Windmill Warriors won a tense penalty shootout against St Margaret’s to reach the semi-finals of the NTFA Goodliff Cup.

Warriors won 10-9 on spot kicks after the premier division teams fought out a 2-2 draw.

Joe Evans and Fazel Koriya scored for Margaret’s, while Nathan Bobwich and Andy Seaton did likewise for the triumphant Warriors.

Crown & Cushion are celebrating after reaching the final of the NFA Sunday Vase following a 3-0 win over Golden Horse.

The quarter-finals of the NTFA MDH Teamwear Cup saw wins for FC Victoria, AC Squirrels, Devonshire Club and Kingsthorpe Wanderers.

Victoria thrashed AFC Crown 11-2, thanks to goals from Thomas Murfitt (4), Edward Simmons, Scott Cross (2), Frank Myer (2) and Darren Wright.

Will Briscoe’s double couldn’t prevent Spartak from a 4-2 cup defeat at AC Squirrels.

Dane Healey, Jack Archer, Joe Handley, Matt Payne and Matthaus Bates all netted one apiece to ensure Devonshire a safe passage into the last four with a 5-2 win over Trinity Old Boys.

Kingsthorpe Wanderers won 2-1 at Kislingbury, goals coming from Mark Faulkner and Jonathan Shakespeare.

Dynamo closed the gap on premier division leaders Standens Barn to just one point with a thumping 8-0 victory over Monks Park WMC.

Dean Lukeman and Liam Grisley both scored twice in the win, while James Russell, Lewis Leslie, Curtis Avery and Jamie Podkowka all chipped in with singles.

Midshire Electrical recorded their third league win of the season with a 5-2 success at Blakesley. Goals came from Harleigh East (2), Aaron Hunt, Jason Bradshaw and Sam Turner, cancelling out Blakesley strikes from George Bonifas and Sam Reeve.

In the other premier division game, FC Gallery swept aside Royals in a 4-1 win.

AFC Dee went top of division one following a 3-1 win over Fox & Hounds. Andrew Smith struck twice in the win, with the other coming by the way of an own goal.

Wootton Fields Wanderers eased to a 5-0 win at The District, thanks to goals from Chris Morley (2), Jack Bright (2) and Sam Hicks.

Damian Janisz (2) and Arkadiusz Popielawski were on target in FC Fotogold’s 3-0 win 
over struggling MDS Rangers.

In division two, Denham Salmon led the scoring for Roade as they hammered Manfield Rangers 7-0.

Salmon struck twice alongside singles from Ben Carter, James Lawton, Ashley Gardener, Ryan Moysey and Matthew Thomber.

FC Jeckyll came out on top of a seven-goal thriller at Deers Leap. Nicholas Worley, Danny Brown and Robert Bolton netted for the home side but four goals from Ollie Anderson ensured all three points went to Jeckyll.

Bottom club Thorplands Club 81 picked up a point after a 2-2 draw with FC Locomotiv Moulton.

In division three, there were victories for Butcher Loco and Hartwell Forest, while Brafield United and Northampton Hotspur shared the spoils after a 1-1 draw.

In division four, AFC Thorpe made it six league wins in seven with a 4-1 victory over Yusen Logistics. Byron O’Regan netted twice in the win.

Elsewhere, Billing United pipped Thorplands Club 81 A 3-2, Welland Valley lost 5-2 at home to Spartak Reserves, while Vesta suffered a 12-0 thrashing at home to Hartwell Forest Reserves.

JLB are the new leaders at the summit as they went two points clear of long-time pacesetters Delapre Old Boys, on the back of an 8-2 mauling of Thorplands Club 81.

The in-form Ben Gerner led the way with a super hat-trick and Dan Jennings, Thomas Leatherland, Dan Hawks, Ross Marriott and Colin Mowbray all netted one apiece.

Thorplands’ scorers were Aaron Childs and Marc Dowling. Liberty Stars were held to a 1-1 draw by Shelley Road and moved up to third.

Craig Naisiri hit the target for Stars and Aston Pink did likewise for Shelley.

Sporting Bat & Wickets continued their recent improvement and made it three wins on the trot with a comfortable 4-0 victory over James King Blisworth A. Jamie Hall grabbed a brace to go with strikes from Aaron Linnell and William Robins.

In the NFA Lower Junior Cup fourth round, Delapre Old Boys made the journey to Spratton and lost 4-3 after a disappointing performance.

It looked like business as usual as Delapre raced into a 3-1 lead courtesy of strikes from Chris Kirby and James Dean plus an own goal but that was as good as it got as Spratton took full advantage of some dreadful defensive mistakes and won 4-3.

Duston Dynamo played host to Ringstead Rangers Reserves and found themselves 1-0 down in the first five minutes. Duston equalised just before half-time with a Phillip Day effort. Ringstead hit two more goals to take the tie 3-1.

South African pair Richard Levi and Rory Kleinveldt have signed on at Northants for the 2015 season.

The club announced the double signing today, with Levi returning to the County Ground for a third summer, and Kleinveldt arriving for his first.

Kleinveldt is a former South African international and will bring a wealth of experience to the Northants dressing room.

The pair will be available for the whole summer, and for all competitions.

Levi, who was a key man in the Steelbacks’ NatWest T20 win in 2013, returns to Northants following an impressive 2014 season in South Africa.

Northants Cricket head coach David Ripley told northantscricket.com: “It will be a great boost to know we will have two international players available to us for the whole season.

“We are excited about Richard establishing himself in the four day team as well as having his firepower in our one day team.

“He has had a great winter, named player of the competition in the South African Ram Slam.”

On Kleinveldt, the Northants coach said: “Rory will be a terrific bowler in English conditions.

“He has just featured in the South African side against the Lions, where he was amongst the wickets on a pretty flat pitch.

“We look forward to managing his work load over the season to get the best out of him.

“Richard and Rory know each other very well, and I’m sure they will enjoy their time together in Northamptonshire.”

Samu Manoa has been named Aviva Premiership player of the month for December.

The Saints enforcer enjoyed a typically strong sequence of games, with his display in the win against Harlequins a particular highlight.

The American No.8 scored one and superbly set up another, for George North, as Saints conquered Twickenham once again.

Manoa also impressed in the Champions Cup demolition jobs against Treviso, scoring a hat-trick in a 67-0 home win.

And he helped Saints, who were hit by the early sending off of skipper Dylan Hartley, slay local rivals Leicester Tigers at Franklin’s Gardens.

“Samu is an amazing athlete first, partnered with handling skills that don’t normally go hand in hand with a man of his size,” said BT Sport analyst and Aviva ambassador Austin Healey. “Adding his remarkable agility that makes for almost the perfect rugby recipe.

“He has been one of the biggest ‘finds’ in world rugby over the past few years since arriving at Northampton Saints and has made a huge impact in the Premiership.

“Samu has given Saints constant go forward in both attack and defence thus making him vital in their pursuit for back-to-back Premiership titles.

“He is rightfully way ahead for player of the season at the halfway point but until then he’ll just have to make do with the player of the month for December. If he continues to carry, offload and beat defenders in the same manner as last year, 2015 could well be the year of the Saint again.”

A pregnant woman has suffered head injuries after she was pushed against a wall by a teenager who was trying to steal her mobile phone.

The woman, who is 35 weeks pregnant, was pushing her three year old son in his buggy through the alleyway from Station Road to Carnegie Street in Rushden, between midday and 12.20pm on Wednesday when a boy approached her and demanded she hand over her phone.

When she refused, he grabbed the buggy, at which point she moved between him and her son.

The robber pushed the woman causing her to hit her head against the wall. He then ran off towards Carnegie Street.

The victim suffered a large bump to the head and a graze to her hand.

The offender is described as 16-17 years old, 5ft 10ins to 5ft 11ins tall, slim build and wearing dark clothing. His clothes appeared dirty and he smelt of cigarettes.

Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A referendum in north Northamptonshire has revealed that 81 per cent of those who responded want to leave the European Union.

Wellingborough MP Peter Bone, Kettering MP Philip Hollobone and Corby and East Northamptonshire Conservative Parliamentary election candidate Tom Pursglove have been holding a ballot on whether the people of north Northamptonshire want to remain in the European Union, or leave.

In the biggest vote on this issue since the 1975 nationwide referendum, 100,000 ballot papers were distributed across the Corby and East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough constituencies

The question on the ballot paper was: “Should the United Kingdom be a member of the European Union?”

The result was 2,725 (18.9 per cent) wanted to remain in the European Union and 11,706 (81.1) per cent wanted to leave. There were 150 spoilt ballot papers

They have now written to the Prime Minister with the results of the poll.

In a joint statement, the three Conservative politicicans said: “It is clear from the result of the ballot, that here in north Northamptonshire, there is now a clear majority of people who want to leave the EU. It is also clear from the 14 581 number of votes cast, that there is a real appetite for an in/out referendum.

“All three of us are pledged to vote to leave the European Union superstate

“In our letter to the Prime Minister, we have made it clear to him that, if we are returned as Members of Parliament at the General Election in May, we will only support a Government that promises an EU in/out referendum by the end of 2017 – indeed, this mirrors the words of the Prime Minister who has said ‘I will not become prime minster unless I can guarantee that we can hold that referendum’.

“In other words, if events demanded it and there was not an overall Conservative majority, we would not support a coalition agreement that did not include an EU Referendum, no later than by the end of 2017.

“Of course, it is only the Conservative Party that guarantees an in/out vote and that is why the three of us are working flat-out to return David Cameron as Prime Minister and the head of a Conservative majority government.

“We really do appreciate the help of all those who delivered the ballots across the three constituencies and all those who took the time to vote.”

Spratton came out on top of a seven-goal thriller against Delapre Old Boys to reach the quarter-finals of the NFA Lower Junior Cup.

The Combination side beat the Town & District League high flyers 4-3 thanks to strikes from Michael Hewitt, Sam Lavelle, Matthew Pheely and Matthew Stevens.

Spratton also win this week’s Duston Garage Star Award for their cup heroics.

In the Duston Garage Premier Division, Harpole secured a 4-2 win over Brixworth All Saints, moving a place above Brixworth in the table in th e process.

Harpole now lie in sixth place having played less games than most of the other teams.

Harpole goals came courtesy of Shaun Markie, Gary Purton, Daniel Surridge and substitute Lee Nash.

James King Blisworth could not manage to break through Earls Barton United’s defence, with the game ending 0-0.

Milton couldn’t make home advantage count for them and ended up losing out 6-0 to Corby Eagles.

Moulton were beaten 2-1 at home to Roade. Aidy Redmond scored for the home side but Roade took the points thanks to goals from Oliver Anderson and James Lawton.

Duston Garage Division One action saw Heyford Athletic go down 5-1 to Clipston. Tommy Messinger replied for Heyford.

In Duston Garage Division Two, mid-table Kislingbury entertained bottom club Higham Town and the hosts managed to squeeze out a 3-2 win. Geoff Smith scored twice in vain for Higham.

Grange Park Rangers are out of the Duston Garage Division Two Cup after a 4-1 loss to in-form West Haddon Albion.

Park did find the net through James Brooks, but Haddon progressed to the next round with goals from Tom Yorston (3) and Elliot Grice.

In Duston Garage Division Three, Yardley United were beaten 3-1 at Desborough & Rothwell, who move up to second spot.

Third-placed Northampton Falcons made the trip to Inter Corby worthwhile with a 6-2 win to keep them in hunt for honours.

Northampton Obelisk played host to Corby Kingswood and in an exciting game it was the hosts that came out winners 4-3.

Northampton Mereway showed Corby United no mercy on their visit to Northampton sending them home empty-handed, winning 5-1.

Wellingborough Aztecs lost second spot in the table when they played host to top markers Northampton Spartak going down 3-2 in an exciting game between two well-matched teams. In the Duston Garage Reserve Premier Division, 10th-placed Brixworth Reserves recorded a 2-1 win over second-placed Weldon United Reserves. Craig Bounds and Edward Dunham got the goal.

Bugbrooke A secured an excellent 1-0 win over third-placed Corby Grampian thanks to a goal from Thomas Emery.

James Lock’s double for Harpole Reserves couldn’t prevent a 4-2 loss at Wollaston Reserves.

League leaders James King Blisworth made it into the semi-finals of the Duston Garage Reserve Premier Division Cup with a 2-1 win at Roade Reserves.

Duston Garage Reserve Division Two high flyers Daventry Drayton Grange recorded their ninth league success with a 6-0 victory over Heyford Reserves.

Adrian Biggins, Rhys Collins, Oliver Gatward, Daniel Hutchinson, Conor O’Neill and Joe Pidgeon all netted in the win.

For the fourth game in succession, the Cobblers will name an unchanged starting 11 for a first-team fixture, with no fresh injuries reported from the weekend.

Town beat Dagenham 1-0 in their most recent outing and included defender Zander Diamond and striker Ivan Toney on the bench after their recent absences through injury and suspension respectively.

Neither is expected to force their way into a team which has won its past two games and kept back-to-back clean sheets in the process.

There could be some midfield tweaks for Newport, who were beaten 4-0 at Cambridge United last weekend and for whom Robbie Willmott (broken foot) remains the only major absentee.

Defender Kevin Feely played 90 minutes of a behind-closed-doors reserve-team game in midweek and could be on the substitutes bench.

Dominik Berry was the matchwinner for Real Roochers in their division one contest against West Haddon Albion.

Berry struck twice in a 2-0 win for Roochers, who recorded their fifth league win of the campaign.

Third-placed Bat & Wickets secured a 2-0 win at Swan & Helmet with goals from Matt Brown and Jamie Hall.

Royal All Stars and AFC Hackleton fought out a 2-2 draw. Morgan Littlejohn claimed a brace for All Stars. Hackleton hit back through Joe Malkin and Jamie Nash.

In division one’s other game, Lord Byron swept aside Head Quarters 5-1.

Only one premier division game took place last weekend, where bottom club Welland Valley suffered their fifth league defeat, going down 2-1 at Desborough Old Works.

In division two, Daniel Holden scored twice to inspire Dallington Heath to a 4-3 win over Parklands Phoenix.

There were also wins for AFC Towcester, Nene FC. Tows beat Pitsford Rangers 6-2, while Nene won 5-1 at Monks Park WMC Reserves.

In division three, Abington Town City closed the gap on leaders Real Roochers Reserves to one point with a 5-1 win over their rivals.

Second-placed Abington still have four games in hand on the current leaders.

Earls Barton United are through to the final of the NFA Sunday Vase after coming out on top of a penalty shootout at Corby Hotspur.

Barton triumphed 5-4 on spot kicks after the sides fought out a 2-2 draw.

Division two leaders Crown & Cushion will play Barton in the final after winning their semi-final 3-0 against Golden Horse.

Division one leaders AC Squirrels are through to the semi-finals of the NTFA MDH Teamwear Cup after a 4-2 victory over Spartak Moulton.

Three other Conference teams are out of the competition. Trinity Old Boys lost 5-2 at Combination side Devonshire Club, while AFC Crown were thrashed 11-2 by FC Victoria.

Kislingbury were the league’s third side to exit the competition as they were edged out 2-1 at home to Kingsthorpe Wanderers.

Kings Heath ABC head coach Arthur Daly is ready to take his talented team of boxers ‘to the next level’ in the second half of the season.

Chantelle Cameron, who remains England and Great Britain’s No.1 at lightweight, Reuben Arrowsmith, Kieron Conway and Noel Smith all have high hopes for 2015.

And Charlie Lee, Stanley Forskitt and Ryan Conway will hope to start their club’s year in style at the Junior ABAs this weekend.

“We have been flat out for the past few months and we have another generation of talent coming through,” said Daly.

“We also need to take our reigning national champions and numerous Internationals to the next level.

“The club is only a few short of 100 internationals and 50 national champions over the years and our ambition is to achieve that figure at least in the future.

“The club remains very progressive and ambitious with a team of boxers sponsors and coaching staff totally dedicated to that common aim.”

Cameron remains the jewel in the club’s crown and she will step up her bid to make the Rio 2016 Olympics when she jets off to Poland to 
represent her country in a Multi-Nations tournament this year.

Meanwhile, Arrowsmith, Kieron Conway and Smith are all boxing for Central Area belts in the next few weeks as they prepare for the Senior ABAs.

A Far Cotton ABC quintet will be in action at the Youth England Boxing Championships at Mansfield on Friday night.

The Fail brothers, Carl, Ben and Aaron, will be joined by Morgan Bosley and Connor Downes as the club bids to add to its burgeoning reputation.

Carl Fail will fight at 64kg, Ben at 69kg and Aaron at 60kg, with Bosley boxing at 56kg and Downes taking to the ring in the 48kg category.

Meanwhile, Laura Stevens was in Derby last weekend as she enjoyed a three-hour session with an east midlands select squad.

The 25-year-old recently returned from claiming a gold medal at the Golden Girl Championships in Sweden.

She will enter the ABAs in April, boxing at 69kg rather than 71kg as she bids to secure more bouts and more titles.

ONE of the few bold enough to be braving our flooded rivers on the freezing Sunday morning just gone – Jim Martin banked a 7-3 PB river bream for his pains!

With ice in the margins and the river topping its banks, he had been feeder-fishing maggot on Wellingborough’s Harrold Ouse stretch – barely a week on from sharing totally unseasonal tench catches from the Nene with a mate.

But, that he will do whatever it takes to find his target species should be no surprise as, though Northampton-based, he makes numerous trips each year after blue shark off Cornwall.

WOULD-be fish thieves are at it again in town. This time 15 to 20 metres of ‘gill net’ – lethal to any fish trapped in its mesh – was found at Abington Park Lake.

Controlling Club Abington AC and the lake’s council owners are determined to prosecute if culprits can be found. Please look out for tell-tale signs wherever you fish, and PROMPTLY report any sightings.

DESPITE the cold everyone caught in Bishops Bowl’s pairs second round with Andy Forbes (pictured below) on 35lb of skimmers and small carp followed by Nick Wheeler 34-12 (next peg) and Eric Lilliman 20lb. Forbes and Andy Poole were top duo.

OSPREY had it good at Lakeside as Tony Winnock totalled 132-2 ahead of Peter Archer 99-2 and Steve Grant 71lb.

MEADOWLANDS teams of three, second round of six: Phil and Geoff Ringer (Team Ringer) 75-4 and 68-4, Darren Cox (Baileys) 55lb, Adam Waklin (Cherry Pie Trio) 47lb. Ringers lead by a mile...so far.

WHITE Hart Flore, Barby Banks: Dave Chapman 53-12, Dave Griffiths 32-15, Gary Muddiman 30-9.

MAKINS, second round of six, pole only individual league: Ben Taylor 45lb, John Jenkins 23-12, Mark Willock 18-8. 
Andy Ingleson has a one point lead.

CASTLE Ashby opens: midweek, Brickyard, Pete Gibson 29-14, Lloyd Haynes 29-4, Alan West 19-6; Sat, Brickyard, Keith Garrett 12-6, Mick Hewlett 8-7, Mick Bodilly 6-4; Sun, Grendon, Hewlett 8-2, Andy Jones 6-2, Bob Reed 6lb.

NENE, Weedon cut: Andy Webster 6-14, Pete Lawton 6-6, Brian Beard 6-1.

TOWCESTER’s chilly Astwell Mill sweep went to Graham Martin with 5-4. Darren Pannell had 4-14 and Mick Goodridge 4-8.

FLORE & Brockhall teams of three second round of six, Stockton reservoir: (unusually dire even for them) Dave Boulton and Tony Wood 2-10...and 0-3 (both Tony’s Trio), Paul Humphries (Regulars) one perch 0-2. Regulars lead by two points.

THINK your trip was bad? ‘Nigel’s’ was probably worse, Monday. First he found Bradwell lake flooded out...then his car burst into flames as he re-started it – ending up a smouldering wreck! Thankfully he escaped without injury.

Iain Kerr wasted no time in securing his first victory since taking over as the new Cold Ashby club captain after he posted the best round in the January Medal.

Just one week after hitting his first drive, Kerr shot a superb score of net 64 in wet and windy conditions to hold off a late charge from 21-handicapper Steve Walpole (65).

In a good sized field, second division pacesetter David Durban took third on 67.

Ladies captain Jayne Neale almost made it a winning double for the new club skippers but she had to settle for second behind Sally Hill (net 74) in the Ladies January Medal.

Kingsthorpe

Mark Todkill and Daniel Letts are the first pairing through to the quarter finals of the Winter League after recording five wins out of five matches in Group 5.

Mark Fowkes and James Armson could shortly be set to join them in the last eight as they lead the way in Group 3 with four victories from four outings.

With the six group winners, plus the best two runners-up, progressing into the knockout stages, unbeaten duo Mark Lineham and Bob Sanderson remain in a strong position in Group 3. The other sections still have a number of outstanding matches.

Collingtree

Eight net birdies in the opening 10 holes were the catalyst for Kevin Powell in the January Winter Stableford as the mid-handicapper took the honours with 40 points.

Neil Horner (39) finished runner-up by two points from Roo Smith, David Messom, Neil Abery, Barry Stonhill and Paul Dimmock.

Northants County

Just one point separated the leading five teams in the January Foursomes as Ross Mason and John McPhee edged out Danny Roberts and Paul Harris on countback with 34 points.

Richard Bailey and Chris Winters (33) finished third ahead of Malcolm Watkins and Leigh Moss, with Mark Goodwin and Chris Gammage in fifth.

Overstone Park

Dennis Britten parred the closing three holes in the January Midweek Stableford to snatch a one point victory from four players.

The 26-handicapper squeezed in front of top division pacesetter George Marston, Paul Tustian, Gary Wild and Taylor Sargeant. Brothers Jason Cockerill and Wayne Cockerill both enjoyed success in the January Yellow Tee Weekend Stableford as they won the second and third division prizes with 40 and 42 points respectively.

Gerrard Westby (41) birdied the 14th, 16th and 18th holes to clinch the top category ahead of Decklyn Cooke, while Gill Hodgson was the leading lady.

Staverton

Allen Halliday was a model of consistency in the Vets January Stableford as the 11-handicapper bagged a winning score of 37 points. Charles Smedley (34) finished second by one point from Mike Milam and Brian Coleman.

Northampton

Liz Mulliner and Susan Potter found a winning touch on the putting surfaces as they clinched the Ladies Greensomes after grabbing 19 points over nine holes.

A single point behind n second spot was Patricia Dare and Susan Kreft on countback from Jean Bulteel and Lis Inwood.

Whittlebury

One point was the margin of victory in the fifth round of the Ladies Winter League as Christina Hancock and Michelle Watson (32) edged out Rayner Edwards and Tracey Heavey.

People in Northamptonshire are being reminded not to leave items on display when they park their cars as there has been a spate of thefts from vehicles in the past week.

Northamptonshire Police Detective Inspector Phil Mills said there had been a “flurry” of incidents where items had been stolen from vehicles, particularly in the Wellingboorugh and Northampton area.

He said: “We are investigating those thefts that have taken place and would like to speak to anyone who may have any information relating to them.

“I would urge motorists to do all they can to prevent themselves from becoming a victim.

“Don’t leave items on display, no matter how long you are going to be away from your vehicle. Any item on display can be tempting for an opportunist thief, especially if your car is not locked.

Witnesses or anyone with information about thefts from motor vehicles is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Joe Marston scored five tries against Mansfield as his short stay with the ONs nears its end.

Marston is off to Australia shortly and may meet up in Melbourne with Will Kingston, the last ONs player to achieve this feat in the 2009-10 season, also against Mansfield at their Eakring Road ground.

Fourteen points in the opening five minutes and 14 in the closing five gave the scoreboard a misleading look as the ONs stuttered to a 45-18 bonus-point victory at Mansfield on Saturday.

Dan Hartman and Dan Napier also went over for tries, with Tom Goodman converting five of them.

Newbury Blues 18 Towcestrians 25

On Saturday Tows looked for some consistency in the season as they travelled to Newbury.

Tows started well dominating the early territory, the pressure told when Tom George charged down an attempted box kick to calmly pick up and score.

The lead was increased after a couple of penalties going against the home team, Kieran Frost going over in the corner.

The game was then turned on its head when experienced second row Chris Kirby received a yellow card.

Newbury sprang into action, fly half Richie West selling the dummy to score a converted try under the posts.

Kirby’s return saw him score Tows’ third. West then came back with a penalty to finish the half.

Tows’ second half did not go to plan at first, Falvey missing a penalty. Newbury then had a go and West converted well.

Falvey then had a second chance, of which he slotted after Blues conceded the second yellow of the game.

The game was in the balance, West showed great vision to place a pinpoint kick in the hands of winger Futcher who scored in the corner to level the scores.

Tows forwards then new that they had to up the intensity, driving the ball into the Blues 22 and after another yellow card the home team 
found it difficult to defend against Tows’ colossal line out drive.

Replacement Callum Jones scored the winning try, converted by Falvey.

Tows colts moved into the semi-finals of the Oceanic Cup with a win over Old Scouts.

Peterborough 15 Old Scouts 15

Table-toppers Scouts managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat away at lowly Peterborough in an unattractive encounter.

The hosts were definitely up for a contest in an attempt to claw themselves away from the relegation and were straight on the attack.

Scouts managed to quell the early advances but were caught leaden footed when a Boro player sliced through at an angle through a frozen defence for an unconverted score. The visitors woke up for a while and gradually got into the ascendancy with two Adam Frost penalties but were being prevented from playing their preferred style of play and were brought back several times by the referee.

Just before the break Boro retook the lead with their second unconverted try of the half.

Two minutes into the second half Frost narrowed the deficit to one point with his third penalty of the afternoon.

Scouts were defending well but a flurry of yellow cards and injuries ensured both sides were disrupted although Boro were persistently attacking with no reward.

A third unconverted try for the hosts put them into a six point lead and they even spurned a penalty in front of the posts in an attempt to get a try bonus point.

This tactic arguably cost them the game as a rare Scouts attack resulted in a Frost penalty and Scouts eventually started to believe in themselves.

In was then their turn to ignore a simple penalty in a quest to gain victory but eventually settled for a draw with Frost kicking his fifth penalty close to time. Scouts did have time for one more attack but the dejected home defence held firm.

Scouts IIs narrowly lost 22-24 at home to Peterborough’s second string whilst the colts also lost away at Towcestrians.

Daventry 16 Casuals 10

For the second week running Daventry edged a close encounter this time seeing off Casuals.

Daventry started well, their pods functioned nicely and their ball carriers crossed the gain line at ease but Casuals defended well and after a period of possession on the Casuals line the Blacks conceded a penalty allowing Casuals to clear their lines.

Soon after the home side were rewarded with a penalty which was slotted by Bradley Wardell. This was a battle of attrition and the Blacks were winning the battle in the scrum and at maul time however the link between backs and forwards was missing.

When the likes of Jake O’Keife, Jack Gwilliam and Jake Sanderson got the ball though they did look a threat.

The power game got its just rewards though when James Heath was driven over 
following a clean take from Toby Williams.

Casuals came back into the game well though.

Their N0.8 caused problems and they were quite structured in their attacks.

They were rewarded with a try before half time to make it 8-5 at the break.

The Blacks continued to struggle for fluency in the second half but still had the edge up front and a Wardell penalty and a second try for Heath stretched the lead to 16-5. Despite a late score from Casuals, it was another win for the home side who have now climbed to seventh in Midlands Three East South.

Long Buckby 41 Northampton BBOB 15

Not even the appearance of ex-Saints player and academy coach Paul Diggin could inspire the bb to take anything from their game at Long Buckby.

Diggin, a guest of Piggy Powell at Buckby’s vip day took his place on the bb bench, looking for a quiet afternoon, but there was no such luck.

The defeat leaves bb in danger of a successive relegation.

They take a break from league rugby next week to host Towcestrians in the Lewis Shield.

Heathens 32 Vauxhall Motors 17

SAM Berry scored two tries in the opening five minutes to lead Heathens to a Merit Table victory over Vauxhall Motors at the Racecourse.

Vauxhall Motors commendably made the trip from Luton with only 12 players.

Heathens made up the numbers including front row players to ensure that the match was played with contested scrums.

Heathens’ other tries came from Pete Evans, Simon Smith, John Marlow and Ash Brown. Brown converted one of the tries.

A dominant Rugby and Northampton AC extended their lead in the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League in Leicestershire last weekend, sealing a fourth consecutive victory in the competition.

Adam Searle’s outstanding form in the under-15 boys continued at Burbage Common, maintaining a 100 per cent record with his third league success.

Searle crossed the line in 11 minutes and 33 seconds to take first place, 12 seconds ahead of club-mate Joshua Lay in the runners-up spot.

Joe Musgrove took fourth with a time of 12.09, while Tom Hughes (12.28) and Matthew Rushton (12.45) rounded off the scoring by finishing eighth and 14th respectively, securing a 69-point victory over second-placed Solihull & Small Heath.

Molly Williams guided the under-13 girls to success with an impressive time of 11.50 giving her a nine-second victory over Tamworth’s Eve Clawley.

Georgina Woodward was just three seconds further back, securing a place on the podium and putting the team in a strong position. Zoe Morling (12.47), Holly Walker (13.01) and Gabriella Peck completed the scoring for the girls with respective finishes of 20th, 25th and 26th, ensuring a comfortable 35-point triumph over their nearest rivals Royal Sutton Coldfield AC.

The under-17 men’s team also triumphed with Jack Bond (17.16) pipping RSCAC’s Shaun Evans to the post by just one second. Ben Musgrove crossed the line in fourth with a time of 17.48 while Oskar Potomski was the team’s third and final scorer, finishing 13th in 18.40, handing R&N a narrow six-point victory over Evans’ team.

The under-17 women were not to be outdone as they produced an outstanding display to secure a hard-fought success over Birchfield Harriers.

R&N’s three scorers all placed in the top six with Kirsty Goddard grabbing a podium place, finishing third in 18.53. Ella Bromley (19.35) followed her over the line in fourth, before Lily Carmichael took sixth with a time of 19.43 to ensure a six-point victory over their nearest rivals.

Adam Caulfield fended off the big-hitters of Birchfield and Wolverhampton & Bilston to seal his third win of the league season, speeding around the course in 10.34 to earn a four-second victory.

Caulfield’s club-mates crossed the line in succession just over a minute later, with Gus Stapleton (11.41), Edward Faulds (11.44) and Ger Supple (11.46) coming 11th, 12th and 13th. Cian Hutton was the final R&N scorer, placing 17th with a time of 11.59, but it wasn’t enough to overhaul Birchfield for first place, as the Birmingham-based club triumphed in the under-13 category by 12 points.

The under-11 girls finished as runners-up to a strong Wolverhampton & Bilston team, who had three runners among the top four places. Claudia Searle produced a strong run to take fifth spot, getting around the course in exactly seven minutes, and Grace Hughes joined Searle in the top 10, grabbing eight place with a time of 7.14. Olivia Williams was 15th, 10 seconds behind Hughes, while Zoe Gardner was a further three places back in 7.29. Xcena Pasqualin finished 32nd in 7.50 to ensure R&N held off RSCAC in the battle for second.

It was the same story in the under-15 category with the girls again finishing second, this time behind Halesowen A&CC who boasted four top-10 finishers.

R&N had two athletes among that group, with Amy Walker (13.31) and Hollie Moore (13.35) placing in seventh and eighth. Poppy Carmichael crossed the line 16 seconds later, earning 12th. The scoring was completed by Charis Hayes (14.41) and Olivia Sheehan (15.02), who finished 25th and 32nd respectively.

The boys took third in the under-11 event as Noah Bennett impressed with a seventh-placed time of 6.37, while Louis Buttrick squeezed into 10th after clocking 6.40.

Jake Hope broke the seven-minute barrier to secure 22nd in a time of 6.59 and the scoring was rounded off by Louis Starr (35th) and Finbar Myers (40th) with respective times of 7.10 and 7.13.

The results mean R&N’s lead at the top of the division is increased to 2325 points ahead of round 5, which takes place next month at Perry Park, Birmingham.

Brackley town boss Jon Brady admits he would like to keep Frank Sinclair until the end of the season.

And Brady says the former Chelsea defender is keen to stay, agreeing to play for free.

Sinclair recently started for the Saints in the 1-0 victory at home to Harrogate Town and the 1-1 draw at North Ferriby.

And the 43-year-old’s experience, gained during a playing career that is now in its 25th year, is seen as vital to a Brackley side packed with youngsters.

“Frank is amazing,” said Brady. “His voice alone is an inspiration for the lads and it really helps our younger players because aside from Billy (Turley), we haven’t got any talkers.

“I would like to get him in and he wants to come, but we’d need to iron a few things out first.

“We’ve chopped and changed and I’ve got to stick with the players I’ve got and give them a chance.

“We’ll see what happens with Frank. I’ll weigh things up but he does really help and he’s agreed to play for no pay until the end of the year.

Sinclair travels from his home in Bolton to London on Fridays as he works for Chelsea TV.

That would mean the only cost Brackley would incur would be a hotel room on the Friday night, and that, Brady says, makes it something of a ‘no-brainer’ to get him in.

The manager is now setting his sights on Saturday’s crucial clash with Lowestoft as Brackley bid to bounce back from last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Vanarama North.

And he said: “It’s a six-pointer for us.

“We need to pick up results to stay safe because the teams below us are winning games.

“It’s a really tight division and we can’t underestimate how important this match is for us.”

Brackley currently sit 13th in Vanarama North, eight points clear of the bottom three.

They pushed play-off-chasing Solihull Moors all the way last weekend, losing out to a fine strike from Omar Bogle.

And Brady said: “It was an excellent free-kick - Ronaldo-esque.

“But it’s very frustrating because it should have been a free-kick and we just huffed and puffed in the 
end.

“It shows how far we’ve come that we’re disappointed not to get anything out of a game at a team in the top five.”

A leaked investigation has shown how Northamptonshire County Council failed a vulnerable child through a string of botched visitation sessions with her abusive mother.

A series of reports about a young girl, who was subject to sexual abuse at the hands of her birth mother and members of her birth mother’s family, has been shown to the Chronicle & Echo by the child’s foster parents in order to highlight poor practices at the council in the run-up to its ‘inadequate’ 2013 Ofsted report.

It reveals a social worker lied about processing a passport application for the child, which forced her foster family to cancel its holiday plans. The foster parent told the Chron: “I don’t want any other foster parent to go through what we went through. This council needs to be named and shamed for the way it treated us.”

The girl was taken into social care some time ago. 
Her birth mother was still entitled to regular visitation sessions at a neutral venue every week.

The girl, who was aged only two and was left shy and emaciated because of the treatment by her mother’s family, had to be put into a taxi to go to the venue. But a report from October 2013 revealed that on several occasions, the taxi drivers could not produce identification and no social worker was present to escort her, meaning the vulnerable toddler had to get in a car with a person she had never met.

Often the mother would not turn up, but the girl would not return to the foster parents’ house for several hours. On one occasion she returned ‘soiled’, the report stated, ‘with no explanation’, even though the foster parents had packed a change of clothes.

“We would phone up child protection services and ask ‘where is she?’,” the foster parent said.” Often the answer we got back was ‘we don’t know’. Any reasonable adult would say this can’t be right, but we were told that’s just the way it is.”

A damning independent report into the handling of the girl’s care from July 2014 stated the council had failed to keep the foster parents informed of where she was.

“There are many incidents of very poor communications, some unprofessional behaviour and poor management,” it said.

“The constant changes in staff and the very poor handovers from one social worker to the next has left some matters in a void or simply ignored.”

The foster family said they had still not been compensated fully for the lost holiday and have never received a formal apology for their treatment.

Northamptonshire County Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Councillor Heather Smith (Con, Oundle), has admitted the authority’s child protection services were ‘on the floor’ at the time of the investigations. “It is only now that I can say the service is improving with a degree of confidence,” she added.

Councillor Smith said she had ‘every sympathy’ with the way the girl’s foster parents were treated. The ‘lack of communication’ described in the independent report, she said, was largely due to a high turnover of agency staff at the time.

She said: “Some would just walk out the door without handing over their cases properly.”

The cabinet member said the council was now focusing on improving its ‘looked-after children’ services and has greatly increased its children’s services workforce, which had reduced the high turnover of social workers.

A 65-year-old woman was threatened with a hammer and had jewellery and passports stolen from her Northampton home.

A man knocked at the property, in Coneywell Court, Standens Barn, between 9.10pm and 9.20pm on Tuesday, January 20 claiming to be from the gas board.

He stated that there was a leak and that the victim needed to leave.

Two other men then joined the offender and they forced their way into the property.

One of the offenders held the victim down, threatening her with a hammer, while the others ransacked the house.

Jewellery and passports were stolen.

The offenders were disturbed by the victim’s son returning, prompting them to run from the house. As they left, one of them used the hammer to smash the rear window of the son’s car.

They got into an old looking, dark coloured, vehicle which reversed out of the street at speed without any lights on.

The offender with the hammer is described as a white man, around 6ft 2ins tall, of stocky build, 45 – 50 years old and with light brown hair. He was wearing dark blue sports clothing and a cap. He spoke with an Eastern European accent.

The other two offenders are described as white men, around 5ft 4ins tall, of muscular build and wearing dark blue jogging clothes.

Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

George North admits he must start producing his club form for his country if he is to avoid a Six Nations snub.

Wales boss Warren Gatland this week hinted that he will find it difficult to alter the team that beat South Africa 12-6 in the final autumn international.

And with the Six Nations opener against England now two weeks away, there is speculation that North, who did not face the Springboks due to concussion, could only make the bench.

The Saints man will vie with Scarlets player Liam Williams for a wing berth and has vowed to up his game in the bid to stake his international claim.

“Everyone knows the character that Gats is,” said North, who has scored 11 tries for Saints this season. “He likes to put things on people, especially boys he thinks he can get more out of.

“I’ve come up on his radar and, myself included, it hasn’t been going as well in a Welsh jersey as in a club shirt.

“It’s up to me now to put my statement back and that’s the culture we’ve bred in Wales: that no man is safe in his jersey and you’re only as good as your last game.

“You’ve got to keep that jersey and the only way to do that is by playing well. It’s up to me to do something about it.”

A southbound junction of the M1 through Northamptonshire is set to stay closed until at least 7pm following an eight-vehicle collsision at junction 15A.

The slip-road of the motorway at junction 15A is currently closed while police recover the vehicles.

Travel reports suggest traffic is already backing up to junction 16 of the southbound carriageway (A45 Northampton west) with delays of up to 40 minutes.

The collision is believed to have occurred south of the Watford Gap services.

Northamptonshire’s Strategic Roads Policing Unit tweeted at 6pm: “M1 South, Long Delays from just South of Watford Gap Services to Jct 15a due to an 8 vehicle collision. Very slow moving folks.”