SPORTS fans in Northampton have argued among themselves for years about the unsolveable question of whether it is “a football town” or “a rugby town”.
Well, last week confirmed that it is actually an “all-round sporting town” ... and a pretty successful one, at that! The summer of 2013 will live long in the memory of sports fans as the year when the Saints got to the Premiership play-off final at Twickenham, and the Cobblers got to the League Two play-off final at Wembley. Both ultimately lost their big matches, but it was a huge achievement for both clubs.
Now, to cap it all, the Northants Steelbacks have gone one step further by not only reaching the Friends Life t20 finals, but picking up their first silverware in 21 years.
Quite rightly, they will be given an open-top bus parade through the town centre streets, but it probably will have to wait until their season is over, as they are still competing in 40-over and three-day competitions that could reap even more success.
Cricket, at county level, may not attract the size of crowds regularly enjoyed by the town’s rugby and football clubs, but their achievement should not be under-estimated and they deserve their moment of glory and the town’s support.