressure finally told and with Carlo Nieva dominating proceedings they went on a 15-4 charge to put the game beyond Coventry but the final score line gave no indication of what a tight game it had been. Coach Crump was delighted with the character shown by his players in very difficult conditions.

In the 18 point win ten Thunder players scored led by Nieva and Round with 19 and 17 points respectively while Will Grosvenor contributed 14 points and Josh Arimoro 11 points.

Under 14 Boys Midlands Conference

Notts Nova 98 Northants Thunder 35

Against one of the best under 14 teams in the country Thunder came out a very poor second in this Midland Conference game. The Northants boys were heavily outscored in all four periods of play and were guilty of turning the ball over on numerous occasions. They were also guilty of missing no less than 25 free throws in the game.

Coach Mickey Paul was disappointed that his team had been unable to execute the skills they practice every week but recognised that his players just weren’t used to the intense pressure applied by the Nova players.

For Thunder David Nieva did his very best to inspire his team finishing the game with 29 points but no other player was able to score in double figures.

Under 14 Girls Midlands South Conference

Newham Youngbloods 20 Northants Lightning 106

The Northants under 14 girls travelled to London last weekend for what was a new fixture for the Club.

Against Youngbloods they totally dominated the game restricting their opponents to single figures in all four periods of play. After seeing her team charge into a 33-3 lead after the first quarter Coach Karen Goodrich restricted her team’s pressure defence and imposed restrictions on their attacking options. She also used the game as an opportunity to give her less experienced players lots of court time and they responded well by all getting on the score sheet.

Throughout the game Cat Askham, Charlotte Price and Abbie Turner rebounded superbly giving their team ample possession when Newham missed shots. Sarah Round was her usual productive self dishing out a stream of assists to Caitlin Stewart who scored 16 points and Abbie Hobbs who had her best game for the Club with 18 points but pride of place has to go to the excellent Ruchae Walton who scored 33 points pulled down six rebounds and made six steals

Under 13 Boys Midland South Conference

NEBC Titans 51 Northants Thunder 86

As a contest this local derby was over as early as the seventh minute with Thunder leading 27-2 with Titans unable to handle Thunder’s full court pressure defence. This pressure forced numerous turn-overs leading to easy scores.

Thunder dropped to a half court defence which gave the home side a little more space to play but by half time Thunder had established a 58-19 advantage.

In the second half Thunder coach Mike Round restricted his team’s offensive options by stopping fast breaks and making his players practice their rotation offence. To their credit Titans rallied strongly and actually won the second half 32-28 to restrict Thunder’s winning margin to 35 points with all eight of their players getting on the score sheet.

For Thunder Jacob Round top scored with 37 points while good support came from Ainsley Reynolds and Laurence Williams who both contributed 10 points apiece.

FIXTURES

Saturday 10th November

11-30am Under 14 Girls versus Herts Warriors

1-30pm Under 14 Boys versus Derby Trailblazers

3-30pm Under 15 Girls versus Herts Warriors

5-30pm Under 15 Boys versus Derby Trailblazers

All four of these games will be played at Kingsthorpe Community College in Boughton Green Road, Northampton. Spectators are welcome and admission is FREE

Under 13 Boys travel to Bucks Hornets

Junior Women travel to Bristol Storm

Junior Men travel Cheshire Juniors

Sunday 11th November

11-00am Cadette Women versus Southend Swifts

1.00pm Cadet Men versus Notts Nova

3.00pm Junior Women versus Chiltern Pumas

5.00pm Junior Men versus Sporting Club Albion

Again these games will be played at Kingsthorpe Community College in Boughton Green Road, Northampton. Spectators are welcome and admission is FREE

Under 15 Girls travel to Bristol Storm (National Cup)

Under 14 Boys travel to City of Birmingham

The Meadowlands winter league opened with a bang – with the top three totalling almost 300lb.

And that was despite co-inciding with one of the worst autumn Sundays in years as what felt like the tail end of Hurricane Sandy lashed those brave – or daft – enough to sit it out!

Lee Davis won with 107-12 of carp on poled corn as Lee Heaven had 91-8, Barry Byrd 89-6, and Karl Barnfield 77lb.

Over on the Stony Stratford Ouse Martin Cunniffe bagged, in an MKAA match, the fish of a lifetime... a 2-1-0 river roach! Yes it is an ill wind which blows no one any good.

Following three straight wins in the seven team Castle Ashby AT league Starlets stumbled, finishing third, Sunday, but still have a match in hand over the best of the rest.

‘Ashby Youth’s Steve Abbill won with 67-13 from the Brickyard as Andy Johnson (RAF) had 49lb with Steve Hemmingway (Starlets) on 44-13.

Chiltern GotBaits were top on the day. Starlets lead on 6 points, ‘Ashby A Team have 13 and Maver MK 16.

Even Lakeside – heaving with fish – was knocked off form by the weather, and Dave Chapman won White Hart Flore’s do with ‘only’ 42lb. Dave Griffiths had 38lb and Dave Adams 32lb.

‘Ashby’s Grendon midweeker saw Paul Hardman win with 27-12 ahead of John Kent 24-12 and Geoff Ringer 24-3. On the same pond, Saturday, Hardman won again with 38lb.

Dick Rogers had 31-8 and Grant Howie 29-12.

The other side of the county Dave Smart topped the Bishops Bowl winter league opener with 26-1.

Keith Haynes had 20-14 and Ray Gregory 15-13. The Uglies were top team.

Between floods Pete Hawley used deadbait to land Olney’s best-of-season Ouse pike at 15-15.

Floodwater pouring in from the top lake made Castle’s match on Canons bottom a grueller. With water rising over the platforms Nick Antonacci won, 14-8, as Andy Forbes netted 10-9 and Fred Prior 4-12.

Cotton Club’s Weedon cut do went to Marcus Annable 4lb. Tony Pickering had 2-8 and Dave Hadden 2-2.

Stoke cut long pound was full of muddy run-off, for Sunday’s Nene open, but Dave Gibbins caught 3-8, Tom Graney 3-6 and Paul Minney 3-3.

Towcester fished the Shutlanger Tove, Sunday – and suffered!

The river rose so fast Mick Goodridge had to move his box back three times while winning with a chub and bits 2-11. Matt Brafield had 2-2... and the rest went home early!

On Flore & Brockhall’s cut Rob ‘it’s a gift I have’ (!!!!) Rawlins won for the second time in a row with 2-10. Paul Humphries had 2-6 and Steve Smith 2-3.

FIXTURE: Saturday (Nov 10) Olney Ouse open 01234 240061.

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

Carl Sainsbury of Brampton Heath was the only professional to post an under-par score in the latest NPGA Winter Series event as he compiled a 69 at Farthingstone GC.

Second place was shared by home pro Mike Gallagher and Wellingborough’s Simon Lilly on one-over-par 71, with Dan Wood (Brampton) a further shot back in fourth.

Sainsbury made it a double success in the team event as he claimed a one shot victory in the company of Brampton amateurs William Rice, Sean Collins and Sean Collins, who are unrelated, on 129.

Brampton Heath

Two outstanding displays from Jack Brown and Max Faulkner clinched the gross and net prizes respectively in the Junior Club Championships.

Brown, who has been in excellent form in recent months, carded a four-under-par 68 to finish five ahead of his brother Harry Brown, with Jason McGuinness, who was four-under after 11 holes, in third on 75.

Faulkner was arguably even more impressive than Brown as the 28-handicapper, who celebrated his ninth birthday a few days later, bagged five gross pars and 13 bogeys in a magnificent net 57. James Crowson (net 65) was runner-up.

Overstone Park

Ivan Roy maintained his superb form as he won the Captains Handover Seniors competition with 41 points.

Fresh from his victory in the October White Tee Mid-week Stableford a week earlier, Roy bagged four net birdies in the last six holes to beat Bernard Bullivant by one.

Brian Thompson was third on 39, while at the other end of the age scale Sean White won the October Junior Medal by three from Andrew Watson.

Northants County

A TOTAL of 41 points was an excellent winning score in the November Midweek Stableford as Mike Marriott clinched the second section by five from Alan Kennedy.

Phil Harris was third with 35 points – a score which clinched the top division for Gary Page by a single point from Quentin Wade.

Cold Ashby

Eight net birdies and a net eagle on the 11th hole helped Tim Miller clinch the October Midweek Stableford as he finished seven clear of Jack Collins with a magnificent tally of 45 points.

Stuart Nicholas was on the winning trail once again as the single-figure handicapper birdied the last two holes to lift the Charity Shield with 40 points.

Dnnis Mathers (38) was second on countback from Mark Conway and Neil Entwistle, while Sue Dawkins picked up the ladies prize with ease after grabbing 36 points.

Staverton

Andrew Witcomb compiled the best score in the third week of the Winter Back Nine Stableford as his total of 22 points was one better than Gordon Russell could manage.

Callum Higman displayed his potential in the Rookie Challenge as the youngster parred the fourth hole on his way to bagging 21 points over nine holes to nudge one ahead of runner-up James Carty.

Farthingstone

Three gross birdies were on George Briar’s scorecard in the November Medal as he came out on top with a tally of 41 points.

The next four best scores all came in the lower division as Andy Simmonds (39) beat Derek Campbell by one, with Lawrence Smith and Alan Bosher a further two points off the pace.

Northampton

Mid-handicapper David Page was the man to beat in the opening round of the Winter Series as he came in with 40 points.

Page, who was two-over-par for the last half a dozen holes, finished three points ahead of Martin Wright, with Richard White in third spot on 35.

Whittlebury

Round one of the Bruton Plate Winter League saw two pairings shoot the leading total of 44 points as John Colby and Jonathan Illingworth finished tied with Paul Durant and Christopher Miller. Scoring wasn’t quite as good in the opening round of the Ladies Winter League as Jacqueline Jenkinson and Tracey Mann grabbed the best mark of 34 points in the George Blues Trophy.

Silverstone

Karin Poolton was beaten on countback by Jean Poolton in the Pams Pot Stableford after both shot 30 points. Although County first team player Karin eagled the 14th hole, she found trouble on the last two holes to narrowly miss out.

Steve Pedder will be looking to make it a hat-trick of team wins for the Club Captain when he takes on Club pro Rodney Holt’s side in the annual Ryder Cup challenge match. The doubles matches take place on Sunday, with the singles ties scheduled for the following Saturday.

Collingtree

David Wiggins compiled the leading score in the 16th round of the Seniors Stableford Series as a tally of 36 points edged him two ahead of Ray Draper.

NLCGA

Former Solheim Cup captain and US Open champion Alison Nicholas was the special guest at the NLCGA annual dinner at Kettering GC as the county ladies celebrated their year.

Nicholas passed on her knowledge by performing a short game, bunker play, chipping and putting clinic to 30 ladies, before delivering a fascinating speech about her experiences in the game.

At the end of the evening, Nicholas presented the Cecil Leitch Trophy to Staverton Park, while Wellingborough picked up the Scratch Trophy.

Ladies Access Tour

Northamptonshire amateur Charley Hull warmed up for her tilt at gaining a place on the European Ladies Pro Tour next month with another high finish in the Crete Open on the feeder Access Tour.

Despite the event being reduced to just a single round due to the strong winds, the 16-year-old birdied the second, ninth and 15th holes in a level par round to grab a share of fourth place.

Cherwell Edge

Alan Percy fired the leading net round of 66 in the November Medal as he beat junior member Adam Berry by four in the second category.

Sean Lapper enjoyed a three shot success in the top category thanks to a net 67, while Michael Lunn won the lower division by a single stroke with a 68.