Leading Electric Light Orchestra tribute band, the ELO Experience, return to Royal & Derngate next week with their Into The Blue show.

For the past seven years the legacy of Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra has been brought back to life by the ELO Experience.

With a light show and large screen projection to enhance the performance, audiences will be taken on a journey through time as the they recreate the band’s most popular songs, including 10538 Overture, Evil Woman, Living Thing, Diary of Horace Wimp, Don’t Bring Me Down and their most iconic song Mr Blue Sky.

ELO formed in Birmingham and released 11 albums between 1971 and 1986.

In 2001 the band reformed and released the album, Zoom.

The ELO Experience is led by singer and guitarist Andy Louis, who is joined by seven other musicians.

They take to the Derngate stage next Friday, September 6 at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £21 and are available by calling 01604 624811 or online 
at www.royalandderngate.co.uk

A transaction fee of £2.80 applies to telephone and website bookings only.

Former Ruben frontman Jamie Lenman headlines The Craufurd Arms in Wolverton tomorrow night.

Lenman fronted the cult band during their 10-year existence, releasing three albums and touring with the likes of Biffy Clyro and Billy Talent and across the UK and Europe before splitting in 2008.

He returned last year with his solo double album, Muscle Memory.

The 23-track behemoth was recorded over two years. Sean Genockey split the trademark Ruben sound in two, with one disc focussing on melody and the other focussing on guitar riffs.

Also working as a professional illustrator, Lenman brought his skills to the solo album which is accompanied with lavish artwork.

Ruben released their debut Racecar Is Racecar Backwards in 2004, Very Fast Very Dangerous the following year and In Nothing We Trust in 2007. Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets costs £13 in advance.

Visit www.thecraufurd arms.com

The Cobblers will examine the fitness of Darren Carter in the final two days of training this week to establish if he will be fit enough to face Exeter City on Saturday.

Carter has missed two weeks with a hamstring strain suffered at York City but could be available for the game against the Grecians.

Ivan Toney, who was rested for the Bournemouth game with a minor head injury, is expected to come back into the squad.

Danny Alfei has missed the past two games with a knock but should be given the green light to play this weekend.

Kelvin Langmead (Achilles), Ian Morris (knee), Lewis Hornby and Evan Horwood (both tendonitis) are out.

Exeter will be without four first-team players of their own - Jacob Butterfield (groin), Tom Nicholls (ankle), Christian Ribeiro (groin) and Jamie Reid (pelvis) and their matchday squad will include some members of the youth team.

Alex Nicholls will still leave the Cobblers on loan despite the striker playing his first competitive football in almost two years this week.

The 26-year-old played the final 15 minutes of Town’s 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup second round on Tuesday night.

It was Nicholls’ first senior outing since suffering a double fracture of his left leg in a game against Port Vale in October 2012.

But while he is now up to full fitness, the club will stick with their plan to get him some match practice elsewhere, with Exeter City the most likely destination for the player.

Nicholls spent two days training with the Grecians last week, but any potential deal with them would be unlikely to be done before Monday as the two sides meet at Sixfields this weekend and the striker would not be permitted to play.

“I know he’s a favourite for the supporters, but people have to trust me and we feel this is the best course of action for Alex,” said manager Chris Wilder.

“I don’t think he’s ready to start games for us.”

Emile Sinclair, though, is now unikely to go out on loan. Wilder was delighted with his performance at Bournemouth, and said: “He got a good ovation from the supporters and I asked him why he thought that had happened and it was because he’d run himself into the ground. I can’t afford to let him go.”

It seems incredible to imagine that one of Northamptonshire’s prettiest and sleepiest- looking villages was the setting for one of history’s most famously thwarted acts of treason... The Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

But that’s exactly what happened in Ashby St Ledgers, near Daventry, four centuries ago when 13 Roman Catholic men conspired to blow up the Houses of Parliament and with them King James I.

The men, led by Robert Catesby, hatched their plan in the gatehouse above Ashby St Ledgers’ manor house and you can still visit the historic site today.

Their plot spectacularly failed and the men were executed for their treasonable actions in particularly gruesome and barbaric methods for those times.

If you’re on the trail of The Gunpowder Plot – and Northamptonshire has many connections with it, including the enigmatic Triangular Lodge near Kettering and Rushton Hall, owned by Catesby’s fellow conspirator Thomas Tresham – then Ashby St Ledgers is a great starting point. And a perfect place to be well fed and watered is at The Olde Coach House in its Main Street, which offers lots of nooks and crannies where you can plot what to eat and drink.

I visited the pub, which has recently been given a new look. It’s years since I’ve been there and I was pleasantly surprised at the obvious changes which include an upmarket stylish interior, atmospheric black and white photographs of the village on the walls, and a comprehensive menu offering all sorts of pub grub.

I hadn’t booked on the Tuesday evening, not expecting it to be as busy as it was, so it was a good job my two friends and I arrived early as tables were scarce and going fast.

We were also pleasantly surprised to discover the night we’d chosen to visit was Tuesday Special nights, when The Olde Coach House runs a two-for-one pizza offer, which we decided to go for.

I chose the Sicilian, while one friend had the pollo and the other had the breakfast pizza.

We decided to take advantage of the offer and ordered another pollo to share among us.

Had we realised just how large each pizza was, we would probably have stuck with two pizzas between the three of us. But it was okay as we were able to get the extra pollo pizza boxed up to take home.

The pizzas were all delcious, though I ended up picking the chillies off my Sicilian as they were super hot; almost explosive
 in fact.

The pollo pizza could have done with more chicken and less peppers and my friend found the breakfast pizza interesting, but would have preferred more sausage and bacon toppings.

We accompanied the pizzas with sides of onion rings and chips. The batter on the onion rings was scrumptious and the big, thick, chunky chips were very tasty. We thought the garlic mayonnaise on the side to dip chips into was a really good touch too.

Desserts of ice-cream for me (a scoop each of vanilla and strawberry) and vanilla creme brulees for my friends rounded off our meal. The brulees were served with a lovely soft and buttery shortbread biscuit and the dessert itself was smooth and with a good taste of vanilla.

I would not hesitate returning to The Olde Coach House to sample more of its menu, especially if there are any bangers and mash special dishes on offer around Bonfire Night.

Saints have named close to their strongest possible side for their final pre-season game at Newport-Gwent Dragons on Friday night - but fly-half Stephen Myler will play no part.

Myler has been nursing a calf injury during pre-season and was due to be on the bench against Leinster last weekend before being forced to pull out.

And he has not been named in the 29-man squad for the trip to Ebbw Vale, which is a concern for Saints with their Premiership campaign starting against Gloucester at Franklin’s Gardens next Friday.

Will Hooley, who has started all three pre-season games, will again deputise for Myler at 10.

Sam Dickinson is missing once again as he is sidelined for three months with a neck injury, while Tom Collins, Mike Haywood (both shoulder) and Joel Hodgson (wrist) are also out.

But boss Jim Mallinder is able to call on the majority of his main men, with the likes of George North, who scored twice in the 33-21 victory against Leinster, and Dylan Hartley making their first starts of the pre-season campaign.

Saints have yet to lose in the build-up to the new season, with wins against Rotherham Titans, Leinster and Moseley helping them maintain the momentum gained from last season’s Amlin Challenge Cup and Aviva Premiership triumphs.

Saints: Foden; K Pisi, G Pisi, Burrell, North; Hooley, L Dickson; Corbisiero, Hartley, Ma’afu; Lawes, Day; Clark, Wood, Manoa.

Replacements: McMillan, A Waller, Denman, Craig, Dolan, Harrison, Fisher, Fotuali’i, Wilson, Waldouck, Elliott, Packman, Skelcey, Olver.

An inspection of Northamptonshire Police’s crime data integrity has found the force is failing to accurately record offences of rape, robbery and violence and demonstrating a “lack of regard” for victims.

A damning report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has recommended a number of urgent changes be made to the “inaccuracy” of the force’s decisions to designate an offence as “no crime”.

The criticisms of Northamptonshire Police include:

- Information about victim’s lifestyle being “frequently” used to undermine the credibility of a crime

-Officers using “extremely concerning” language to support a “no-crime decision” including describing a rape victim as a “could be a compulsive liar”

-Chief police officers providing “confused” messages that have resulted in officers not recording crimes when they should have done

-A ‘lack of regard’ for victims and a failure to keep them updated about the progress of their case

-A shortage of staff in the force control room leading to officers inaccurately recording crimes on automatic electronic forms

- Robbery crimes being downgraded to ‘theft from person’ to achieve a “swifter” recording of the crime

The report, which covers the period of November 1, 2012 to October 31, 2013, states that HMIC reviewed 90 recorded crimes of rape, violence and robbery that Northamptonshire Police had categorised as “no-crime” and found only 55 of these decisions were correct.

HMIC found that information about a victim or their lifestyle was “frequently” used to undermine the credibility of the report of a crime.

The report states: “In some cases the version of events described by the offender was used to contradict the victim’s account and justify a no-crime decision.

“Without additional verifiable information this demonstrates a lack of regard for the victim.”

After a review of rape cases, the explanations used to support a decision for a no-crime decision contained “extremely concerning” comments and language such as a victim being described as a “could be a compulsive liar”.

HMIC said this was a matter of “serious concern” and has instructed Northamptonshire Police to immediately adopt a new approach to recording crimes, especially those of rape.

Inspectors viewed 106 incident records of crime reported by members of the public to the force control room and found 82 crimes should have been recorded.

However, Northamptonshire Police only recorded 65, of which four were wrongly classified and five were recorded outside the 72-hour limit allowed under Home Office rules.

HMIC found that on occasions when an officer attended an incident there was often a lack of detail entered into the log as to why a crime had not been recorded.

Chief officers in Northamptonshire Police were criticised by HMIC for providing “confused” messages to officers in recent years about how crimes should be recorded.

The report states that in January 2013 officers and staff were instructed to follow an “investigate-to-record” policy, which advised them that crimes were being recorded that, “with a little investigation”, should not be recorded as a crime.

But in April this year, the deputy chief constable the DCC sent out a number of messages underlining the importance of “correct practice” when recording crime, using the force’s intranet and his blog, which the report states “generated a large amount of confusion amongst frontline officers and managers.”

The report states: “We found that almost universally the impact of this comment (in January 2013) was that officers thought they were being encouraged or given discretion to record crime only once an investigation confirmed that a crime had been committed.

“This has had the effect of causing many officers not to record crimes when they should have done so.”

HMIC concluded that the “central focus” of the force was on achieving reductions in crime rather than looking at the harm to victims and communities, which inaccurate recording could bring.

Northamptonshire Police was also criticised for its failure to keep victims of crime regularly updated about the progress of their case.

The report sates: “Managers commented to us that officers do not understand the need to keep victims regularly updated. They also said that there is little or no contact with victims when out-of-court methods are being considered to deal with a crime.

“These are widely regarded as a quick way of removing crimes from officer workloads.”

HMIC also found that officers were classifying crimes inaccurately because there was a “shortage of staff” in the control room to answer their calls.

The report states officers were using an electronic form to get the crimes recorded automatically, however this should only be used to record less serious crimes.

Inspectors said they were told robbery crimes being recorded by officers using this system were being downgraded to “theft from person” to achieve a “swifter” recording of the details.

HMIC has detailed a number of recommendations that Northamptonshire Police must comply with within the next six months.

The force has been told to immediately remove all references to the ‘investigate to record’ policy and reinforce the “unequivocal message” that ethical crime reporting is required irrespective of the effect it might have on force performance.

Northamptonshire Police should also immediately take “effective” action to address the inaccuracy of some of its “no-crime” decisions and ensure that report recorded separately on other force systems, such as public protection teams, are recorded as crimes.

Within in three months, the force must ensure it has sufficient capability to enable efficient crime recording and review its assessment of the risks associated with crime data integrity.

The force should also amended its guidance on when rape should be recorded as a crime and introduce a structured, regular audit plan.

Within six months, the force should establish a new training system in crime recording for all police officers and staff responsible for making crime recording decisions.

Northamptonshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Adam Simmonds said he believes crime is recorded “correctly and ethically” despite a HMIC inspection report finding serious crimes are being recorded inaccurately.

A report published on Thursday by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has highlighted a number of failings in Northamptonshire Police’s recording of crime and stated the “central focus” of the force was on achieving reductions in crime rather than looking at the harm to victims and communities, which inaccurate recording could bring.

But, in response to the report, PCC Adam Simmonds said he would “continue to insist” that crime is recorded correctly and ethically in Northamptonshire.

Mr Simmonds said: “The accurate recording of crime is critical to understanding what’s going on in our communities and I will continue to insist that crime is recorded correctly and ethically in our county.

“This is vital, not only for the general public, but particularly for victims.

“The work being carried by the force, in line with the HMIC’s recommendations, is to be welcomed, and is part of an important cultural shift towards becoming more strongly victim focused.”

Responding to the report, Chief Constable Adrian Lee said it was crucial that crime was recorded “correctly and ethically” and for the public to have confidence that the force was improving its service to victims.

He said: “Since the HMIC inspection the force has implemented robust processes to ensure crimes are correctly recorded; our approach and auditing have changed substantially to address concerns and deficiencies. Processes have been implemented to ensure incidents are correctly classified and any reported crimes are recorded in line with the Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR).

“The report included positive feedback about how we deal with out-of-court disposals and our compliance rate with national standards. Our training programmes and recent process improvements were well received.

“The public can be confident that we are improving our service to victims, and that the force treats every incident seriously and investigates every crime reported thoroughly.

“We know that what we are doing is working; serious violent crime has decreased in the county and the public can be confident that Northamptonshire is becoming safer. In addition, the latest independent data from the Crime Survey of England and Wales has shown a continuing downward trend in crime over the past 20 years.

Mr Lee said the police and crime commissioner was leading an initiative to improve the response to the victim’s voice, and said there was some “excellent, ground-breaking work” taking place across the force to reduce crime and keep communities safe.

After 148 appearances, 62 tries and myriad memories, Paul Diggin is about to grace the Franklin’s Gardens turf for the final time.

And it promises to be an emotional moment when he exits the Saints stage at his testimonial match on Sunday.

But although he could be forgiven for doing so, Diggin is determined not to look back.

Instead, he prefers to take a glimpse into a future that will see him continue in his role as a Saints Academy coach.

“I’m pretty sure this will be the last time you see me in the Saints colours on the Franklin’s Gardens pitch,” said the 29-year-old winger.

“It’s sad but it’s the start of something new for me in my coaching role.

“I’ve had a good run, I’m proud of the things I’ve achieved at Northampton and hopefully I can achieve more with the coaching.”

Diggin’s story is a heartwarming one for any rugby player as he came through the ranks at his boyhood club before fulfilling his dream of creating a career with them.

Players such as Bruce Reihana, Tom Smith and Allan Bateman will help him celebrate that achievement this weekend - and the man himself admits he is proud of what he has done in the game.

“As a kid you don’t really think about it too much,” he said. “You think ‘oh yeah, I’ll definitely be a rugby player’ because you don’t know what goes into it. And when you get to 15, 16 you find out that window is tiny.

“Sometimes I look back and think out of all my mates there was only a couple of us that got through.

“It’s weird how small that window is so you really do appreciate it when you look back.

“For me it was a massive achievement to play for the Saints. When you played that one game, you tried to get to five and to keep going like I did was fantastic.

“I’ve scored a few tries, made a few appearances, played in some quality teams in some cup finals and when you look back that’s what you judge yourself on really.”

Diggin’s testimonial match will kick off at 3pm at the Gardens on Sunday, with tickets priced at £10 for adults and £1 for juniors, with a share of the proceeds to the Niamh’s Next Step charity.

The teams will be as follows...

Saints All Stars: Bruce Reihana; Phil Robinson, Allan Bateman, Matt Allen, Matt Goode; Rory Teague, Johnny Howard; Tom Smith, Dan Richmond, Robbie Morris; Jon Phillips, Christian Short; Gavin Kendall, Budge Pountney, Mark Hopley. Replacements: Sam Miller, PAUL DIGGIN, Dave Abrahams, Fen Gallagher, Chris Kirby, Mark Tucker, Ben Barwell.

Saints legends: Alex Foster; Tom Foden, Chris Hyndman, Ed Binham, Richard Blank; Alex Rose, Ben Jones; Mark Kefford, Kyle Dufty, Ben Briddon; Johnny Chance, Lennie Newman; Charlie Smith, Darren Fox, Mark Soden. Replacements: Liam Wilkinson, Andrew Phillips, Ben Mann, Chris Kirby, Dougie Rafferty, Joe Newman, George Newman.

A woman had to be released from her car by firefighters after her vehicle collided with a fence near a roundabout in Northampton.

Emergency services were called to the Mill Lane and Gladstone Road junction, near Kingsthorpe in Northampton, just after 11am this morning after a pink car collided with a fence near the roundabout.

A spokesman for the East Midlands Ambulance service said the female driver was taken to Northampton General Hospital.

An East Midlands Ambulance spokesperson said: “We received a call at 11:14 to attend a collision on Mill Lane involving one patient.

“An ex-paramedic was on scene supporting the patient while our double-crewed ambulance arrived. One patient was taken to Northampton General Hospital.”

The incident caused traffic congestion on surrounding roads into Kingsthorpe.

Cobblers boss Chris Wilder will urge striker Emile Sinclair to maintain the standard of hard graft that he set himself in Tuesday night’s Capital One Cup defeat at Bournemouth.

In his first start of the season, Sinclair’s sweat-soaked performance was one of only a handful of plus points from Town’s trip to the south coast.

The centre-forward had been in line for a loan move away from Sixfields but those plans now appear to have been aborted in light of his equalising goal against Shrewsbury and midweek exertions.

Now Wilder wants Sinclair - who was given a good reception by the travelling supporters for his efforts at Dean Court - to continue that hard work ethic.

“As he walked off he got a really good ovation from the punters and I said to him ‘why do you think that’s happened?’” Wilder said.

“It’s because he put himself about and because he was a threat and ran himself into the ground.

“I don’t mind that if we’ve then got to take a player off after 60 or 70 minutes because he’s given everything he’s got.

“That’s what people want to see. They want to see technical ability and people moving the ball but they also want to see players giving it everything.”

Sinclair’s display, along with a good goalkeeping performance from on-loan Spurs stopper Jordan Archer, were among the only positives for Wilder at Bournemouth, although he was pleased with the improvements his players made in the second half in avoiding what could have been a heavy defeat.

“When you play a team that are really firing like they were then you can easily go under,” he said.

“Their lad hit a volley after five minutes that was a ridiculously good volley and at that point you’re thinking if you don’t step up then it could be five or six.

“If we didn’t have the togetherness and character in the squad then that would have happened, especially with some tired boys out there.

“The players stuck in there even though there was a big gulf, we dug in and I was pleased with that attitude against a very good side.”

The Sekhemka statue could have been put on temporary display in Liverpool according to a spokesperson at the city’s museum.

Last week the Museum’s Association announced it might sanction Northampton Borough Council for selling the ancient Egyptian artefact to help pay for a £14.5m refurbishment of the town’s museum and art gallery.

This week National Museums Liverpool confirmed it had offered to display the statue in 2011.

A spokesperson said: “We were keen on potentially borrowing the statue of Sekhemkha for display at the World Museum. We approached Northampton Museum and Art Gallery in late 2011 but they did not get back to us with a decision.”

A spokesperson for Northampton Borough Council said: “At the time we were contacted, the statue was in secure storage and the council was considering options.”

Alex Corbisiero says last season’s double glory justified his decision to swap London Irish for Saints.

And he is now targeting an injury-free campaign as he bids to help the club he joined last summer earn more silverware this time round.

The England prop missed six months of last season with a knee injury sustained on international duty in November.

But he fought to get fit in time for the final pursuit of glory and started both showpieces as Saints won the Aviva Premiership and Amlin Challenge Cup.

“It was a tough year last year missing big chunks, but it finished on a high note,” said Corbisiero, who will again battle Alex Waller for the loosehead spot this season.

“I’m very fortunate to have got back for the last couple of games. Being able to start two finals and win two trophies was pretty awesome and justified my reasons for wanting to come to a team like Saints.”

Corbisiero has been named in the starting 15 for tonight’s final friendly at Newport-Gwent Dragons and he will look to come through unscathed ahead of the start of the new season.

The 25-year-old can’t wait to get stuck into Gloucester in the Premiership opener at the Gardens next Friday and is hoping for a full year of action for club and country.

“I’ve had a good bit of rest, good bit of pre-season, and I’m feeling fit and healthy,” he said.

“I just need to stay healthy, build performances, keep improving, get some rugby under my belt and try to lay a marker down for my club rugby.

“Hopefully I’ll get back involved in international rugby but I’ll take that as it comes.

“Right now, I’m just focusing on week in, week out performing to the best of my abilities and staying healthy.”

Cogenhoe United manager Andy Marks insists his team do not fear Kettering Town ahead of their crunch FA Cup clash at Compton Park on Saturday (ko 3pm).

The Poppies, who currently reside in Southern League Division One Central, head to Cogenhoe for a preliminary round tie.

And they will be expected to emerge victorious, having won five of their six league games in their step four surroundings this season.

But Cogenhoe have been in good form themselves, winning their first three UCL Premier Division games and seeing off Wembley in the previous round.

And Marks is adamant his men will give Kettering a run for their money this weekend.

“It’s going to be a really tough test for us but we certainly don’t fear them,” said the Cooks boss.

“They seem to be scoring freely and they appear to have a big budget this season so we know they’ll be very strong.

“They must be one of the favourites for the league above, but we’ve always held our own against higher level sides and as long as we perform well we can be happy.

“Whether it’s enough to go through remains to be seen, but we’re desperate to keep the buzz of the FA Cup going.”

Cogenhoe could come up against a familiar face this weekend, with former Compton Park forward Alfie Taylor in the opposition ranks.

Taylor netted the winner in a 1-0 success against Daventry Town on Bank Holiday Monday, but Marks is hoping his former player puts in a below-par performance this weekend.

“It will be nice for Alfie to come back,” said Marks. “He played for me for a while and he will know some of the lads.

“I know him well and he’s a great goalscorer. I spoke to him after he left Diamonds during the summer but we couldn’t match what Kettering could offer.

“We wish him all the best, but hopefully he’ll have an off day on Saturday because we know the lad can finish.”

Cogenhoe’s fellow UCL Premier Division side Sileby Rangers are also in FA Cup action this weekend as they travel to AFC Kempston Rovers.

Sileby were impressive 3-0 winners against Hillingdon Borough in the previous round, while Kempston won 2-0 at Spencer to secure progression.

Daventry Town are also in FA Cup action as they travel to Ashford.

Poppies boss Baillie insists there will be no Kettering complacency

Thomas Baillie insists there is no chance of Kettering Town underestimating Cogenhoe United in the preliminary round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Poppies make the short trip across the county to Compton Park to take on a Cooks side who have made an unbeaten start to their ChromaSport & Trophies United Counties League Premier Division season.

But Kettering have been in ominous form themselves and victories over North Greenford United and Daventry Town over the bank holiday weekend saw them move back to the top of the Southern League Division One Central table after five wins from the first six matches.

Joint-boss Baillie, however, insists his team will not take anything for granted on Saturday and he fully expects the Cooks to “raise their game” for the visit of the Poppies.

“I am sure they will raise their game because they will want to go further in the cup,” Baillie said.

“We are used to teams coming at us and we don’t underestimate anyone, we certainly won’t underestimate Cogenhoe because they have already shown that they are a good side with the start they have had.

“They will have a real go at us. We will be the favourites to win the game but when it’s the FA Cup, that means very little. If we win, it will be because we deserve to.

“We will be fully prepared and fully focused for the game because this is a competition we want to do well in.”

Baillie, meanwhile, believes striker Alfie Taylor has made a “good case” for himself when it comes to earning his first start in Poppies colours.

Taylor was the hero on Bank Holiday Monday as his late deflected free-kick sealed the 1-0 success over county rivals Daventry.

And Baillie said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, Alfie will probably be expecting to start the next game.

“He has done very well in training and he has improved what has been happening on the pitch when he has come on.

“To be fair, I thought all three substitutes made a difference for us on Monday.

“But Alfie got the goal and if he believes he should be starting the next game I would say he has a very good case.”

The only doubt for Kettering will be Dubi Ogbonna, who missed Monday’s win with an ankle injury.

That came after a controversial moment at the end of the win over North Greenford when the striker stormed down the tunnel after being substituted following an incident which saw him being overruled when wanting to take a late penalty, which was eventually scored by Andy Gooding.

Ogbonna has since made a public apology for his actions and Baillie added: “Dubi is the only one who is a real doubt.

“If him missing this weekend means we get him back quicker then that’s what we will do.”

It’s been a rather tedious week of celebrities and sports people having ice water poured over them for a charity they have never heard of in search of a headline they don’t deserve, Israel, Ebola and Isis sharing the front page with Cheryl Cole getting a soaking.

The Northants players have also been at it and, in this case, fully deserve a bucket of water tipped on their heads, a truly embarrassing season to follow up last year’s exceptional one.

But it’s not all down to their making.

When the ECB tightened the rules on overseas players, it pretty much ended the small counties like Northants’ chances of ever challenging in Division One, and is why our Twenty20 win was all the more remarkable.

Without Trent Copeland we were dead in the water this season.

The ECB say counties can only have an overseas star that has played international cricket within a stipulated period, and affordable ones are few and far between now because of the rule.

We presumed this tweak was to stop run-of-the-mill Australians and South Africans at the end of their careers blocking the young English county players coming through the county system that is supposed to feed the Test team.

But the same ECB are then selecting the England team from every other country’s Under 19 side and ignoring those very English guys who have come through the English system!

This ruling has simply strengthened the big English Test match ground counties who can afford to poach the best young English players and tempt the overseas Test stars.

If Surrey and Hampshire do indeed come up, and Northants drag Sussex down on the last day of the championship, all nine counties in the First Division will be the country’s elite, stuffed full of those players.

With the new chairman and chief exec of the ECB likely to be voted in from those nine, you do wonder where it leaves us?

Was this the ECB plan all along?

The loss of Copeland and the inability to secure his equal in Jackson Bird will see Northants relegated in the next round of the Championship.

The one-day campaign was wrapped up last week in similar bleak fashion with the Steelbacks failing to defend 311 under the lights at Wantage Road, a new Northants record, and only the third time at Wantage Road both teams have scored 300.

What sounded like a thrilling last-over match was never in doubt as the Steelbacks yet again failed to score enough runs first up, another example of the lack of a beefy batsmen able to clear the ropes on good central pitches and bat out the overs.

I think the groundsmen are the only ones you can’t fault at Wantage Road this season.

The match was only memorable for the Steelbacks’ best performance of the season with David Willey’s effortless and brilliant century.

England would be crazy not to use him in the World Cup this winter.

All season in the one-day stuff, only two or three players have raised their game on the field each match which has resulted in defeat after defeat.

It just needed one or two bowlers to deliver a decent 10 overs in a couple of London Cup matches and we would have qualified.

I’m pretty shocked both Leicestershire and Derbyshire finished above us in our group.

I thought this tournament would suit the likes of Maurice Chambers, Ben Duckett, Kyle Coetzer, Matt Spriegel and Graeme White, but they simply faded away.

The players’ win bonuses last year and a relatively poor return on the Madness concert pretty much blocked any chance of good players coming in for 2014, and so the backroom team has to take some of the blame for the ageing squad, one match this season seeing seven guys above 30 playing in the same side.

But David Smith has had enough of the oldies and the cull is underway.

David Sales has retired and Andrew Hall been edged out. Indeed, Hall’s expensive three year-deal didn’t help financing for 2013, and his distinct loss of pace meant he was never really in the one-day picture.

I thought the 40-year-old might get another year after being top scorer in 2013 with 936 at 55 and 37 wickets at 25, but it was not to be, 39 with the ball and 26 with the bat this time around telling its own story.

But Hall was not the only player to be found out in Division One, and Spriegel was another.

You all know my thoughts on him, and I have felt he has been a poor player from day one, failing to have any impact on limited overs cricket. That was why he was brought in, as he is not first-class standard.

At least Hall going frees up a fresh Kolpak option.

I think James Middlebrook will be unlucky if he is not offered a new deal as he did step up to open the batting in 2013 when no one else fancied it.

He has been exploited somewhat this season, and kept in that role at the cost of his average so the club could save cash by not hiring a bespoke opener for the top league, a key position and a fatal decision.

I’m sure he already knows his fate, but 1,000 runs is not impossible for him this season with 328 required in four matches and a point proved to other employers out there.

Brackley Town boss Jon Brady says Cobblers keeper Dean Snedker is coming of age at St James’ Park.

Snedker joined the Saints on loan until January ahead of the start of the new season and has started every game for the club since.

The 19-year-old kept his first clean sheet on Bank Holiday Monday as Brackley earned a goalless draw against Worcester.

And Brady has been impressed with how the young player has developed in his short time in Vanarama Conference North.

“Dean did fantastically well on Monday,” said the Brackley manager. “He really was a presence for us and he came and collected a lot of free-kicks and corners.

“He seems to have come of age and it was a great performance from him in really difficult conditions.

“He was dominant and now we’re looking for consistency in his performance levels. He’s developing and being brave in coming for balls when he knows he is going to get hit.”

Brackley’s goalless draw against Worcester came hot on the heels of the 2-1 defeat at Leamington last Saturday.

Greg Kaziboni had given the Saints a first-half lead but two goals after the break, from former Brackley striker Stefan Moore and Jordan Goddard, gave the Brakes the points.

And Brady said: “We could have been 3-0 up but a couple of decisions didn’t go our way and we allowed them back in.

“It was a bitter pill for the boys to swallow because we played well, but were just a little bit naive towards the end.”

But Brady feels there have been real signs of progression since the 4-0 opening-day defeat at AFC Fylde.

And the boss is hoping his men can claim three points from another trip into the unknown, at Chorley, this weekend.

“We have certainly progressed and the boys are now starting to get to know each other are five games together. We haven’t got the resources to pay for a scout to look at future opponents now but we will get as much information as we can ahead of this weekend.

“We know Chorley lost 4-0 to Barrow on Monday, but Barrow are big spenders so that isn’t the worst defeat in the world.

“We know that Chorley will be hurting from that and they have started well in the league like we did in our first season in it.”

CORBY TOWN

Tommy Wright has backed his Corby Town players to bounce back from their first defeat of the season this weekend.

The Steelmen had started Bank Holiday Monday as leaders of the Southern League Premier Division following the 1-0 success at Chesham United last Saturday.

But their unbeaten record was ended as title favourites St Neots Town claimed a 3-1 success in front of more than 500 fans at Steel Park two days later.

Manager Wright, however, was far from downhearted by his team’s display, and he fully expects them to hit back when they take on Truro City at Steel Park this Saturday.

“It is a test of character for the boys now,” the Steelmen boss said. But they have already shown they have that because they have come back during matches.

“There is plenty to be positive about and I will be reminding the boys that it is a 46-game season before they go out there on Saturday.

“It’s been a good start for us and we are happy with it. But now the hard work starts again.”

Fixture: Northampton Town v Exeter City (Sky Bet League Two)

Date/kick-off time: Saturday, August 30 (3pm kick-off)

Venue: Sixfields Stadium, Northampton

Weather forecast: 18C, sun and showers

Outs and doubts: Northampton: Evan Horwood (tendonitis), Kelvin Langmead (Achilles), Lewis Hornby (tendonitis), Connor Roberts (groin), Ian Morris (dislocated knee). Exeter: Jacob Butterfield (groin), Tom Nicholls (ankle), Christian Ribeiro (groin), Jamie Reid (pelvis)

Betting: Cobblers 8/11, draw 13/5, Exeter 4/1

Form guide: Northampton LDLDWW, Exeter DLLLDW

Likely line-ups: Northampton (4-4-2): Duke; Tozer, Collins, Diamond, Robertson; Hackett, O’Toole, Ravenhill, Mohamed; Richards, Toney. Exeter (5-3-2): Pym; Dawson, Oakley, Baldwin, Tilson, Woodman; Wheeler, Sercombe, Grimes; Bennett, Cummins

Last time out: Northampton lost 3-0 at Bournemouth, Exeter drew 1-1 with York (Wheeler)

Most recent meeting: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 - Exeter 0 Northampton 1 (Morris)

Cobblers connection: Arguably the strongest link - at least at one point - between the two clubs is with the supporters, who converged on the Sixfields pitch on the final game of the season in 1995 as it appeared the Grecians were on the verge of extinction. Solidarity was in good supply that day, as some fans even swapped shirts as both groups sang ‘don’t let City die’. Elsewhere, Exeter’s current, fashion-conscious, manager Paul Tisdale was once a County Ground loanee, playing five games for the Cobblers on a temporary transfer from Southampton in 1992.

Jefferson Lake’s preview: The Cobblers have hit a sticky run of form but if they can manage to beat Exeter City on Saturday it will give them a tally of eight points for the first month of the season, a pretty decent return considering the sides they have played.

A failure to win in four consecutive games has been disappointing and they have relied on late equalisers in two of those matches to turn two potential 1-0 losses into 1-1 draws.

This has been a difficult start to the campaign, in which Northampton have faced two good Championship teams and three sides from their own division that all have promotion aspirations; on their one-off performances, Portsmouth and Shrewsbury have been tipped as title contenders by some.

Exeter City present a very different kind of threat to the ones the Cobblers have faced so far and come to Sixfields hoping to maximise their underdog spirit.

Gone are the dark days of the start of the season when 41-year-old manager Paul Tisdale was forced to name himself on the bench but the Grecians’ squad is still a thin one, through a combination of a summer transfer embargo and a handful of injuries.

Tisdale only has 14 players who have started senior games from which to choose for this game, and is likely to start with Scott Bennett, a central defender, up front.

That will cause a reshuffle that has seen former Southampton and Leicester City midfielder Matt Oakley line up in a three-man defence, with the brief to pick long-range passes from deep positions.

For the Cobblers, Ivan Toney is back in the frame and Darren Carter and Danny Alfei will come into contention after recent injuries but both - the former especially - may not be risked.

Emile Sinclair enhanced his reputation with a busy and hard-working display on a night of thankless tasks at Bournemouth in midweek, as did goalkeeper Jordan Archer with a number of good saves.

The match represents the final game of what has been a hectic August that has stretched the Northampton side to its limits, with youth-team players named on the bench for three of the six fixtures so far.

Manager Chris Wilder will be pleased the schedule eases as September begins, with just one midweek fixture on the slate - and that is at Sixfields, against Hartlepool United.

Prediction: Cobblers 2 Exeter City 0

A CCTV image has been released of a man who police believe may be a “vital” witness to an alleged assault on a 61-year-old man from Northampton who later died in hospital.

It is believed that 61-year-old George Wedderburn of Byfield Road, St James, intervened in a fight in Abington Square, close to Steffans jewellers, just before 3.45am on Sunday, August 17.

After he became involved in the incident, Mr Wedderburn received significant head injuries and died in Northampton General Hospital on Saturday, August 23.

Detectives investigating the case have now released a picture of a man who they believe may have tried to act as a peacemaker. He was a tall, white man in his early twenties. He had a small beard and wore a blue T-shirt and glasses.

This man, or any other witnesses to the incident, should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A 22-year-old man, Daniel Tero, of Burleigh Road, Kingsthorpe Hollow, has already appeared at Northampton Magistrates Court charged with assault. He is due to appear at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday, September 3.

Cobblers assistant manager Alan Knill has played down the significance of his team’s pre-match favourites tag but is confident they can give Exeter City a ‘tough afternoon’.

Town are odds-on to beat an understrength Grecians side, who visit Sixfields on Saturday after a traumatic summer in which boss Paul Tisdale’s recruitment plans were badly limited by a transfer embargo.

Ongoing financial concerns at St James’ Park continue to affect the playing side, from where seven senior players were let go in the close season.

But while the bookmakers fancy Northampton for a comfortable three points, Knill knows that will only be the case if the team perform to the best of their abilities.

“It’s never as simple as that - nobody would have had Morecambe to win the first four,” he said. “It really isn’t about league positions or anything, if we’re at our best it will be a tough game for Exeter and it’s up to us to be at our best.

“We need to have a good desire and if we have that quality then it will be a tough afternoon and if we get a win that will represent a decent start to the season for us.

“You always want more but it’s been quite a tough start and three points on Saturday would make it a good start.”

Town go into the Exeter game on the back of four games without a win and having suffered their biggest loss of the season on midweek Capital One Cup duty at Bournemouth.

It is hoped that right-back Danny Alfei and Darren Carter will be back to bolster a squad from which Chris Hackett was also rested at Dean Court.

“The cup is a bonus - it was a bonus winning at Wolves and having the game at Bournemouth but the bigger picture is the league and we had to rest and protect players for Saturday,” said Knill.

“It was disappointing to lose at Bournemouth and we came away feeling like that but they beat Huddersfield 4-0 away in the first game of the season and they’ve beaten a few other sides.

“When you’re a coach or a manager you always think you can do more but we caught them on a good night and Eddie (Howe) was delighted with how they played.

“(Danny) Alfei and (Darren) Carter we hope to have in contention for the Exeter game and that will strengthen us.

“He had made a really good start to the season and he finished last season really well so it was a blow to lose him at York.

“He gives us a nice balance with Ricky (Ravenhill) in the middle of the park with one of them being left-side and one being right-sided.”

Twitter users in Northamptonshire will have the chance to get an insight into life on the police force, live from the control room, for one day only this week.

From 7am on September 1 (Monday) until 7am on September 2, Northamptonshire Police’s control room team will be posting tweets, using the hashtag #FCR24, to relay the wide spectrum of incidents that come through from members of the public.

During the 24-hour campaign, police tweeters will also post live photos and interviews with staff members on duty.

The control room staff are very often the first point of contact victims, witnesses and residents have with the police and they are a crucial frontline with the force.

This is the first time that Northamptonshire Police have launched a 24-hour campaign of this kind to demonstrate the day-to-day work of the control room, though they have previously used Twitter to highlight work being done to tackle alcohol-related crime, including one project following Friday night life in Northampton.

Chief inspector, Fay Tennet, who manages the control room, said: “The aim is to have tweets being posted throughout a 24-hour period relating to incidents and public contact received by the force.

“The objective is to educate the public about appropriate use of emergency and non-emergency calls as well as giving positive messages about the good work that is done by the team here.”

To get involved and interact, follow @northantspolice and use the hashtag #FCR24.