Review

Lee Evans’ Monster Tour

NIA, Birmingham

Circuses may be closing all over the world, but I can categorically state the art of the clown is still going strong in the hands of comedian Lee Evans, currently appearing at the NIA, Birmingham.

Evans’ humour is, as with most successful comedians, based on observation of people and modern society, but his unique genius is in his ability to add incredibly funny visual humour to his act.

His current tour, Monsters, although maybe not vintage Lee Evans, is still a treat for your funny bone. Birmingham is obviously a city very close to his heart as his genuinely heartfelt appreciation of his audience showed and it was maybe this which gave the first half of the show a slightly nervous edginess. However, after the interval, Evans was back to his best and even a false alarm with the NIA’s fire alarm system couldn’t derail his flow. Indeed, his brilliant improvisation proved to be some of the funniest moments of the show.

As with Evans’ previous tours, this is not a show for the easily offended or indeed anyone of a sensitive nature, but it’s a testament to Evans’ genius that even the sections of his routine, which could be described as toilet humour, are delivered with such innocent enthusiasm that you cannot help but laugh with a clear conscience

Overall, the Monsters tour is a worthy addition to Lee Evans repertoire, made up of new material it’s a treat for old fans and new alike and as an added highlight we were treated to a encore of Evans’ Bohemian Rhapsody mime which, to his fans, is a classic and absolutely brilliant.

You cannot help but laugh at Lee Evans and for a great night of laughter this modern day clown is hard to beat.

People in Northampton will be reminded of the importance of basic home security at a crime prevention roadshow at the Racecourse this weekend.

Officers will be at the Pavilion with the mobile police station this Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

They’ll be hand to give people advice about how to make their home and property safer and talk to them about crime and policing in their community.

Officers are particularly keen to highlight the importance of locking up – something too many people are still failing to do, whether it’s making sure all external doors are locked at home when they go to bed or locking their car when they leave it.

Detective Inspector Andy Rogers said: “Unfortunately, we’ve seen a slight rise in burglaries and thefts from cars recently, particular in the residential areas around the Racecourse. Many of these have been as a result of people leaving their homes or vehicles unlocked.

“It may seem obvious advice but we really want to get the message across that locking all doors and making sure all windows are closed every time you go out and ideally when you leave the room too, is a good habit to get into. Likewise, when you park your car, double check it’s locked and take all valuables with you.

“Many burglars are opportunists and even if someone is at home, if a door or window is open, it can take just seconds for a burglar to steal a handbag left on the stairs or a laptop left on a coffee table.”

As well as being based at the mobile police station, local police officers, special constables and cadets will out and about speaking to people about home security and other issues while carrying out additional patrols in the area.

For more information about how to keep your home and property safe, visit www.northants.police.uk/crimeprevention.

Gary Slinn held his nerve over the closing stretch to win the Northampton Cup Final by one stroke from Carl Williams with a 36-hole total of net 138.

After posting an opening net 68 to lie two shots off the lead in second place, Slinn moved ahead of overnight pacesetter Brian McEwan with a steady final round, which included one birdie and 13 pars. McEwan (143) finished third by one from Darren Matthews.

Ben Brown was the most consistent player in the Northampton Cup Plate Final as he compiled two rounds of net 68 to beat Ian Kelly by a couple of shots, with Ross Skidmore in third on 140.

World Amateur Team Championships

Ryan Evans ended his amateur career in impressive fashion as he helped England finish sixth out of 67 countries in the World Amateur Team Championships in Japan.

The Wellingborough member opened with a level par 72 on the Iriyama Course, before shooting 68 on the Oshitate Course – a round which included a birdie on the 787-yard par six closing hole.

Evans added a 69 on day three, before he completed the prestigious tournament with back-to-back birdies in a magnificent eight-under-par 64 to finish 15th in the individual category.

The 27-year-old tees it up the first time as a professional golfer in European Tour Q School at Golf D’Hardelot in France on Tuesday, September 23.

Ladies European Tour

Charley Hull struggled to find her consistent best in the final major of the year as she finished 47th at the Evian Championship in France.

The Kettering teenager, who is competing in the Tenerife Open this weekend, carded 71 and 73 to make the cut, before shooting rounds of 70 and 77 over the weekend.

Cold Ashby

The September White Tee Stableford and September Medal witnessed two extraordinary winning scores from Chris Parker and John Bott respectively.

Parker grabbed at least two points on every hole on his way to a superb tally of 46 points as he beat Ray Buckby by one over the weekend.

Bott was no less impressive in the Medal a week earlier as the high-handicapper compiled a round of net 60 to finish four clear of Chris Halstead.

Delapre

Tony Vella had a weekend to remember as the high-handicapper clinched two club competitions in as many days.

After combining with Nigel Hunter and Lee Rodgers on Saturday to win the Captains Pro-Challenge by one point, Vella carded five gross pars in the last seven holes 24 hours later to lift the Troy Shield.

Brian Seal’s 39 points left him four adrift in second place, with Daniel Badharee a further three back in third spot.

Brampton Heath

Thirteen gross pars were on the scorecard of David Heasman in the Russ Faul Challenge Cup as the 16-handicapper smashed a winning tally of 45 points.

Runner-up Malcolm Barron was one of a quartet of players four points off the lead in the over-60s competition.

Countback was also required in the Ladies Order of Merit Final after Pam Hibberd and Susan Hancock shot the joint best score of 38 points. The former gained the verdict.

Kingsthorpe

Mick McGuire’s net 63 was the score to beat on Captains Day as he finished two clear of Jason Spence, who picked up the gross prize with a level par round. In the accompanying stableford competition, Guy Loveland came out on top with 40 points.

The mother and daughter combination of Dhyls Jones and Sue Jones formed half of the winning team in the Ladies Am-Am as they joined up with Janet Scott and Sandra Ball to shoot 98 points.

Northants County

A well-known name picked up the winners prize in the Mixed Open as Columb Harrington, brother of three-time major winner Padraig, combined with Kaye Mater to shoot 45 points.

The Buckingham duo nudged two ahead of a couple more away pairings, with Ian Morris the best placed home member as he finished fourth, alongside Catherine Vincent (Burhill) on 42 points.

Hellidon Lakes

Richard French, Duncan Childs and Mike Thomas were the three divisional winners in the September Medal.

French’s net 69 pushed him one ahead of fellow single-figure handicapper Gavin Aris, Childs (69) beat Andrew Thornton by two in the second section, while Mike Thomas (72) was the best high-handicapper.

Overstone Park

A gross two-under-par front nine sent Peter Francis and Colin White on the way to victory in the Wheeler Cup as the duo bagged the best score of 43 points. Paul Clark and Ken Curley (39) finished runners-up.

High-handicapper Rob Nash shot the leading round of 39 points in the September White Tee Stableford as Andy Harrison (37) and Stephen Moore (36) clinched the other two divisions.

Whittlebury

Peter Patten never looked back after carding pars on the first five holes in the September Medal as the 19-handicapper shot a winning round of net 66.

Mike Swinnerton compiled the same score to take the top division honours, while Rob Pollard’s net 67 was the leading mark in the middle section. Gill Long collected the ladies prize.

Collingtree

Forty points was the leading tally in the September Stableford as Steve Cole finished three ahead of Conor Roslin. The minor places went to Richard Collier, Brendon Moss and Ian Smith, who all finished a further point adrift.

Cherwell Edge

A run of half a dozen consecutive pars on the back nine proved vital for Anthony Bradbeer in the September Stableford as he nudged one ahead of the chasing pack with 41 points. Graham Commons was second on countback from Dave Wetherall.

Staverton

Jonathan Eastwood fired the best round of net 65 in the Weedon Motors Cup as he finished clear of the field. Russell Brown (70) was runner-up on countback from Duane Hayle and Matt Walker.

Silverstone

Les Bone and Trevor Barnes are looking forward to facing club pro Rodney Holt and club captain Dave Makepeace in the Doubles KO Final after overcoming Andy Jordan and his partner in the last four.

Farthingstone

Andy Morgan found his best form in the final of the Singles KO Matchplay as he defeated Tony McCormack 6&5 to lift the Ford Trophy.

Northants men’s linchpin Ben Foster carried his extraordinary run of success in home club singles titles to another level with a hard fought victory on Sunday.

Incredibly, Foster has now lifted the County LTC men’s singles crown right times in the last ten years, but he was made to fight all the way by young pretender Arthur Eyles.

After a semi-final victory against Corby player Cameron Yuill, Foster scored a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over 18 year-old Arthur Eyles in the final.

Foster went into the final as a strong favourite notwithstanding the fact that Eyles ended the challenge of his own coach Dean Gayton at the semi-final hurdle... a clear case of the master teaching just a little bit too much!

In the 18 & U boys’ singles final, Eyles earned an even more long drawn out success against Yuill, a match he eventually claimed 7-6, 7-6, winning the tie-breaks 10-8 and 7-3 while in the Men’s Doubles final, Barry Wilson and Dave Garrett beat Foster and Jonathan Searle 6-2, 6-3 in a battle royal of the County A men’s regulars. While both pairs have lifted the title before, it was the first time Wilson and Garrett had beaten their club mates in the final

Bizarrely, identical set scores featured in both showpiece men’s and ladies singles finals...

The echoing 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 score saw Laura Mineards came out on top against Lauren Phillips in the Ladies Singles final. Phillips’ recent form has been sparkling and while she may regret this did not bring a third consecutive victory over Kate Clayson in the 18 & Under Girls’ Singles (5-7, 0-6) it is something positive she can surely carry forward.

Clayson and Phillips were outgunned by the senior, experienced pair of Mineards/Catherine Thompson in the ladies doubles final while Clayson and Dean Gayton were beaten 6-2, 6-3 in the mixed doubles final by Mineards/Foster, having won a thrilling three-setter against Searle/Thompson to get there.

Persistence is both an admirable and essential asset when found lingering around on a tennis court and once rewarded, is one to bring untold satisfaction.

County LTC pair Kate Goodwin and Sylvia Duffy clearly carried this quality into battle for the third year running in the Ladies Veteran Doubles, and to the surprise of most (including themselves) eventually came up trumps by a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 margin.

Goodwin and Duffy had been beaten by the pairing of Suzanne Clarke and Rachel Cave in the previous two years but this time the delight was evident for all to see as the sun shone at Church Way.

While Goodwin/Duffy ran out winners in a contest of true epic proportions, the Men’s Veteran Doubles was nothing like as close with Tony Pratt/Ian Masters defeating Trevor Knight and Gordon Cole 6-1, 6-0. Still, if that allowed time to switch attention to both bar and Bar-B-Q, so much the better.

Tony Pratt won the Veteran Men’s Singles 6-4, 6-2 against Arthur Kaca with Dave Brown/Suzanne Clarke landing the Veteran Mixed Doubles 6-1, 6-3 against Kate Goodwin/Steve Biss.

In the 14 & Under Singles boys and girls finals, Harry Priestley (6-4, 6-3) and Katie Heathfield (6-2, 7-5) came out on top against Piers Bodily and Maizie Payne respectively.

AN unlikely showpiece final featuring players at the mature end of the age range proved a highlight at Dallington’s club championships afternoon on Sunday.

Irchester based Brian Gibbons, who has recently made a Northants debut in the 60 plus category, teamed up with South African Oli Reis, the pair eventually winning a gripping two hour 40 minute match against Mark Gillinson and Paul Hampden-Smith in the Veteran Men’s Doubles. An outcome of 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 proved the tightness of the occasion.

Andy Guy took not only the men’s singles final at Dallington, beating Dan Pawlusek 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, but also the doubles alongside brother Stephen, that pair beating Pawlusek/Steve Morris 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.

Junior Alex Lewis proved a star turn in ladies’ events, winning the senior final 6-4, 6-4 against Abigail Pearce who she then partnered to a 6-0, 6-0 victory against younger duo Anraj Mahil and Isabella Lloyd.

THIS winter’s 12 Counties Championships will once again by sponsored by the natural mineral water company Hildon, and resume next month at the Corby Tennis Centre.

Centre manager Craig Haworth said: “All 12 counties have signed up once again which is good news.”

Northamptonshire will be competing in Division 2A over the course of the winter against the likes of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Oxfordshire, which promises to be a tough challenge. The county’s 12U boys and girls will get the ball rolling on Saturday October 25.

Meanwhile, Corby TC’s winter programme kicks off in earnest on October 4 with 14 & U and 18 & U LTA Winter Regional Tour events and again looks like shouldering a large national load in this area.

Haworth explained: “We probably now have more winter LTA ev4ents of any venue in the country and in October alone there are LTA events for 10 & U, 12 & U, 14 & U, 16 & U and 18 & U age groups at the Centre.”

JOE Tyler is planning to tackle an event in Morocco in October, in a bid to build on the 15 Junior ITF points he earned competing in Moldova last month. A brace of 16/18 & U tournaments could also be on his radar.

Full time training for Tyler now registers six sessions a week, the hectic travelling schedule including a four hour weekly session in Derby as well as a trip to Norfolk every Friday for six hours of tennis and fitness with coach Martin Smith.

On the local front, Tyler will be working out with coach Haworth at Corby as well as attending Mark Taylor’s Monday night ‘A’ squad at the same venue.

Haworth explained: “All of this is due to generous flexibility from Brook Weston College.”

On a more social footing, a significant date in the diary looks like being Saturday October 18 when the nucleus of the Corby TC squad is expected to attend the John Henry Northampton League presentation dinner-dance at the Marriott Hotel in Northampton to collect the Men’s Division One and Two titles.

ALEX Ward’s return to tournament action following a two month absence due to an arm injury ended with a second round exit in the Aegon GB Pro-Series at Wrexham last week. After his victory against qualifier Andrew Bettles, the Northamptonshire number one was ousted by French player Gregoire Barrere, by a 7-6, 6-3 score line.

KETTERING’S Dermot Bailey is still targeting the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil and as he steps up his levels of training and performance, has recently contested tournaments in Belgium and Italy.

Reigning champions Delapre Old Boys are the early leaders following their 5-0 demolition of JLB.

James Dean registered a double while there was one strike apiece from Jake Hogben, Gavin Hitchcock and Reece Grey.

Hot on Delapre’s heels are James King Blisworth A, who just edged out Liberty Stars by the odd goal in three.

Blisworth’s marksmen were Jamie Cunningham and Darren Andrew, which left Thulane Khoza to hit Liberty’s reply.

Liberty finished with only nine men on the pitch after two of their players were sent off.

Falcons United Reserves showed a vast improvement on last week with a 2-1 success against Duston Dynamo.

Falcons hitman Richard Collier grabbed both of their goals, while Duston’s goal came via Benjamin Jones.

Thorplands Club 81 hit some good form as they beat FC Shelley Road 3-2, courtesy of strikes from Ross Watson, Aaron Childs and club stalwart Nathan Garofalo.

Two goals from Aston Pink accounted for Shelley’s retort.

F1 sidecar racing team MK Racing travelled to Snetterton in Norfolk for round six of the RKB Bemsee Club Championship.

Northampton’s Paul McArdle is the passenger on the teams LCR F1 Suzuki 1000cc sidecar, alongside rider Martin Kirk.

The team were in for a tough weekend’s racing as second,third and fourth places were only separated by 51 points.

Qualifying on the Saturday went to plan and saw they lined up on row two for their first race of the weekend.

The team continued their great form over the next three races of the weekend which saw them come away with a further third place on Saturday and two second places finishes on the Sunday.

The team also got the fastest lap of the day and knocked another 6.5 seconds off their best lap times.

This has put the team in with a realistic chance of a third place podium finish for the 2014 championship.

The team’s final race is at Brands Hatch Indy on October 4-5 which is shaping up to be a fantastic and close final race meeting of the season.

MK Racing are also competing in the Season finale of the British Superbike weekend at Brands Hatch on the weekend of the October 18-19.

The team are looking for sponsors and supporters to help propel them futher in the racing season. If you are interested in sponsoring please contact the team on their new website which is www.mkracing58.com.

Zander Diamond is expected to be passed fit for the Cobblers’ game against Accrington Stanley at Sixfields this weekend.

Diamond, who passed a pre-match fitness test on the injury, was withdrawn after 41 minutes of Tuesday night’s win over Hartlepool and replaced by Lee Collins, who will deputise again if the Scotsman is not fit to play.

Emile Sinclair could come back into contention as he is scheduled to train in the build-up to the game after recovering from an ankle strain.

Ian Morris (knee), Kelvin Langmead (Achilles), Lewis Hornby (tendonitis) and Evan Horwood (tendonitis) are all out, with Langmead likely to be the first one of that group to return, towards the end of September.

For Accrington, James Gray is suspended following his sending-off against Oxford United on Tuesday night and Jake Buxton is still recovering from concussion.

Saints chairman Tony Hewitt has given Jim Mallinder the green light to go on the hunt for a big-name international signing.

Changes to the current salary cap were approved at a meeting on Wednesday, empowering English clubs to add a second marquee player to their squads for the start of next season.

The new recruit must not have played in the Premiership for the past 12 months, stopping teams stealing players from their domestic rivals.

His wages would fall outside of the cap, which is set to rise above its current £5million limit, and it is hoped the move will help Premiership clubs hold onto their prized assets.

Saints, who brought in Lions stars George North and Alex Corbisiero last summer, currently spend as much as they are allowed to and opted to use their funds to retain all of last season’s double-winning squad.

But they are keen to add more firepower to further enhance their chances of competing with Europe’s elite, and Mallinder will be given the go-ahead to bring in another stellar signing.

“We’ve been party to those negotiations and because we’re profitable, we’re in that great position that we can afford to spend more than the salary cap,” said Hewitt. “We only spend up to the salary cap now but we could go a little bit further if the cap is increased, which is what is being done.

“We were in favour of it and we’ve said to Jim to look at using that money. He has (already been told to start identifying targets).”

Hewitt expects to have the deal - and more contract renewals - tied up by Christmas as Saints continue to plan for next season, which will start after the Rugby World Cup.

“We’re in the period now as we were last year where we’re renewing the contracts that need renewing,” said Hewitt.

“We’re talking to agents, going through those negotiations and these days, in this modern world, players don’t just come to you - their agents punt them around.

“We’re talking to all the agents all the time, we’ve told them what our likely requirements may be and we’ll be making those announcements around Christmas time.”

Stephen Peters could still play a part in Northamptonshire’s final game of the season although his long-term future remains uncertain.

The County this week announced the 35-year-old would be replaced as club captain by Alex Wakely and Peters was subsequently absent from the side’s humiliating LV= County Championship loss to Durham.

Now, at the end of a campaign that has seen them relegated from Division One with a record low points total, the club appear to be rebuilding with a more youthful approach.

David Sales and Andrew Hall - players in their late thirties - are both leaving the club while Adam Rossington (22) and Josh Cobb (24) have been brought in.

The decision to have 25-year-old Wakely - who will have David Willey (24) as his vice-captain - take over from Peters looks to be another step in bringing a fresh outlook to a team that have been consistently pummelled in four-day cricket this summer.

However, head coach David Ripley hopes the man who led them to promotion last year is available for the final match of 2014 when the County entertain Sussex next week.

“I hope Stephen will be back and captaining the side in the last game,” Ripley said.

“It would be nice for him to see the season out in charge of the side.

“It’s been a tough year but it would be good to have a real go at the last game and try to finish with a good performance.

“The club have taken a different route on the captaincy for next season and Stephen has asked to open the way for him to explore other options.

“He’s got a year left on his contract but, as far as his future is concerned, I’m not sure what is going to happen and the ball is in his court.”

Two more league games have been played, one lost and one won, as the Cobblers find themselves in the relatively dizzy heights of fifth in league two.

We pause and reflect on the five things we have learned about the team this week...

1. Kaid Mohamed is proof that hard work leads to success. As well as scoring two goals and winning a penalty that led to another on Tuesday night, the winger also performed for a full 90 minutes with a relentless energy, often tracking back into defensive positions to cover out-of-position team-mates. He was also badly missed at Newport County.

2. The team which played at Newport County are proof that a lack of hard work leads to failure. Chris Wilder was rightly furious with his players at Rodney Parade, and was able to pinpoint exactly where they went wrong - by being outworked by the home side. Newport were first to everything and looked an excellent side but one, as the latter stages proved, that did have weaknesses.

3. The three-year deal given to Marc Richards might turn out to be a decent bit of business. Eyebrows were raised when the decision was made to give Richards a deal which will take him up to his 35th birthday but his is not a game based on physical qualitites that diminish with age and so - barring any bad injuries - there is no reason why he can’t be a goalscoring threat for the full duration of his contract.

4. There is plenty of depth in the squad. Lee Collins came on as a substitute for the injured Zander Diamond against Hartlepool and the shift was a seamless one. Ivan Toney, the hero of the final days of last season, was limited to a late run-out, and last season’s player-of-the-year Darren Carter didn’t get on at all. Add in Ricky Ravenhill and John-Joe O’Toole and it’s a strong bench at Sixfields at the moment.

5. The new floodlights are pretty impressive. Things are moved apace with the redevelopment of the east stand, with the Northampton skyline now almost completely obscured. But (literally) the most eye-catching new piece of furniture on Tuesday night were the floodlights, which made the game feel like it was being played in daylight. The lights are up to the standard required for clubs in the Sky Bet Championship...

Dorian West has admitted his surprise at Leicester Tigers’ decision to pull out of their game against the Wanderers last Monday night.

Tigers’ second string were due to travel to Franklin’s Gardens for the second match of the ‘A’ League season, but opted to withdraw.

The Welford Road outfit were forced to field a number of younger players in the 32-8 home defeat to Newcastle Falcons a week earlier and felt they would be ‘comprimising player safety, particularly in the front row’ had they travelled to face the Wanderers.

That sparked disappointment in the Northampton camp as they possess a number of players desperate to get some game time in the bid to win a place in the first team.

And forwards coach West said: “It was very disappointing. You’ve got players at this point of the season who have trained really hard.

“They are chomping at the bit and they want their chance in the first team if they’re not quite there so any games that get called off like that Tigers game is very disappointing.

“It leaves you in a position where you’re desperate to find somebody to play against because you want to keep all your players fighting for positions in the team and that’s their chance to do it.”

While Leicester are scheduled to host Worcester Cavaliers next Monday, the Wanderers are without another game until October 6, when Bristol United head to the Gardens.

And when asked whether he was surprised by Leicester’s withdrawal from this week’s game, former Tigers prop West repllied: “You’re always surprised. We’ve all got injuries and it’s just one of those things.

“If you get a few positional injuries and you’re struggling for that depth... it’s something for them to answer.

“We’ve all got injuries but you’ve just got to get as many players fit and available to play as you can.”

The Potbelly Folk & Roots Autumn Festival takes place this weekend with sets by Fred’s House, Reg Meuross, Threaded, Paul Handyside, The Malingerers, Kismet Hardy, The Old Speckled Men and Kevin Buxton.

The event at the Kettering Arts Centre is taking place in association with Kontra Roots Promotions.

Cambridge five-piece Fred’s House were winners of the Best Folk / Roots category and the Audience Choice Awards at the NMG Awards. They combine cheery, catchy folk pop with note perfect harmonies.

Reg Meuross (right) began his career in the mid 1980s with the Panic Brothers, after which he went solo. His debut album The Goodbye Hat was nominated for several music awards.

The Potbelly Folk & Roots Autumn Festival is at the Kettering Arts Centre in Lindsay Stret on Saturday, September 20, from 2pm until 11pm.

Advance tickets cost £9 for adults and £6 for concessions via www.wegottickets.com/location/4560.

There is plenty for comedy fans to choose from around the county in the coming weeks.

The Screaming Blue Murder Comedy Club, compered by Martin Coyote, is on at Royal & Derngate in Northampton on Friday, September 26.

The line-up will be Nick Wilty, Philberto and Iszi Lawrence (left).

Tickets are £12.50, and can be booked by calling 01604 624811 or visiting www.royalandderngate.co.uk. The show is recommended for ages 16 and above.

Bridget Christie is coming to Kettering Arts Centre on September 27 with her Edinburgh show An Ungrateful Woman.

And Scottish favourite Danny Bhoy will be at The Core at Corby Cube on Thursday, September 25.

Tickets, priced £15.50, can be booked by calling 01536 470470.

The award-winning hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors comes to the Royal & Derngate in Northampton this month.

The National Theatre show, directed by Nicholas Hytner, stars Shaun Williamson (well known as Barry from EastEnders).

The play tells the story of Francis Henshall who, fired from his skiffle band, becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe. But Roscoe is really Rachel, posing as her own dead brother – who’s been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.

Things get complicated when Francis also takes a job with one Stanley Stubbers, but to prevent discovery, he must keep his two guvnors apart.

The role of Francis is taken by Gavin Spokes, who was at the Royal & Derngate as Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows last Christmas.

The show, based on Carlo Goldoni’s Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters, has been seen by more than one million people.

It is on from Monday, September 22, to Saturday, September 27, at 7.30pm, with matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets – priced from £12 to £33.50 – can be booked by calling 01604 624811 or online at www.royalanderngate.co.uk.

Dorian West has welcomed the extra firepower that salary cap changes will give to Saints.

Premiership Rugby this week announced that the cap will rise from its current £4.76million to £5.1million from the beginning of next season.

Academy credits, which cover players who are under the age of 24, joined the club before their 18th birthday and are earning more than £30k a year, will increase from £240,000 to £400,000.

And a second marquee player, whose salary falls outside the cap, will also be allowed, though he must not have played in the Premiership during the past 12 months.

Saints chairman Tony Hewitt this week told the Chron that Jim Mallinder would be given the green light to add an extra big-name player to his squad.

And forwards coach West is happy to have more leeway for recruitment.

“It’s good because we’ll have a bit more potential to bring players in,” West said.

“We’re always looking for the right sort of player to add to our squad to improve what we’re doing and nothing changes with regard to that.

“We don’t waste money, we make sure the people we bring in can add to what we’re already doing.”

And he added: “We’re constantly on the lookout, everybody does in this game and even if you’re not looking for anyone at that moment, you’re always looking because you never know what’s around the corner.

“There’s lots of players around and people that we’re interested in but we’ve got a settled squad here at the moment and everyone’s performing well.”

Saints have been a profitable club for more than a decade and the powers-that-be at Franklin’s Gardens have been happy to spend up to the salary cap in recent seasons.

That support has helped Mallinder bring in players such as George North and Alex Corbisiero, and West is grateful for the backing of the board.

“We get great support, we’ve got a great fanbase and the club’s in a good position,” he said.

“The board manage this club expertly, everything’s catered for and they make sure we’ve got the funds to spend to ensure our squad’s as good as it can be.”

The world’s longest-running stage production is celebrating its record-breaking run with a UK tour that brings it to Milton Keynes Theatre.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is a much-loved murder mystery about a group of people who gather in a country house cut off by snow.

They discover one of their number has been murdered, but who is the guilty party?

A series of suspicious characters have some sordid tales to tell, keeping the audience guessing until the last nerve-wracking moment.

The show is still running at St Martin’s Theatre in London and the tour, which was launched in 2012, has gone on to break box office records in many venues.

The production company also licensed 60 productions of the play to be performed as part of the show’s 60th anniversary.

The cast for the 2014 autumn leg of the tour is Helen Clapp as Mollie Ralston, Michael Fenner as Mr Paravicini, Anne Kavanagh as Mrs Boyle, and Stephen Yeo as Christopher Wren.

The show is on from September 22 to 27. For tickets call 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes.b

Three men charged with drug and firearm offences in Northampton are due to be sentenced on October 16.

Romahn Richards, 23, Jake Prempeh, 23 and Kayode Freeman, 20, all from Manchester, all pleaded guilty to a burglary charge in July.

Prempeh and Richards admitted charges of possessing a firearm and being in possession of a Class A drug - and Richards pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at earlier hearings also.

At a plea and case management hearing at Northampton Crown Court yesterday, the three men were told they would remain in custody before being sentenced on Thursday, October 16. Probation reports will be drawn up on the men before they are sentenced.

However the court heard that a fresh indictment is likely to be put to the men in relation to the drug and firearm offences.

Richards, who appeared on Thursday via a video link from HMP Manchester where he is currently serving a prison term for another burglary offence, is likely to be pronounced sentence from his current place of custody.

Judge Michael Fowler told the court that as there had been ‘difficulties’ between the defendants when they had stood in the dock together on previous occasions, he would consider allowing Richards to appear via the video link.

Chris Wilder says he has not gone overboard in the days since the Cobblers’ 5-1 win over Hartlepool but wants his team to be one people are talking about.

Town play host to Accrington at Sixfields on Saturday, knowing a win could take them as high as second in Sky Bet League Two.

This has been a good week for Northampton, who responded to their loss at Newport County in the previous fixture in the perfect fashion with an excellent midweek attacking display.

It was their biggest win for three-and-a-half years and has sent fresh waves of optimisim through the supporters that a promotion bid can be mounted this season.

While Wilder has ensured the game was instantly forgotten in favour of a focus on Accrington, he is in no mood to play down expectations.

“Fifty points is the first target,” said Wilder with a grin. “Although I’m not sure the chairman would be happy with us just getting that this season.

“We want to be a club that is moving forward and that is attracting more supporters through the gates to come and watch us,” he said.

“We have to do that the right way and that’s by performing on the pitch but we want people talking about us.

“It’s a consistency thing - we don’t go overboard when we win and when we lose we have to take all of the criticism between us.”

Some of that criticism rightly came in the wake of the loss at Newport County, a game in which Wilder himself admitted his team deserved to take nothing and a defeat which still hurts the manager.

It is often said a team learns more from its losses than from its victories and Wilder is certainly using the 3-2 reverse as a reminder of what can go wrong if the team does not get their basics right.

“The game at Newport County was a decent reminder of what happens when we fall away and that is fresh in everyone’s minds,” he said.

“That performance and result is what happens when we’re not at it and we’re not right.

“But last week we had a good reaction to that and now it’s all about asking the players if they can go again and give us another good performance.

“I’m quite old school, I think you always have to work hard and get your basic application right. You have to win more races, headers and tackles and we did that on Tuesday night.”

The worst season in living memory for Northants produced the worst day’s play in living memory, with the team being bowled out TWICE by Durham in the space of 40 overs at The Emirates.

This is totally unacceptable.

I have had to tone down the column to keep it in print and online over the years, but there are plenty of expletives I have for the team right now.

now.

Chris Rushworth’s astonishing match figures of 15 for 95 - in just 20 OVERS! - was the first time since 1939 that one man had taken 15 wickets in a day.

It was the best championship analysis since Martin Bicknell took 16 for 119 against Leicestershire in 2000.

If you re interested the championship record is 17-48 by Charlie Blythe’s.

Yep, it was against Northants.

It was the seventh best match bowling performance ever against us, and nine for 52 the 10th best in an innings against Northants.

It was the second best individual bowling performance for Durham, behind Otis Gibson taking all 10 in 2007, and ahead of Melvyn Betts’ nine for 62 in 1997 – also against Northants!

But it gets worse - Northants rejected Rushworth on a trial back in the day.

This appalling performance may simply be down to a bowler having his day, or hints of some sort of player unrest brewing after Stephen Peters’ shock captaincy sacking at the beginning of the week, and so ‘tensions’ with management.

This is all blind speculation, of course, but David Smith doesn’t seem to be making all his players happy.

Some of the shot selection against Durham seemed to suggest their mind wasn’t on cricket.

Earlier this year, David Willey refused to get rid of his facial hair until he returned to first-class cricket after that troubling back injury.

Well, if the Northants players had promised not to shave until they won a championship match this season, they would be looking like a bunch of bleary-eyed retired Klondike miners at the annual beard growing competition!

It has been rotten this season, and after this week it now looks certain Northants will be the worst performers in the history of division one cricket.

But chief executive Smith is not worried, and is crashing on with his ground improvement plans as the word is that another new stand is being considered, joining up the yellow seats with the blue seats - although if the West Stand is knocked down, please make sure it has a roof boss!

Sadly, there appears to be fewer plans for cover on the playing side of things in the championship, with Ripley’s ‘number one target’ Josh Cobb averaging just 24 in the second division and very much a one-day player.

It’s looking like Northants and Leicestershire are likely to be clunking broadswords for the wooden spoon next season.

If the two division system and the inevitable wage inflation that follows was set up to weaken the small counties to extinction and grow the big clubs, then it’s working.

Moving on to the Northants playing staff restructuring, is sacked captain Peters the next to go?

I feel, that in reality this youth plan the club seem to be going for is more cost-cutting, and is about dumping those experienced high earners rather than building a winning side.

In some ways this was Smith’s legacy at Leicester where he was chief executive before coming to Northampton.

There, the playing squad was trimmed and the ground built up, and look where they are now?

They haven’t won a first-class match for 30 months!

But we simply have no choice on our budget, and it’s hard to see how Northants will ever be competitive again in the first-class arena.

We must be getting near the point where the ECB simply won’t fund the second division as it is any more.

The best players are pressured to move to division one to chase England caps, and second division club’s squads get smaller and smaller to make ends meet, to the point where they simply can’t function, like Leicestershire.

Of those who did travel north for what should have been a dead rubber draw after the first day was washed out, it actually started well as Durham rocked on 110 for four, before posting a way above par 392 on a greenish pitch, which included yet another record partnership against Northants after Paul Collingwood and Scott Borthwick hit centuries.

This comfortably beat the old fifth-wicket record of 125, and passed the highest ever partnership for any wicket against Northants. That was, ironically, Wayne Larkins and Stewart Hutton’s 181 at the County Ground in 1995.

It wouldn’t be Northants this season without a record partnership.

It was the same old story in that the bowlers worked really hard with the new ball, but once it loses its shine they are innocuous.

Neil Wagner’s wayward five for 105 did make the members chuckle.

Whereas the bowlers are what they are, and so no real expectation from me, the batsmen have let me and the fans down big time, their pathetic response at Durham was worthy of one or two of them being sacked on the spot.

Kyle Coetzer and the always-injured Rob Newton have been woeful this year for instance, Coetzer managing just 100 runs, in 10 innings, an average of 10.

He has had more bogus hits than Milli Vanilli!

Totals of 83 and 90 for the two innings in the 219 run defeat are the club’s lowest scores ever against Durham, the final county of the 18 to knock us over for double figures.

We also have that first-class record, of 15 & 27 in 1908.

A total of 17 wickets going down after lunch and before tea was ridiculous.

But don’t forget the end of season club dinner folks - just £50 a ticket plus VAT!

More than 25 retailers at Northampton’s Grosvenor Centre’s will be opening their doors after hours for the return of the Student Lock In this October.

Offering exclusive one-night-only discounts as high as 30% off, the student shopping night is one of the most important in the shopping centre calendar.

The Grosvenor Centre will be throwing open its doors from 6.30pm to 8.30pm to exclusively welcome the town’s students on Wednesday October 1.

Some of the biggest high street brands, including Topshop, New Look, Burtons, and Body Shop will be discounting a wide range of products and giving away goody bags while entertainment is provided by DJs and a host of brands and local companies eager to interact with the younger generation. Northampton Town FC and the NHS are among those offering additional activities and information at the event.

Russell Hall, centre manager, said: “This is the third year that we will be hosting the Student Lock In due to the hugely positive response from students and stores alike. Last year we had over 2,500 students attending and the event is a fantastic way to show new students in Northampton what we have to offer. The event provides a real buzz in the centre and this year we have even more stores opening for the evening and offering discounts and giveaways.”

Anyone wishing for more information and to pre-register online can visit http://studentlockin.com/index.php/event/city/northampton