A set of young performers will be putting on a musical set around the fabulous 60s.

The East Midlands premiere production of Free & Easy is being put on by Stagemasque Theatre Company with a cast aged between 14 and 23.

Find out how the staff and regulars of The Last Drop pub deal with a proposed takeover to turn it into a strip-club. Will it be the end of the pub as they know it, or can it be saved?

With memorable songs from that unforgettable era like Da Doo Ron Ron and Why Do Fools Fall In Love, your feet will be wanting to dance along. Plus could you be described as a “Dedicated Follower of Fashion?”

The show comes to The Star Hall, Laws Lane in Finedon. The group hope the writer of the show Bill Cronshaw will be at one of the shows.

It will be performed from Wednesday, September 9, to Saturday, September 12, with performances starting at 7.30pm each night.

Tickets for all performances are £8 for adults and £7 for concessions. They can be booked by calling 01536 726311. For further information about the group visit www.stagemasque.com.

August saw nine excited students and their teachers from the Step by Step Dance School in Northampton take to the floor at the annual Crown Cup Pro Am Vilnius 2015.

Part of the International Crown Cup World Dance Series, the competition held on the 15th and 16th August in Lithuania saw no less than 65 couples from across Europe perform in front of a panel of top international adjudicators.

The nine couples from Step by Step entered a variety of Standard Ballroom and Latin classes, including a fun and very loud team match, with each couple representing a different genre of dance within the 10 dance category.

This fantastic event was then rounded off with the WDC European ProAm Championship. Held for the second time in Lithuania, this year’s championship saw a growing numbers of couples entering with a high standard of dancing performed to live music.

Step by Step’s founder Andrzej Mialkowski and his ProAm dance partner Joanne Wittich represented England in the competition, taking part in the tough 10 dance challenge.

Successfully winning this category - Joanne is the first ProAm dancer from England to be crowned the coveted European ProAm 10 Dance Champion title.

The couple are now headed for the World ProAm Superstars Championship in Dubai, February 2016.

Manager Chris Wilder believes the Cobblers are ‘a little bit short’ of where they should be after the opening month of the Sky Bet League Two season.

Town have accrued seven points from their first five league games, with their opening-week victories over Bristol Rovers and Exeter City being followed up by defeats to Barnet and Plymouth before the mini rot was stopped with last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Accrington.

As we move into September, the Cobblers are 11th in the table, eight points adrift of 100 per centers Leyton Orient, but well in touch with everybody else.

Throw in Capital One Cup and Johnstone’s Paints Trophy wins over league one sides Blackpool and Colchester United respectively, and Wilder is fairly satisfied with how things panned out in a hectic August.

“We feel we are a touch light,” admitted the Cobblers boss. “There is maybe only Leyton Orient, Plymouth and a couple of other clubs that will be satisfied with their start, because we all want to be better.

“We all want more points on the board, and we are disappointed obviously with the two games we have lost, and maybe the result at Accrington where we could have got another couple of points.

“If we had taken nine from the month then it would have been a good effort, so we are a little bit short, but it has been a tough start.

“We have played two away games against newly-promoted teams, we have played a really good Plymouth side that I would say will be pushing for the top three.

“I was disappointed in our performance against them after the first 30 minutes, but was also impressed by what they showed, so I am glad to have got them out of the way and not have to play them again for a few months.

“So we are a touch disappointed in the points tally, but nothing major.

“We are looking for that consistency, and hopefully we can kick on and get a win on Saturday.”

The Cobblers entertain Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday at Sixfields (3pm).

Northamptonshire basked in 515 hours of bright sunshine during the summer, according to statistics released by Pitsford Weather Station.

The rainfall was only 84 percent of the average at 133.9mm from June through to August, the report says, and although the second half of August was generally wet, the overall rainfall for the summer was down owing to a particularly dry June of just 13.0mm.

Average temperature was 16.2C, slightly below the average of 16.6C.

August itself was a “fairly average month”, according to the report, being mostly dry through the first half, and then becoming increasingly wet. There were very few very hot days, it says.

The statistics for August are follows:

CLIMATOLOGICAL STATISTICS

Air Temperatures:

The Highest Maximum: 29.0 C on 22nd

The Lowest Maximum: 14.0 C on 31st

The Highest Minimum: 16.4 C on 10th

The Lowest Minimum: 8.8 C on 1st

Rainfall:

Total: 56.8 mm

Percentage of the Monthly Mean: 103.8 %

Duration: 51.1 hrs

Highest 24 hour fall (0900 to 0900): 12.2 mm on 13th

Rain Days (>/=0.2mm): 11

Wet Days (>/=1.0mm): 10

Sunshine:

Total Duration of Bright Sunshine: 116.6 hrs

Sunniest day: 10.4 hrs on 22nd

No. of days without sunshine: 7

Percentage of the Monthly Mean: 65.8 %

Cloud cover (mean at 0900): 5.9 oktas 73.8 %

Winds:

Run of wind (mean over 24 hrs): 54.8 miles

Mean daily wind speed: 3.0 mph

Run of wind (cumulative): 1698.0 miles

Highest Maximum Gust: 32 mph on 26th

No. of gusts of 50mph or more: 0

Highest wind strength (at 0900): 10.4 mph on 15th

Mean wind strength (at 0900): 3.2 mph

Entries for WI Towcester’s Bake Off competition are now open - welcoming those of all ages.

Three classes are to be judged on the day. Two for adults which will see them bake either a Classic Victoria Sandwich Cake or a Stout Beer Fruit Cake and one for children up to the age of 12 for Cup-cake decorating.

The event takes place Saturday September 19 at Towcester Town Hall which gives entrants plenty of time to practice in a hope to bag some of the brilliant prizes on offer.

First place prizes include; a baking workshop with Artisan Baker, Ben Frazer, a tour for two people of Towcester Mill Brewery with beer tasting and the children’s prize, a baking set courtesy of WI. Adult runners up will receive a certificate for second place whereas certificates will be awarded to all child entries.

Entry costs £1 for each class, and forms and fees must be handed in to Towcester Library or Towcester Tea Rooms by September 12.

Cakes should be taken to the Town Hall between 9am and 10am ready to be judged by 10.30am. Winners will be announced at 11:45am and cakes can be collected from 3pm.

This year marks the centenary of the Women’s Institute in Britain since it first formed in Anglesey in June 1915.

Rory Kleinveldt scored a valuable unbeaten half-century for Northamptonshire assisting his side to avoid the follow-on in their LV=County Championship match with Essex at Chelmsford.

The home side finished on 55 for 1 in their second innings and an overall lead of 140 runs and a day left for play but South African Kleinveldt played a major part in frustrating their hopes to make significant progress in this weather-affected game.

The visitors had started the day on 143 for 3 still 217 behind Essex and they were soon in trouble losing two wickets in as many balls to Jamie Porter. The 23 year-old promising paceman sent Rob Keogh’s off stump cart-wheeling out of the ground as the batsman departed for 45 and then sent Adam Rossington on his way for a first ball duck to leave Northamptonshire reeling at 151 for 5.

Facing the possibility of following-on, the visitors had added 37 for the sixth wicket when Richard Levi , who had scored a confident 31, was struck on a finger by fast bowler Tom Moore and was forced to retire. It was later learned that Levi would take no further part in the match having sustained a broken knuckle..

Kleinveldt took his place, playing positively from the start. The third boundary of his innings ensured that the follow-on was averted and together with Josh Cobb, who had played with responsibly, he took the score onto onto 216 when former Leicestershire batsman Cobb drove spinner Aron Nijjar to Moore at long-on.

Ollie Stone joined Kleinveldt in a 55 runs stand for the seventh wicket before Jesse Ryder swept up the innings with three wickets in five deliveries. Stone played down the wrong line and was bowled for 22 and both Mohammad Azharullah and Maurice Chambers were pinned in the crease without score.

That left Kleinveldt out of partners and unbeaten on 52, his half-century having come from 56 balls with eight boundaries, as the visitors were dismissed for 275.

On a day when 34 overs were lost to a combination of bad light and rain, Essex then made sedate progress in their second innings against accurate bowling from the Northants pace attack.

Openers Dan Lawrence and Nick Browne had scored a cautious 22 in 14 overs when the latter was well held at second slip by Keogh off the bowling of the impressive Stone for 14.

Lawrence, who had been dropped twice on 4 off Kleinveldt was 23 and Tom Westley a fluent 16 when bad light closed in to bring proceedings to a halt for the final time.

Both captains will need an enterprising approach if there is to be a positive conclusion tomorrow but a draw remains the most likely outcome.

Chris Wilder believes the Cobblers’ Indian sign over Dagenham & Redbridge will be preying on the minds of the east London club as they prepare for their trip to Sixfields on Saturday.

In the 10 meetings the teams have had since Dagenham were promoted into the Football League in 2007, the Cobblers have incredibly won nine and drawn the other one.

That’s 28 points out of 30 for Town, with the only point the Daggers have won coming in a 2-2 draw at Sixfields in October, 2013.

Chris Wilder has managed three wins out of three against Wayne Burnett’s men during his relatively short time at the Cobblers, and although he knows that logically previous results should count for nothing, that isn’t always the case.

“There are always sequences of results, but we have got a really good record against Dagenham and we would love that to continue,” said Wilder, who was asked if he would make the players aware of such a record if he were the Dagenham boss.

“I would think about it myself, but I would try not to put it across to the players,” he said.

“It is a new set of players for them, and for us, and there are no guarantees.

“Sometimes these records have to be broken, but hopefully it’s not on Saturday!”

Many teams and managers have bogey clubs and grounds, and Wilder is no exception, but he won’t be letting on where his demons lie!

“I have to say there are places in the back of my mind where I have never had a result as a manager,” said the Cobblers boss.

“You always go into those games thinking ‘dear me, can we break that record this time?’

“So I think Dagenham will thinking that, and they have players good enough to hurt anybody in this league, so we must be wary.

“We have to make sure we take the confidence from Tuesday night (the 3-2 JPT win over Colchester United), we haven’t won a league game for a couple of weeks now, and for us to kick on we need to win on Saturday and that is what we need to do.”

Collingtree Park secured a record sixth Handicap League crown by defeating reigning champions Wellingborough in the final at Priors Hall GC.

After edging a tight contest with previously-unbeaten Hellidon Lakes in the last four, Collingtree made a confident start as Conor Rosling and Chris Malton won the opening tie by four holes.

Tony Greenhill and Mark Spring extended their lead by one, before Collingtree streaked clear with a five hole victory for Steve Cole and Andrew Dennis and a four hole success for Stuart Maddison and Josh Sampson.

Although Wellingborough produced a superb fightback to beat Hellidon in the final 12 months ago, any hopes of a repeat were ended when Collingtree captain Samish Patel and Michael Knight took game five by two.

The last match was halved as Collingtree lifted the trophy for the first time since 2011.

England Golf County Team Championships

Northants’ under-18s team produced their best performance in the England Golf County Team Championships as they picked up the runners-up prize at Kings Lynn GC.

After qualifying for the national finals for the first time, Northants made a winning start against Hampshire as they fought back from a 2-1 deficit after the morning foursomes to record a narrow victory.

Ben Jones, Callum Farr and Matt Myers secured wins in the singles, before Tom Forster holed a 10 footer on the closing hole to seal the team victory.

It was a similar story on the second day against Durham as the team trailed 2-1 at lunch, with the only success coming from Jones and Farr, who bagged a hole-in-one on the fifth hole.

Despite narrow defeats for Charlie Salter and Fergus Robinson in the opening two singles ties, Northants powered to victory as Myers, Jones, Farr and Forster all recorded big wins.

Needing a draw in their final match against rivals Wiltshire to clinch the title, Northants found themselves behind at the break once again as they lost the opening game on the 17th, before grabbing two halves.

Despite a singles win for Jones and a battling half from Farr, the team couldn’t complete the comeback as Wiltshire won the 18th hole in both the last two matches to secure a 6-3 victory.

County Seniors

NORTHNTS Seniors displayed their prowess as the team thrashed Leicestershire 13½-4½ in their East Midlands League match at Peterborough Milton GC.

Despite trailing 3½-2½ after the morning greensomes, the host county showed their nerve in the afternoon fourballs session as they recorded five wins and a half in the six matches to keep alive the team’s hopes of finishing runners-up.

Scratch League

Division 1

Wellingborough confirmed their top flight status for another season by recording two victories over Brampton Heath in the space of three days over the Bank Holiday.

In the 5½-2½ away victory on Saturday, Adam Sherlock enjoyed the most convincing win for Wellingborough as his 6&4 success, in addition to points from Sam Waite and Roger Butler, put the visitors in control.

Needing one and a half points from the last three ties to secure the victory, Mark Davis picked up a half, Jon Harris won the 18th to beat Alec Francis, before Jamie Milligan added another away point against Ben Jones on the closing hole.

Wellingborough didn’t need to hit a ball in the return fixture as Brampton failed to field a team as they were consigned to relegation after just one season in the top division.

Division Two

Rushden were relegated after suffering their sixth consecutive defeat as they went down 7-1 at Staverton Park, who moved level on points with Cold Ashby and Overstone at the top of the table.

Although Rushden won the opening tie on the 18th hole, a first victory of the season never looked likely as Staverton controlled the rest of the match. Andrew Swain (9&7) was the most comfortable winner, while Russell Brown (7&6) and Miles Mudge (6&4) also impressed.

Division Three

Collingtree Park kept alive their chances of avoiding the drop as they beat Kettering 5-3 in their final home fixture.

Despite a heavy defeat in the first game, the hosts moved ahead with big wins from Tim Faulkner, Trevor Twelftree and Neil Abery, only for Kettering to reply by taking the next two points.

Collingtree, who travel to Priors Hall in their last away game, made sure of the victory thanks to wins from Aidan Rosling and Brendon Moss on the 17th hole.

Division Four

Daventry gained promotion into the third tier with a second successive 8-0 home victory as they defeated fellow title contenders Cherwell Edge.

In a match a lot closer than the final scoreline suggested, Daventry won five of the eight ties on the closing hole as Tom Orcherton, Dave Musker, Nathon Freezer, Chris Eveleigh and Adam Tarbox secured narrow wins to earn the team’s third victory in four outings.

Intermediate League

Four teams will battle it out for the remaining two semi-final places when they take part in the final round of fixtures on Saturday at Collingtree Park.

With Northampton and Wellingborough, who received a walkover win against Collingtree last weekend, having already qualified, Kettering, Overstone, Cold Ashby and Kingsthorpe can all join them in the last four.

Overstone, who crashed to a 6½-1½ defeat against Northampton on Sunday at Kingsthorpe, will qualify if they avoid defeat against Kettering. After drawing with Cold Ashby in their last match, Kettering need a big win to definitely progress, although a draw may be enough to overtake fourth placed Kingsthorpe, who face unbeaten Northampton.

Ashby remain the outsiders but if they manage to grab a convincing victory against Wellingborough they could still set up a last four clash with Northampton.

Ladies Cecil Leitch

Defending champions Whittlebury Park beat Northants County 5-2 in the last four to book a final meeting with Elton Furze, 
who edged out Wellingborough by a single point in their semi at Collingtree Park GC.

Whittlebury’s success was built around a strong middle order as Beverley Price, Sylvia Smith, Tracey Heavey, Carol Kane and Jill Aldous secured the vital points.

Elton Furze needed to win the last two matches on the 18th hole against Wellingborough, who looked set for victory after Jackie Banks, Mollie Graham and Pat Wilson collected points.

Shires Junior Golf Tour

Corey Neville (Brampton Heath) and Thomas Freeman (Kingsthorpe) formed part of the winning team in the 2015 Thomas-Gasking Trophy on Shires Junior Golf Tour at Nailcote Hall GC in Warwickshire.

The duo combined with Jordan Darnell (Kettering) and Frazer Jones (Forest Hill) to shoot an excellent total of 137 points.

With each team including one golfer from each of the four divisions, second place went to the quartet of Matthew Goode, Ben Lavender, Fabien Clark and Thomas Bates on 120.

With golfers from Northants, Leicestershire and Bedfordshire, up to 21 years of age, allowed to play on Shires Junior Golf Tour, the next comp takes place on Sunday, September 13 at Pavenham Park.

European Tour

County professional Gary Boyd recorded his best result on the European Tour for three years as he finished 13th in the Czech Masters.

Fresh from his fourth spot in the Rolex Trophy on the Challenge Tour, Boyd carded scores of 69, 72, 69 and 69 to pick up just over 15,000 euros.

In a good event for Northamptonshire golfers, Wellingborough’s Ryan Evans made the cut on the main tour for the fifth time in five attempts with scores of 73 and 68.

Although Evans dropped back into a share of 59th spot with scores of 71 and 76 over the weekend, he will still take plenty from the week.

Cold Ashby

Gerry McInerney enjoyed the challenge of competing with a lighter bag as he won the Cold Ashby Seniors Three Club Competition with a tally of 40 points.

The 14-handciapper birdied the 18th hole to finish five points clear of Joe Whitney, Dale Robertson and Derek Bland.

Paul Ansell and Jeremy Ansell were successful in the Father and Son Tournament as their score of 36 points nudged them one clear of two sets of siblings.

Collingtree

Stuart Jones needed countback to get the better of Capper Rose in the Seniors TAACO Trophy after both men carded 39 points.

In the Seniors Windingbrook Trophy, a tally of 40 points lifted Bob Ainsworth three clear of Andrew Mills.

Kingsthorpe

Seven members had an anxious wait to find out if they had won tickets to watch the Travis Perkins Seniors Masters at Woburn this week after they all tied for top spot in the August Seniors Stableford.

With two season passes going to the best player, Barry Stringer (35 points) secured a countback victory.

In the Ladies August Stableford, a tally of 39 points from Maddy Henderson clinched first place by one from Judy Abraham.

Brampton Heath

Mark Halliday was the only player to reach the 40-point mark in the seventh Order of Merit event of the season as the 11-handicapper clinched the Clements Wholesale Cup. Runner-up Lee Bellham was one of six players to finish a single point off the pace.

Michael Gardner won the Seniors August Medal as a score of net 66 gave him a three shot cushion from Robert Frost and Leo May in the sixth round of the Golfer of the Year.

Hellidon Lakes

Andy McKeown lifted the Ken Hanley Cup after beating the course by three holes in the bogey competition. The 15-handicapper finished one ahead of Kevin Lovell, Andrew Thornton and Craig Cotterill.

Seven net birdies in the opening dozen holes sent Thomas Haydon on the way to victory in the August Midweek Stableford as he finished two points clear of Trevor Key (40).

Northampton

Jeffrey Buck was successful in the seventh round of the Summer Series Stableford as he beat David George and Brian Twiselton on countback with 39 points.

Josephine Plank and Susan Potter came out on top in the Ladies Oakenfull Cup as their tally of 45 points lifted them three ahead of Diane Heard and Alison Irvine.

Whittlebury

Ken Hignett, Barbara Hignett and Maureen Harmon raced to victory in the Reg Hodgkins Memorial Grand Prix Cup as the trio carded 81 points.

On a day when Barrie Vearncombe bagged a hole-in-one on the seventh, the team runners-up spot went to Maurice Edgerley, Steven McEneaney and Christian Williams (80).

Overstone Park

Countback was needed in the August Midweek Yellow Tee Stableford after three players carded the leading score of 41 points. Richard Matthews gained the verdict from John Bryant and Matt Wake.

Scoring proved more difficult in the August Seniors Medal as Stephen Byrom carded a net 73 to beat Tony Clewett by a single stroke.

Daventry

Adam Tarbox mixed some brilliant golf with some solid play in the fifth round of the Summer Medal as the three-handicapper carded more birdies (seven) than pars (six) in a winning net 64.

Stephen Wyatt finished two shots behind, with Mel Lane in third on 68.

Delapre

Fifty one points was an excellent winning tally in the Gary Heavey Pairs competition as Nobby Clarke and Jamie Cordiner grabbed the plaudits.

Alan Picketts and Brian Seal (47) finished second on countback from Alan Jones and Philip Twiselton.

Staverton

Pars on the first five holes went a long way to clinching the first prize for Daniel Brown in the 22nd round of the Tuesday Night Stableford as he finished one ahead of top division leader Matt Walker.

Farthingstone

A solid back nine helped Michael Albone win the latest Weekend Bash as the 20-handicapper’s score of 41 points kept him ahead of Peter Turner (39) and Alan Bosher (37).

Northampton West End bowler Jamie Walker is celebrating further national title success after he won the men’s Two-wood Singles at Leamington.

Walker, who the previous week claimed the Champion of Champions crown in the singles, turned in a master-class to bag a second national crown.

In the final he was up against Essex bowler Andrew Squire, who is a former England international, is an excellent bowler, and was national singles champion himself back in 2007.

But Walker simply proved too hot to handle as he won by a remarkable 17-3 margin.

Walker took control from the start and raced into a 13-1 lead. Squire picked up a shot on each of the next two, but when Walker bowled his two bowls within inches of the jack on the 15th end the match was over.

Earlier, Walker had beaten Bolton’s Bob Wood in the first round (16-11), Jamie Barker of St Neots BC in the second round (14-12) Andrew Knapper of Berkshire in the last 16 (18-3), Devon’s Sam Tolchard in the quarter-final (16-13) and Paul Humphreys of the York Railway Institute Amateur BC 17-9 in the semi.

Walker was also involed in the Men’s Pairs at the nationals, competing alongside West End club-mate Shaun Marriott.

In the first round, they were pushed all the way before beating Dave Smith and Neil Burroughs of Dorchester BC 19-18.

The second round match proved to be a more comfortable task qas they beat Andrew and Paul Humphreys of the York Railway Institute Amateur BC 20-13.

The pair progressed into the quarter-finals with a thrilling 16-15 win over Johnathan Stradling and Robert Newman of Reading BC after an extra end.

The last eight match proved to be one too far for Walker, who was playing his fifth match in a row without a break thanks to his two-wood exploits.

Marriott and Walker were nowhere near their best as they lost to Chris Rodgers and Neil Hope from Leicestershire 26-6.

Walker also reached the quarter-finals of the Men’s Four-wood Singles, where he lost to Vinnie O’Neill of Middlesbrough BC 21-15.

Also competing in the four-wood singles was Kingsthorpe’s Darren Childs, who successfully negotiated his prelimnary round match, seeing off Ged Costello of Dorchester BC 21-10.

Childs followed that up with another win, seeing off Yorkshire’s Nigel Brignall 21-14, with the Kingsthorpe man recovering brilliantly from being 13-4 adrift after eight ends.

That was to be Childs’ final win though, as in the second round he was beate 21-14 by England international Ben Sherwen from Cumbria.

Again Childs played well, and battled back from 13-1 down, but it wasn’t enough this time.

Double defeat at Amy Rose Bowl event

There was to be double disappointment for the women’s and men’s teams playing in the Amy Rose Bowl Double Rink competition and White Rose Under-25 Double Rink competition respectively.

The Amy Rose Bowl is for women bowlers under the age of 31, and in the first round the Northants team beat Wiltshire 43-24.

Rink details, no Wiltshire names available, as follows:

Rink 1. Abby Woodward, Victoria Stevenson, Michelle Harris & Rebecca Wigfield 17 shots – Wiltshire 10 shots

Rink 2. Louise Haladij, Lois Woodward, Emma Gray & Katie Smith 26 shots – Wiltshire 14 shots

In the second round Northants were 55-27 winners over Cumbria.

Rink details, no Cumbria names available, as follows:

Rink 1. Abby Woodward, Victoria Stevenson, Michelle Harris & Rebecca Wigfield 36 shots – Cumbria 9 shots.

Rink 2. Louise Haladij, Lois Woodward, Emma Gray & Katie Smith 19 shots – Cumbria 18 shots

In the quarter-final, Northants were 46-32 winners over Kent.

Rink details, no Kent names available, as follows:

Rink 1. Abby Woodward, Victoria Stevenson, Michelle Harris & Rebecca Wigfield 27 shots – Kent 17 shots

Rink 2. Louise Haladij, Lois Woodward, Emma Gray & Katie Smith 19 shots – Kent 15 shots

In the semi-final, Northants lost to 43-25 to Surrey.

Rink scores, as follows, with just the Surrey skips names:

Rink 1. Abby Woodward, Victoria Stevenson, Michelle Harris & Rebecca Wigfield 13 shots – Debbie Sarratt 23 shots

Rink 2. Louise Haladij, Lois Woodward, Emma Gray & Katie Smith 12 shots – Sarah Poat 20 shots.

This was a good performance from the Northants team, with Surrey going on to win the competition.

In the White Rose competition, Northants men’s team went straight in at the semi-final stage and secured a 47-16 win over Cumbria.

Rink scores, Cumbria skips only, as follows:

Rink 1. Nathan Betts, Shaun Marriott, David Walker & Jamie Walker 24 shots – Lewis Baxter 6 shots

Rink 2. Matt Cattell, Danny Walker, Connor Cinato & Callum Height 23 shots – Ryan Prince 10 shots

In the final, Northants took on Devon and lost 41-31.

The Devon team was always going to present a very tough challenge to the County, as among its number were England Internationals Ryan Whitlock, Joe Melmore and Michael Coombes.

After five ends the County were 14-1 adrift, and although they battled hard to get back in the game they came up short.

Rink details, County names first, as follows:

Rink 1. Nathan Betts, Shaun Marriott, David Walker & Jamie Walker 14 shots – Ryan Turner, Kniveton, Sean Howard, Harry Goodwin & Ryan Whitlock 20 shots

Rink 2. Matt Cattell, Danny Walker, Connor Cinato & Callum Height 17 shots – Kieran Adam Loveridge, Joe Melmore & Michael Coombes 22 shots

James and Rebecca are set for Cyprus

Northants pair Jamie Walker, of Northampton West End, and Rebecca Wigfield from Desborough Town have been selected to represent England in the Atlantic Games in Cyprus

The event - which takes place from Monday, November 30 to Sunday, December 13 - is for an entry from each participating country in the major four disciplines of singles, pairs, triples and fours, for both genders.

Wigfield has been selected for the Women’s Team in the Pairs with Wendy King of Kent skipping it, and to lead for the Fours alongside Jamie-Lea Winch (Warwickshire), Ellen Falkner (Cambridgeshire) & Wendy King.

Walker has been selected for the Men’s Team to play the singles, and the triples alongside Andrew Knapper (Berkshire) and Robert Newman (Berkshire) who will skip them.

The other members of the England Men’s Team are Louis Ridout (Devon) & Graham Shadwell (Wiltshire) who will play the Pairs together and join Newman and Knapper in the Fours.

Ladies are edged out by Leicestershire

Northants Ladies were beaten by eight shots in their Middle England League match at Leicestershire.

They won on three rinks and drew on another, but unfortunately one rink went down rather heavily.

The highest scoring County rink was that skipped by Brenda Bishop which had an 11-shots advantage.

The final score was Northants 115 Leicestershire 123.

Rink scores, Leics skips only, as follows:

Rink 1. Velda Cooper, Brenice Willmott, Jill Welch & Hilary Sharpe 16 shots – L Green 16 shots

Rink 2. Trish Basford, Pat Mattinson, Val Betts & Barbara Haseldine 24 shots – J Bontoft 16 shots

Rink 3. Abby Woodward, Pat Starsmore, Audrey Height & Jeannie Flippance 20 shots – P Sutton 27 shots

Rink 4. Alison Dring, Pam Sallaway, Yvonne McKee & Brenda Bishop 26 shots – M Lewis-Hall 15 shots

Rink 5. Maggie Edwards, Sandra Mawson, Margaret McGillivray & Sharon Tansley 21 shots – P Walker 17 shots

Rink 6. Rhona Holland, Heather Lack, Eleanor Winters & Joyce Porter 8 shots – D Hirst 32 shots

THE following players have been selected by Jackson Grundy-sponsored Bowls Northamptonshire for a friendly match against Berkshire BA next Wednesday (Sepy 9) at Didcot BC.

Rink 1. Harvey Fruish, Abington/John Chester, Kettering Lodge/Roger Summers, Northampton West End/George Willmott, Irchester

Rink 2. Stuart Lowe, Brackley/Steve Munton, Northampton Whyte Melville/Stewart Laxton, Oundle/Terry James, Thrapston

Rink 3. Laurie Harrison, Earls Barton/Ray Ward, Corby Seagrave House/Geoff Hunt, Wellingborough/John Church, Higham Ferrers Town

Rink 4. Brian Hunt, Burton Latimer Town/David Moore, Northampton Express/Malcolm Pell, Irchester/Richard Somerton, Brackley
Rink 5. Eddie Chapman, Wellingborough/Jonathan George, Wellingborough/Bob Tingle, Kettering Midland Band/Michael Moulton, Heyford

Rink 6. Colin Barnes, Roade/Rick Hayes, Daventry Town/John Cooper, Burton Latimer Town/Kevin Mawson, Northampton Whyte Melville

Reserves: Les Parry, Wellingborough/Geoff Simmons, Wellingborough/Gordon Morris, Northampton West End/Neville Bodily, Northampton Whyte Melville

People in Northamptonshire have been warned about a reshipping scam known as ‘parcel mules’ which results in them handling stolen goods and losing out financially.

The warning comes from Northamptonshire Community Connect following advice from Action Fraud, part of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

Victims are predominantly recruited through job advertisements and dating websites. They are persuaded to have items delivered to their addresses, and to pay for postage before sending the items elsewhere. Victims are contacted through freelancer websites and invited to become a “freight forwarder” as an employment opportunity. The work is advertised as processing packages and forwarding them to clients.

The items being delivered have been purchased through fraudulent means, including the use of stolen/fraudulently obtained cards. The items being delivered are often pieces of electrical equipment or high value goods such as trainers, perfume and the latest phones.

If you act as a “mule” you are not only handling stolen goods, but also losing out financially. You will not get paid the promised salary and you pay for the postage and delivery of the packages personally. Additionally, you will have provided enough of your personal details to allow identity theft to occur.

How To Protect Yourself:

* Do not agree to receive packages at your address for someone that you do not know and trust.

* Be cautious of unsolicited job offers or opportunities to make easy money.

* When accepting a job offer, verify the company details provided to you and check whether they have been registered in the UK.

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If you, or anyone you know, have been affected by this fraud or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Two films featuring Northampton life in the 1930s and 40s will be shown next month.

On Saturday October 3 the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery will host a special screening of two films recorded by Bassett-Lowke. The films have been selected by the Northamptonshire Film Archive Trust and will bring a part of the story of Northampton to life.

The first part of the film shows scenes from around Northampton. This includes the 1935 George V Jubilee celebrations, Alderman Strickland’s shoe factory, the Northampton floods of 1939 along with footage of Northampton Victory Parades, tea drinking parties and more and a few scenes from around 1947 of National Service training in a local park.

The second half of the film showing will be of a film made by Northampton Cine Club, the first part shows the conversion of the building which became The Mercury & Herald and Chronicle & Echo. The film goes behind the scenes to show the background to the news, and includes footage of the internal set up from the editor agreeing which stories to run, right through to the finished newspaper being delivered.

Councillor Brandon Eldred, Northampton Borough Council’s cabinet member for community engagement said: “These films offer a fascinating look at the history of our town, and shows the people who lived and worked in Northampton. It will be interesting to see how things have changed in the last few decades, and perhaps how many things have stayed the same.

“I am sure tickets will be quickly snapped up, so I would encourage people to book early as it may be some time before the footage is seen again.”

A Look Back at Northamptonshire starts at 2.30pm with an interval and refreshments between the two films.

Tickets are available for just £5 and include tea and coffee. If you would like to reserve your seat tickets can be purchased in person at the Northampton Museum & Art Gallery or by calling 01604 837397 Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4.45pm and Sundays noon to 4.45pm.

Households in South Northamptonshire will soon have received a form asking residents to check their details are correct on the electoral register as part of South Northamptonshire Council’s annual electoral canvass.

Although it is not compulsory to vote, it is a legal requirement to provide details for the electoral register or risk a £1,000 penalty.

Sue Smith, electoral registration officer for South Northamptonshire, said: “It is important people keep their details up-to-date because the electoral register not only entitles people to vote but is also used for jury service selection and for credit checks.

“If details are missing or incorrect, it could affect people’s credit ratings when they come to apply for things such as a mortgage, mobile phone contract or credit card.”

If all the household information is correct, people will need to call 0800 1979871, text 80212 or go to www.registerbyinternet.com/cherwellandsouthnorthants and input the form’s security codes to confirm their details.

For those whose information is incorrect this can be amended either by going online at www.registerbyinternet.com/cherwellandsouthnorthants or making the necessary amendments on the form and returning in the pre-paid envelope provided.

Those who do not confirm their details will be issued a reminder letter and later, will receive a personal visit from a canvasser.

People are encouraged to confirm their details as early as possible as reminders increase the cost for South Northamptonshire taxpayers.

A Labour politician has joined a campaign against plans by Delapre Golf Club to extend its car park onto a site believed to be where the Battle of Northampton was fought in 1460.

More than 100 letters of objection have been received over plans by Delapre Golf Centre to extend its car park by 32 spaces.

The club came under fire for starting to remove a layer of top soil for the car park in January, despite not yet having planning permission to do so.

Delapre Golf Centre says the extra car parking spaces is needed to provide “extra capacity to staff and visitors to the golf course at peak times”.

Councillor Vicky Culbard (Lab, Delapre & Briar Hill), said: “I am very much opposed to this proposal for an extended car park as it would mean developing on some really important historical land.

“I have nothing against Delapre Golf Club, it is popular with its members and is very much used. My main concern is that we could lose a site of archaeological significance if the planning application gets approval.

“In the past, Northampton has lost many important artefacts and sites due to hasty or poorly informed opinions, a lack of understanding of the significance of an item or concerns pushed aside for development, these losses can never be replaced.

“Whilst no significant archaeological evidence has been found recently that doesn’t exclude the possibility of potential discoveries in the future. If discoveries are made in the future then the site could become a real tourist attraction. Lots of groups with knowledge about the Battle of Northampton are opposed to this proposal to turn it into a car park.

“This debate comes so soon after the selling of Sekhemka and there is a feeling that our heritage is now being lost forever. Our Victorian ancestors made an enormous mistake in demolishing Northampton Castle. We need to come up with another solution for Delapre Golf Club. I am very much opposed to this planning application.”

A review of the future use of County Hall in Northampton is being carried out ahead of the opening of the new headquarters building.

Northamptonshire County Council is spending about £50 million building a new office in Angel Street which it says will reduce the cost of running its existing buildings and bring more money into the town economy.

A property and construction company has been brought in to carry out a feasibility study for the County Hall site. No possible options have been outlined as yet.

A spokesman for Gleeds said: “Following the occupation of the Council’s new offices on Angel Street, their current premises will have capacity for alternative uses.

“The project will involve a thorough review of the basic function and condition of the property before the consortium suggest robust and deliverable options for the various buildings. These include the main County Hall, Sessions House and The Judges Lodgings amongst others,” he said.

Gleeds also worked alongside the county council on ‘Project Angel’, their new public sector headquarters situated in the middle of Northampton town centre.

Darren Crocker, Gleeds director for asset management, said: “I am delighted to be working with Northamptonshire County Council again on the future of the County Hall site and am confident in our ability to replicate the success of Project Angel. We intend to preserve the heritage of the buildings while optimising their value to the council and the local community”.

Councillor Jim Harker, Leader of Northamptonshire County Council added: “This project is a great opportunity to give something back to Northampton. By adopting sustainable and alternative uses for the site we protect its heritage while identifying a variety of income generating opportunities.”

Latham Architects will be responsible for the design and Innes England will be acting as property agents.

‘You have always stood by our band, and we will always stand by you.

Like I say at every show, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you guys. And I mean that.

‘I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I will do everything I can to come back and give you a night to remember for the rest of your lives as soon as possible.’

That was the message sent from Dave Grohl to his fans following his now legendary fracture that happened in June when he took a tumble from the stage during a gig in Gothenburg.

We say took a tumble, but actually that leg-break looked excruciating, and we have taken a tumble of our own in the past, so we know the trauma – except that our snap wasn’t heard around the world!

But hey, they say every cloud has a silver lining, and though Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl fracturing his leg was more than a little inconvenient, the forced cancellation of the Wembley Stadium shows does mean the band get to return to the site of one of their best ever concert experiences.

Heck, you’d think he’d done it on purpose!

In a chat with me, Foo guitarist Chris Shiflett said the band’s dates here back in 2011 hold particularly special memories.

“I can honestly say those two shows were two of my favourite Foo Fighters shows that we’ve ever done,” he recalled.

“When we go on tour now, especially in the summer, we all bring our wives and kids and our families out, and for the Milton Keynes shows in particular, my mum and stepdad, who had never been out to a big Foo Fighter show.

“We don’t do big dates like that in America, it’s mostly Europe and Australia where we do those stadium sized shows.

“I’d regretted that I hadn’t brought my mum over when we played Wembley, so I flew my mum and my stepdad and my wife’s mum and stepdad out, and it became this big thing – then a bunch of our really close friends came over with their friends and we had the best backstage set-up that we have ever had,” he says.

“Our tour manager put together this incredible thing backstage, mostly for the kids, and we had this whole crazy play area.

“When we were playing those shows I would look over and see my whole family and it was amazing.”

And the venue itself scores brownie points with Chris: “I really like the way that venue is set up.

“It’s really amazing the way you have that big open space and then it goes up at the back, just like a big giant amphitheatre...”

And 65,000 people liked the way the Foos held court on those summer days four years ago. Here’s to a successful return this weekend...

You should never underestimate the power of a great double-act – Royal Blood are recent proof of that.

The Brighton boys arrived with decidedly more than a bang and a clang in 2013, released their soaraway success of a debut album in 2014, and now?

Well they’ve just been playing with the Foo boys in the US, and this Saturday bring their sounds home for The National Bowl gigs.

It was hardly a surprise when vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher were confirmed for these shows late last week.

But their name on the billing was a welcome addition.

After months away from home, Ben had barely got in the front door and dumped down his gear before we nabbed him for a few questions...

Despite hitting some big stages stateside in recent times, the Milton Keynes dates could see you stage-step to around 65,000 a day.

It must still feel a little bit bonkers playing to such huge numbers?

“Totally!” Ben told me, “We’ve never been there as punters so we’re walking into the unknown.

“We were gutted when the Wembley shows got cancelled so I think everyone will be in the mood to make these shows a huge party.”

How did the Stateside trek work out for you guys?

“It’s been an amazing experience, to be able to play to that amount of people every night and to play in these massive places, we’ve really enjoyed ourselves.

“It’s good to tour with a band at that level and see how it’s done.”

Your self-titled album has just celebrated its first birthday.

To us, as outsiders looking in, the past 12 months seem like a whirlwind. What’s the reality?

“Exactly that,” Ben says, “Apart from today I hadn’t been home in five months.

“But it’s amazing, I’d never complain about it. All that I sometime wish for is a chest of drawers – living out of a suitcase is a hassle.

“You lose so many socks!”

Have Dave and the boys given you the benefit of their wisdom during the tour. Has any advice been doled out?

“Not to break your leg before the start of a world tour, ha! “They’re such a lovely bunch of guys, everyone has been very welcoming and it’s been a really fun tour to be on.

“To be in their presence is a special thing.”

And when you take the stage this weekend, what can the assembled expect?

“The unexpected,” Ben says.

“The most cliched answer you’ll get, but playing live we like to give it our all, and it’s an honour to be included on this line-up.”

Tickets for Saturday and Sunday’s gigs are still available.

Book now at www.gigsandtours.com or www.seetickets.com Gates open at 4pm.

Theatregoers are being urged to vote for Northampton’s Royal & Derngate in a new campaign to find the most welcoming theatre in the country.

The My Theatre Matters! campaign, in association with Smooth Radio, is searching for the UK theatres that make their audiences feel most at home.

The UK Theatre Awards are the only awards to honour outstanding achievement in Regional and National theatre and this year, for the first time, UK Theatre will be announcing 12 regional and national My Theatre Matters! Most Welcoming Theatre Award winners in the run-up to the UK Theatre Awards ceremony at London’s historic Guildhall, on Thursday October 18.

The winners of this year’s awards will be decided by a public vote between 9am on Friday September 4 and noon on Friday September 25.

To vote for Royal & Derngate, vist http://www.mytheatrematters.com/surveys/east-midlands
More than 220 professional theatres took part last year with more than 49,000 votes cast. The 2014 winner of the My Theatre Matters! UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award in association with Smooth Radio was Wales Millennium Centre. Already, more theatres than ever have signed-up to be part of the 2015 Award.

In this unparalleled opportunity for theatres to remind audiences how important their local theatre is to their community, UK Theatre, The Stage and Smooth Radio will be launching a campaign to encourage theatre supporters to vote for their local venue.

The deadline for voting is noon on Friday September 25, 2015. To ensure fairness, voters must give their email address and can only vote once.

Volunteers to help support victims or witnesses to crime when they give evidence in Northampton’s courts are being sought.

The Citizen’s Advice Witness Service is appealing for more people to help at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and the Crown Court.

A spokesman for the service said: “Being a victim of, or witnessing a crime can be a highly stressful and emotional time even for the strongest of us. For those who receive the letter on the doormat, asking them to come to court on a particular date to give evidence in a criminal trial, it can be a worrying experience.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone there when you arrived to help you understand the process, make sure you knew where you were going, explained things in ‘normal’ language and introduced you to the people you were going to be dealing with.

“It might be nice to even visit the court in advance so it wouldn’t be so unknown to you on trial day, when you are nervous enough!

Citizens Advice Witness Service is one such group of people.

“In the majority of criminal courts across England, the national charity Citizens Advice have members of staff running a team of well trained, professional people who can help you in this way.

“The day to day service is undertaken by volunteers who take great pride in their roles, and are committed and loyal to the work they do. They provide the service to both defence and prosecution witnesses and have good working relationships with solicitors, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), HMCTS (Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service) staff and the Police whilst maintaining an independent and non judgemental presence within the formal environment of a courthouse.

“If you are going to be a witness in a trial and would like to know more about the service we provide, or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Citizens Advice Witness Service, give us a call,” he added.

The Witness Service in Northamptonshire are currently looking for new members to join their team, particularly in Northampton magistrates’ and Crown courts. If you would like more information, please call Linda on 0300 332 1290 or Mel on 0300 332 1291. Alternatively, email at ​northampton.mc@citizensadvice.org.uk​.

A man who challenged four men acting suspiciously near a neighbour’s house in Northampton was hit on the back of the head by one of the gang.

The attack happened in Duston after the 39-year-old man approached the group.

A police spokesman said: “As he returned to his house he was struck on the head from behind, leaving him with a head wound.

“The four offenders are believed to have made off in a car after the incident, which took place in Weggs Farm Road.

“Police officers found the patio door of the house the men were seen acting suspiciously near had been opened but nothing is believed to have been taken from the house,” he said.

Two of the offenders were white. The first was 23 to 24, about 5ft 11ins and of stocky build. He had slicked back black hair and wore a black leather jacket with a high collar and blue shoes. The second offender was aged 24 to 28, about 5ft 10ins and also of stocky build with short dark hair and stubble. He wore a grey jumper with writing on the front and blue shoes.

The third offender was a darker skinned white man and wore a black padded jacket and blue jeans.

The fourth offender wore a light coloured coat and blue jeans.

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident, which took place between 3.30pm and 3.50pm on Tuesday September 1, or anyone who has any information regarding it.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Severe congestion has been reported on the M1 in Northamptonshire.

The disruption is at the exit slip road northbound at J16 for the A45 and Daventry.

Emergency services say this is because of a broken down vehicle.

The Trading Post has always been popular – and with hundreds of houses being built on its doorstep it’s about to get busier.

The first houses in the Westhill development just off Northampton Road have already been built, and the estate’s new residents will be delighted to find a quality established restaurant just a two-minute walk away.

My wife and I have paid the Trading Post many visits over the eight years that we have been living in Kettering, and on this latest occasion we had our two children and two of their grandparents in tow.

What marks the place out as much as anything is the quality of the service you always receive.

Without fail the staff are always friendly and willing to help with any issues that arise – in this case our youngest needed something to distract him while we were still perusing the menu, so some colouring crayons and paper were promptly produced.

Talking of the menu, it’s fair to say there are no radical departures from what you would expect a family-friendly pub/restaurant to offer.

All the usual favourites are there – lasagne, burgers, beef and ale pie, fish and chips – but the menu also includes seasonal variations such as spinach, onion and mushroom tart and pasta salads.

Having such a wide variety of choices – there is also a full carvery option with choice of three meats and as many vegetables as you can eat – is invaluable when there are more than two of you in your party as there is bound to be something for even the fussiest eater.

It being a Friday I naturally chose the chicken tikka masala, which comes with a giant poppadum covering the whole dish, while Karen decided 
to break with convention and try something she hadn’t had before – in this case a vegetarian butternut squash moussaka.

My parents-in-law stuck with what they know best and came back from the carvery counter with plates laden with chicken, beef, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes.

The colourful children’s menu also has a large number of choices and is set out in a mix and match style.

It’s simple enough for our youngest to be able to pick his own meal from – in this case chicken dippers, pasta and baked beans, while our eldest chose the burger, chips and peas.

Kids eat free between 3pm and 7pm during the week so what was already a good value experience instantly became an even better one.

Our main courses all went down very easily, as did the various puddings we optimistically thought we had room for – the cake portions in particular were huge!

All in all we had a very satisfying evening. I suspect in years to come getting a table at the Trading Post will become harder and harder.

Trading Post,

Bignal Court,

Kettering

NN15 7RH

01536 525333

Value: Great

Food: Tasty

Service: Very attentive
Parking: Plenty

TOTAL COST: £56.25

RATING: 8/10