Chris Boyd says a shoulder injury was the reason Piers Francis was replaced at half-time of Saints' win against Lyon on Sunday afternoon.

Francis, who was making his first appearance of the season for his club following his return from World Cup duty, enjoyed an impressive first 40 minutes.

The England centre helped his team to secure a 19-0 lead at the interval, and they eventually won 25-14 in the Champions Cup opener.

But Francis could play no part in the second half, having been replaced with Matt Proctor, who was making his Saints debut.

And after the game, Saints boss Boyd said: "He (Francis) just took a bit of a ding to the shoulder so there was some medical intervention.

"I'm not exactly sure what the discussion was about his injury when he came off so I can't comment on that."

Francis was one of five World Cup stars who were making their first appearance of the season for Saints.

Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Cobus Reinach and man of the match Dan Biggar also impressed from the start.

And Boyd said: "I think they all did (play well) and that's because they're all good men.

"Guys with a good character will come back and know that it's really important for Northampton Saints that they as senior players and leaders put in a pretty good shift.

"Right from Courtney and Luds at the front, Cobus Reinach, Piers - they all did a job for us.

"I'm really pleased for them."

Saints are now 36 points ahead of Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership standings after the club from Allianz Park decided not to appeal against Premiership Rugby's punishment.

Saracens were docked 35 points and fined more than £5.3m for breaching the league's salary cap.

And they have now decided they will not request a review of the decision by the independent disciplinary panel, meaning they move from third, one place below Saints, to bottom of the table, 26 points adrift of 11th-placed Leicester Tigers.

Darren Childs, chief executive of Premiership Rugby, said: “We welcome Saracens’ decision to accept the verdict of the independent panel and are pleased the club has crucially reaffirmed its commitment to the Premiership Rugby salary cap.

“This is the right outcome for English club rugby. Bringing this process to a conclusion means that we can focus on working in partnership with all clubs to continue to build a competitive and successful league.”

Saracens chairman Nigel Wray said: “We have made mistakes and so, with humility, we must accept these penalties.

"As a club, we will now pull together and meet the challenges that lie ahead.

“We confirm our commitment to the salary cap, and the underlying principle of a level playing field, and will continue to work transparently with Premiership Rugby in this regard.”

The charges against Saracens, which relate to seasons 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19, were brought following a nine-month investigation by Premiership Rugby.

In accordance with the salary cap regulations, the charges were referred to the independent dispute service, Sport Resolutions, which appointed a panel chaired by Lord Dyson.

The decision of the independent panel was to uphold all of the charges, finding that Saracens had both failed to disclose payments to players and exceeded the ceiling for payments to senior players in each of the three seasons.

‘Inherent tensions’ between the roles of Northamptonshire’s government appointed commissioners is why Children’s Commissioner Malcolm Newsam resigned.

A Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service has revealed a letter sent to CommissionersTony McArdle and Brian Roberts from Mr Newsam in which he explained his reasons for standing down from the job in September.
Copied to the portfolio holder for children’s services Cllr Fiona Baker the letter on September 23 says: “Thank you for your letter of 19th September. I’m grateful for the clarity in which you set your your position. This does highlight the inherent tension with our respective directions we we have all struggled to resolve. Under these circumstances I do not believe there is anything further I can contribute to improvements in children’s services required by Ministers.”

Commissioners McArdle and Roberts were sent into the council by Government in May last year after the financial collapse of the authority which had been failing to spend within budgets for years and had exhausted reserves. Their job is to get the council’s finances back on track and to improve service levels.

Mr Newsam, who has a track record of making improvements in failing children’s services across the country, had been appointed by central government in November last year to turn around Northants chilldren’s services in the wake of a damning Ofsted visit which found a series of problems including manageable caseloads and not enough experienced social workers.

In his first report in March this year Mr Newsam said he had found ‘chaos’ in the multi-agency-safeguarding hub (MASH) which is the first point of call for people or agencies who have concerns about a child’s welfare. He also said there was a ‘prevalent culture of complacency within the management of the service underpinned by a lack of accountability or consequence for poor performance’. He concluded there was a long way to go before the basics of professional standards of social work were in place.

The department – which this summer was the focus of two Serious Case Reviews into the murders of two young children in December 2017 and April 2018 – was trying to turn around its services at the same time as making large financial savings. This financial year £10m of savings was planned for the department, which has an overall budget of £116m. Currently the authority is predicting £7m of those savings will not be made – largely due to the high cost of agency staff and out-of-county residential costs for some of its looked-after children.

Mr Newsam had faced criticism from some councillors for not attending public meetings and just before he resigned the shadow member for children’s services Cllr Jane Birch had put forward a motion calling on the commissioner to give the council a programme to address a number of concerns including early help and prevention services.

Following his resignation the director of children’s services Sally Hodges also stood down along with her deputy Jean Imray. Last month it was also revealed that the number of children in need who have not been allocated a social worker had risen again to more than 230.

Mr Newsam was replaced by Andrew Christie last month, who is also joined by support commissioner Clare Chamberlain.

Mr Christie has not as yet made any public statements about what he intends to do in the role, although he will be overseeing the government directed transition of Northamptonshire children’s services to an independent trust by July 2020.

Saints boss Chris Boyd says Dan Biggar is 'the best in the world at what he does'.

Biggar produced a man of the match performance on Sunday as he steered Saints to a 25-14 Champions Cup win against Lyon at Franklin's Gardens.

It was a first club appearance of the season for the Wales star, who had helped his country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Japan.

And Boyd was delighted to have Biggar back in action in such a key game for Saints.

“Dan will always do that for you - he is the best in the world at what he does,” Boyd said.

“It was particularly pleasing that Dan and the other World Cup returnees fitted in so well.

“We’ve benefited from Cobus Reinach being away with South Africa and practicing his box-kicks throughout.

“He came back and I thought the accuracy of his kick and Dan’s chase was a key part of the game.

“If I include the two Kiwi boys (Owen Franks and Matt Proctor), who weren’t released out of New Zealand until after the World Cup, we had nine (back at the weekend).

“They are all good men who want to play for the club, and they realise that as senior players and leaders their contributions are really important.”

Central defender Kyle Barnett’s first goal in Daventry Town colours was all in vain as Bedford Town grabbed a scarcely-deserved 89th minute winner.

Arguably the Purple Army’s most consistent player so far this season, the ex-Coventry United defender has worn the number five shirt in all of the first 14 BetVictor Southern League matches.

His 85th minute goal looked to have earned the visitors a point at the Eyrie before a collective lack in defensive concentration allowed substitute Jack Vasey to give the Eagles a fortuitous 2-1 victory.

Daventry’s second half performance was as good as any this season after Bedford had shaded a first half in which Bedford broke the deadlock late on after Ross Harris was harshly adjudged to committed a foul just outside the box. Keeper Bradley Lashley spilled the shot and Tom Hitchcock followed up to blast home the rebound.

The Town too had their chances with both Aaron King and Kieran Fitzgerald going close to scoring. With Fitzgerald continuing to give home full back Louis Hall a torrid time after the interval, free-scoring striker Jack Bowen should have done better with a close-range header.

Daventry used all three substitutes late on with Adam Creaney providing proving much more adept at taking free-kicks and corners than Taylor Orosz. Finally this paid dividends in the 85th minute when Creaney’s corner created a goalmouth scramble from which Barnett back-heeled the equaliser from close range.

That was not the case though as the Daventry defenders stood like statues as a late cross fell to Vasey who proved there is no margin for error at this level of football. Even then a second equaliser looked possible as substitute Luke Emery headed goalwards from yet another corner.

Daventry will play worse than this and still manage to win matches.

And the County head coach believes the revamped One Day Cup competition will be still be a strong and worthwhile one, despite it being forced to play second fiddle to The Hundred, which is launched next summer.

It is Ripley's involvement as assistant coach to Shane Warne at the London Spirit Hundred franchise that means he will be taking a break from his role at Northants for four weeks at the end of July and beginning of August, but he believes that will be a great chance for the club's yet-to-be-appointed assistant coach to show what he can do.

Whoever is handed that role will be in charge of the Steelbacks for the 50-over competition, along with white ball skipper Josh Cobb - but Ripley says he will still be 'living and breathing all the results'.

One of the big criticisms of the ECB forcing through their new 100-ball competition has been the supposed downgrading of the 50-over competition, especially in the wake of England's stunning Cricket World Cup win last summer.

The final has been switched from its traditional home of Lord's to Trent Bridge, and it was initially announced mooted that the 50-over competition would be a 'development tournament'.

But Ripley says he never believed that was going to be the case, and even teams who have several players involved in The Hundred will have the financial capability of ensuring they are competitive in the 50-over game as well.

As it stands, the Steelbacks only have one player involved in The Hundred in Adam Rossington.

Others could yet receive one of the eight wildcard spots up for grabs on the conclusion of the Vitality T20 Blast group stages, but it seems likely that Northants will be close to full strength, and Ripley knows it is a chance for the club to challenge for the silverware.

"We are going to be strong, there is going to be some tough selections to make, and it is going to be an opportunity for the other coaches (who come in) as well," said the County head coach, who revealed last week he is hoping to announce his new assistant and a skills coach in the coming weeks.

"I am not going to be messing around with it, I am going to be gone, and it is going to be an opportunity for the other guys to run the competition, along with Josh as the captain.

"I will still be living and breathing all the results, wondering what team they are going to pick, and I am sure they might have to tell me to shut up here and there, as it will be difficult to switch off that's for sure."

On the merits of the 50-over tournament, and the criticism that it is being completely sidelined by the ECB as they seem to be throwing everything into The Hundred, Ripley said: "At one point I heard people calling it a development competition, but that was never going happen.

"There will be players missing, but that sometimes happens when England are playing anyway, or you have injuries, and you still want to win the competition.

"It will be difficult for some teams because they have lost so many, but they will be compensated for that.

"They will get 12 per cent of their salaries back, and it is then up to the counties to decide what they do with that.

"It might work out that they invest it in some minor counties cricketers, and I am sure they will have an overseas player as well.

"At one point I thought overseas players were going to banned, but again that is not the case, so let's get the competition as strong as we can.

"There will also be chances for young players at some of those counties, but with us at the moment having one player missing we will be strong."

The domestic 2020 fixture calendar has yet to be confirmed by the ECB, but the One Day Cup Final date has been finalised for Saturday, September 19 at Trent Bridge.

A motion will call on Northamptonshire County Council to continue the funding of a contract that helps fund voluntary social services across the county.

Eleven organisations had written to the county council’s chief executive asking the authority to continue the ‘social wellbeing contract’ that expires in March 2020.

The letter was signed by Northamptonshire Age UK, The Autumn Centre, Catch 22, Dostiyo, Glamis Hall, Marlow House Welcomes, Mayday Trust, Midland Heart, Naash, Serve and ACA.

They all work under the Commsortia contract, which is worth £1.6million and handled by the county council’s public health department. The organisations say that not extending the contract will be ‘highly detrimental’ to 3,500 users of the services, and that half of the groups would cease trading unless alternative funding was located.

Now a motion from Labour councillor John McGhee will be debated at County Hall at Thursday’s full council meeting (November 21).

The motion calls on the council to ‘ensure that the funding is maintained to the voluntary and community sector in the county and specifically through continuing the £1.6million social wellbeing contract to the same level as this financial year and in 2020/21 to support local government reorganisation in the coming years’.

It adds: “This council recognises the value of Northamptonshire’s voluntary and community sector and the contribution it has made to support county council services. It recognises the immense preventative work undertaken across the county that have a direct impact on not only county council service users but county council services and their stated outcomes.

“The money the organisations receive from the county council ensures that they can provide these services viably.”

A spokesperson from Northamptonshire County Council has previously said: “Commsortia was awarded a three-year contract in 2017 to manage and improve social wellbeing services in Northamptonshire. This contract comes to an end, as planned, at the end of March 2020.

“Public health has been working with Commsortia, adult social care and housing partners to ensure that, as elements of this contract cease, appropriate alternative support is provided to those service users with on-going social care and housing needs. This will be supported by public health through a short bridging arrangement, subject to agreement by Commsortia.

“At the same time, public health has also working with wider partners and stakeholders, and will be consulting service users, to better understand the public health needs of wider vulnerable groups in Northamptonshire, with a view to developing a broader preventative offer for those most at risk of inequalities.

“It’s important that public health funding is prioritised against the areas of greatest need locally, addressing health inequalities and demonstrating value for money, as well as being fully compliant with public health grant requirements. The development of a new inequalities contract is part of an on-going improvement programme for public health.”

Saints boss Chris Boyd is confident that Harry Mallinder will be able to feature for the first team before Christmas.

Mallinder has not played since September last year, when he suffered a knee injury against Harlequins.

But he is on the comeback trail and Boyd now has an idea of when he will be ready to return.

"I think he'll play before Christmas," said Boyd at Saints' season ticket holders forum on Tuesday night.

"He's running full by himself now and he'll be introduced into team training probably next week.

"He'll need to go through a couple of weeks of full contact team training before we throw him into a game.

"He's certainly not playing this weekend against Benetton and I wouldn't think he'll play next week against Leicester.

"If I was going to guess, I'd say his first game might be Leinster away (on December 14)."

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell is another player who has not been able to feature for Saints this season, having suffered a serious knee injury during England's win against the Barbarians back in June.

"Alex Mitchell will be our longest injury," Boyd said.

"He's probably not due to come back until the end of January.

"He had quite a nasty patella rupture but he went to the specialist last week and got a real positive clearance.

"He's on the last bit of his recovery."

Hooker Reece Marshall has also yet to play this season.

"Reece Marshall tore the hamstring off the bone in that last game against Exeter last season and it's been a real problem for him, but he's probably three weeks away," Boyd said.

Henry Taylor, who moved to Saints from Saracens during the summer, suffered a broken thumb in the recent game at Bath.

And Boyd said: "Henry Taylor broke his thumb and had to have a screw put in it so he's five or six weeks away.

"He's (aiming for) Gloucester around Christmas time (December 28)."

Chris Boyd says Tom Wood will be rested for Saturday's game at Benetton with Saints set to make as many as nine changes to the team that beat Lyon.

The black, green and gold bagged a crucial 25-14 win in the Champions Cup opener last Sunday, having opted to start their returning World Cup players.

Saints will now be desperate to back up the success with a win in Italy this weekend.

And Boyd spoke about the potential team selection at Saints' season ticket holders' forum at Franklin's Gardens on Tuesday night.

"Without letting the cat out of the bag, I think we've made about nine changes to the team for this week," Boyd said.

"It's really about preserving people and having trust and faith in the bigger squad.

"As an example, Tom Wood, who has played really well for us this year, is a bit like The Last of the Mohicans - he's starting to creak - so Woody's not going to Benetton, he's having a rest, and there are a couple of other guys who are having a rest as well.

"If we're sensible about the rest and rotation of our players and we believe and trust in the young guys, there's no reason we can't keep doing the best we can.

"We'll see where we go, but we're certainly not putting any emphasis on one competition over the other at this stage."

Saints boss Chris Boyd has given a typically candid take on Cobus Reinach's future.

The World Cup-winning South Africa scrum-half has been heavily linked with a move to Montpellier.

Some reports even suggested that the French giants would be keen to buy him out of the final year of his contract, with Reinach's current deal set to run out in the summer of 2020.

Montpellier did that when they purchased Louis Picamoles from Saints in 2017.

Picamoles, as Reinach is now, was Saints' reigning players' and supporters' player of the year at the time.

But Boyd hasn't heard that a similar situation will be unfolding this time round.

"All of the boys that are going to be out of contract, I will have discussions with those boys about what they want to do in the next two or three years," Boyd said.

"If what they want to do in the next two or three years is something other than Saints then I've got a really clear idea.

"If they want to stay with Saints then we need to talk about what that looks like.

"Once we agree we want them to stay and they want to stay, Paul Shields, who does our contracting, finishes that deal off with (chief executive) Mark (Darbon).

"You've got to take the short and the long-term view on things.

"Cobus is coming nearly to the end of his career, he's looking for a big, long contract to finish his career and we've got some young English guys here who are not bad footballers coming through.

"So I've got to sit there and think about what Cobus can offer over the short and long-term versus what other people can offer over the short and long-term.

"He has a value and his value is obviously high.

"We have to make a decision whether that fits the salary cap or not, and it absolutely comes back to choice.

"We have to make a decision whether the money to spend on Cobus is the right money to spend on the squad or the wrong money to spend on the squad.

"All of those discussions are pretty open.

"I just find that being open and honest is the easiest way to deal with it.

"Where there's smoke there's fire, but I don't think at this stage any deal has been done.

"We certainly haven't re-signed Cobus. I'm still talking to him about what the future might look like.

"I've got a bit of an idea what it might look like but I'm not sure."

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

OCTOBER 14 
Kamal Lal, aged 19, of Dallington Road, Northampton, driving at 97mph in a 70mph zone; Fined £80, surcharge   £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with four points.



Florin Scalat, aged 29, of Baker Street, Northampton, driving without insurance; Fined £180, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.



Soloman Luke Stewart, aged 29, of Pembroke Gardens, Northampton, driving at 66mph in a 40mph zone; Fined £320, surcharge  £32, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.



Thomas Robert Swift, aged 26, of Willis Way, Towcester, driving at 87mph in a 60mph zone; Fined £349, surcharge £34, costs £85, licence endorsed with four points.



Lauren Taylor-Bedford, aged 25, of The Causeway, Great Billing, Northampton, driving at 70mph in a 40mph zone; Fined £230, surcharge   £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.



OCTOBER 15



Sarah Buckingham, aged 35, of Collingwood Road, Northampton, failed to comply with a court order; Fined £30.



Marius Kozirevs, aged 38, of Leslie Road, Semilong, Northampton, failed to comply with a court order; Jailed for six weeks suspended for 18 months, carry out unpaid work for 110 hours, costs £60.



OCTOBER 15



Karl Anthony Spires, aged 28, of Everdon Close, Northampton, drug-driving; Fined £120, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months; driving without insurance, fined £120.



Shannon Walker, aged 25, of Gardeners View, Northampton, drink-driving; to have treatment for alcohol dependency, curfew with electronic monitoring, surcharge £90, costs £85, banned from driving for 23 months; failed to stop for a police officer, no separate penalty.



Oleg Stratan, aged 31, of Harksome Hill, Northampton, drink-driving; Fined £200, surcharge £32, costs £85, banned from driving for 24 months.



OCTOBER 16



Jordan Henry, aged 24, of Ashburham Road, Abington, Northampton, failed to comply with a court order; Costs £60.



Gary Michael Phillips, aged 46, of no fixed abode, carrying a bottle of alcohol in public; Jailed for 6 weeks; carrying a bottle of alcohol in public; Jailed for 6 weeks consecutive, surcharge £122.



Chandresh Jilka, aged 46, of Nuthall Close, Northampton, drove at 35mph in a 30mph zone; Fined £116, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.
Olga Pisciac, aged 38, of School Street, Drayton, driving at 51mph in a 30mph zone; Fined £359, surcharge  £35, costs £85.



Ion Railean, aged 24, of Arbour Court, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; Fined £440, surcharge £44, costs £85, banned from driving for 18 months; driving without a licence, fined £146; without insurance, fined £440; without an MOT certificate, no separate penalty.



Masum Ahmed, aged 29, of Kenmuir Avenue, Northampton, failed to provide information about a suspected motoring offence; Fined £240, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.



Dumi Chirwa, aged 33, of Brickwell Court, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; Fined £106, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.



Naqibullah Umarkhel, aged 46, of Dallington Road, Northampton, driving at 37mph in a 30mph zone; Fined £83, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points; driving at 48mph in a 40mph zone;  fined £83, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.



OCTOBER 17



Susan Macdougall, aged 33, of The Medway, The Grange, Daventry, growing cannabis; Fined £79, surcharge £30, costs £85, cannabis and paraphernalia forfeited and destroyed.



Mark Anthony Wright, aged 59, of Mitchall Close, Ryehill, Duston, assault; Compensation £50, surcharge £90, costs £85, samurai sword seized.



Anthony David Hollingsworth-Ellary, aged 61, of Grasscroft, Northampton, drink-driving; Fined £150, surcharge £32, costs £85, banned from driving for 24 months.



Shannon Lawrence, aged 18, of Boughton Green Road, Northampton, used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, racially aggravated; Carry out unpaid work for 70 hours, surcharge £85, costs £85.



Aaron Sweeney, aged 21, of Kettering Road, Northampton, assaulted a police officer; Carry out unpaid work for 120 hours, compensation £50, surcharge £85, costs £85; wilfully obstructed a police officer, Carry out unpaid work for 120 hours.



OCTOBER 18



Joshua Derren Goddard, aged 21, of Sherwood Drive, Ashby Fields, Daventry, drink-driving; Carry out unpaid work for 200 hours, surcharge £85, costs £85, banned from driving for 36 months; driving while banned, carry out unpaid work for 200 hours.



Eduard Antoci, aged 32, of South Oval, Northampton, drink-driving; Fined £540, surcharge £54, costs £400, banned from driving for 18 months; without a licence, fined £180; without insurance, fined £540.


If you are in need of some inspiration and want to narrow the list of potential options downs, baby clothing firm Jojo Maman Bebe has revealed the unisex baby names set to be hugely popular next year. Which of these gender neutral monikers would you go for?

It's cruise director Matthew Shaw - who'd been on sister ship Explorer on our previous Marella cruise - being asked his take on the differences between the two vessels.
'This ship is very much like its sister' he says, 'both excellent and special, but the Explorer 2 is perhaps a bit quirkier'.

He sums up my feelings exactly. I was amazed at the luxury and thoughtful design of the first ship, but can see that a few heads got together and made even more of space, layout, decor and content.
My wife and I are on Marella's Mediterranean Gems itinerary, which on my week-long cruise visits Toulon in the south of France, Tarragona in Spain and three Italian ports - Livorno, Civitavecchia and Olbia in Sardinia - but more of that later, as there's much more of the ship to explore.

So where to start?
 

Food and Drink

Everywhere you stroll exudes class, from the luxury cabins to the gleaming stairwell balustrades, from the rich pile carpets to the elegant fixtures and fittings. Dining is no exception to this, with a selection of enticing places to eat and drink, whatever your whim or fancy. The Market Place restaurant is open throughout the day for self-serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner - ideal for those who don't want any fuss, and there is an amazing selection for every mealtime (Tip: take a waistsize-larger pair of trousers for later in the trip).

For those who do like the fuss, you can visit either Vista or Latitude 53 restaurants where every courtesy is extended by the hard-working waiters, and these are included in your all-inclusive price, as are pizzas and pasta dishes in Nonnas, Beach Cove (in the day) and the Snack Shack on the pool deck.

For those who want to try something that extra special in the evening, for an additional cover charge why not try the ship's a la carte restaurants which include The Dining Club for a gastronomic food and wine tour de force, Surf and Turf for a steak or fish prepared just as you like it, Kora La for a Pan-Asian fusion experience second to none and the BBQ-inspired Beach Cove for a bellybusting bonanza (see the amazing ferris wheel dessert spectacular on the video!)

Did I just say all-inclusive? Yes all Marella Cruises are all inclusive, so once you've paid your fare it's fine fare all the way, and all your drinks are included, be it in the restaurants mentioned or in the ship's nine bars.
 

Entertainment

There's always something to do on board. If it's sunny there's nothing much better than enjoying a cocktail or three by the pool or relaxing in the whirlpool baths, and entertainment is always provided whether it's a live band, one of the entertainment team performing DJ duties, or something of interest on the giant TV screen. A bulletin for the following day is delivered to your cabin each evening with a packed programme of activities around the ship including quizzes, competitions, informative talks and much, much more.

Try your hand at the minigolf while you take in the panoramic views, or stroll along the Broadstreet Shops. One of the newest attractions is the 19th Hole bar where you can take up a seat in a golf buggy, order a themed cocktail and tee off on one of the golf simulators for a little extra. Explorer 2 also has its own Champneys Spa, where you can relax with a massage or treatment, including facials and acupuncture to name but two, or gaze out to sea in the impressive infinity pool.

In the evening the bars come alive with the sound of music and laughter with live bands, comedy acts, piano music, pub quizzes and audience participation fun. The silent disco in Indigo is a must. Put on the headphones, decide which of the two songs you want to dance to and get boogieing! (...then take them off for a second and see people dancing to apparently nothing!)

The jewel in the ship's crown is the Broadway Show Lounge with an amazing 12 professional shows on offer - and big enough to rival a theatre on, well, Broadway!
 

Ports and excursions

We joined and left the ship in Naples - Italy’s most red-blooded city and one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world and, for those already on the ship or staying for a longer cruise, it's from here you can visit the time-frozen cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, whose citizens were stopped in their tracks by the famous Mount Vesuvius eruptions of 79 AD.

Fusing French Riviera glam with the feel of a traditional old town, Toulon is a gorgeous gateway to the Côte d’Azur, where you can follow the sound of popping corks and clinking champagne flutes to über-stylish St-Tropez, or venture into Aix en Provence and find out about its dual identity. This place is known as the Town of Water thanks to its fountains and the Town of Art because of its many museums.

Once a Roman capital of Spain, beautiful Tarragona is brimming with historic landmarks and monuments. In the old quarter, with its magnificent Gothic cathedral, we were especially pleased with how reasonable prices were in cafes, shops and restaurants - well worth a trip off the ship with buses laid on by the local tourist board.

Our first port of call in Italy was Livorno, where we were able to embark on our eagerly-anticipated trip to Pisa. We were not to be disappointed as we entered through the walled gateway and the vista of the leaning wonder suddenly came into view. Unforgettable. Cue many, many photos.

Civitavecchia was our next stop, and from where we joined the ship's Express to Rome excursion. In less than an hour by train we were in the capital on a breathtaking tour which included the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, with some fantastic pasta dishes and wine thrown into the mix.

Olbia in Sardinia was an altogether more laidback experience following our excursion exertion the previous day and a place where you can simply spread out a towel and relax on the beach. Or, if you’re an active traveller, there are plenty of ways to explore this tranquil spot. Bike rides take in charm-filled villages, while boat trips allow you to experience the French island of Corsica and the peaceful La Maddalena archipelago.

Wi-fi packages, premium drinks upgrades, cabin types - there is simply not enough time and space here to write about all the fabulous facilities on board this magnificent ship and the amazing places it takes you to. Please watch the video for an extra insight into this thoroughly gem-orable experience.

At the time of writing a Mediterranean Gems cruise costs £1001 pp for a week's all-inclusive cruise on May 6 with direct Manchester flights, and from £812 from other airports. Visit https://www.tui.co.uk/cruise/

Aspire Lounge

A great way to start your holiday is to relax in VIP surroundings before your flight. In the Aspire Lounge you can help yourself to tasty, wholesome food and let the bartender pour you your favourite drink – complimentary, of course. Whether you wish to work, have some much-needed quiet time, or relax with the family, your journey gets off to a perfect start. Available in T1 & T2 at Manchester, prices start from £22.49 per adult. Visit www.executivelounges.com/aspire
 

Holiday Extras
 

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Saints boss Chris Boyd says next season's squad 'won't be vastly different' from the one he currently has at his disposal.

Saints brought in the likes of Owen Franks and Matt Proctor ahead of the start of this season.

But they have since lost Heinrich Brüssow and Dylan Hartley to retirement.

Boyd was asked about his recruitment strategy at the season ticket holders forum at Franklin's Gardens on Tuesday night.

And he said: "It's really interesting because we've now got our contracting spreadsheet out to about the 2025/26 season.

"We've even got some young boys' names in the Academy for three or four years' time so we're trying to predict where the holes are going to be and where we need to fill them if people retire or move on.

"The interesting thing short term is that our team for next season is almost full.

"We have no room to recruit a back, unless we lose one, and we've probably only got room to recruit a couple of forwards if we want to.

"The Saints team of this season and next season won't be vastly different.

"We will continue to stick to a policy of young and English, and you will see that we've avoided the temptation this year of chasing anyone with a big name, high profile and expensive ticket.

"Because what's going to happen with all of these youngsters is that they're going to come up. We're getting reasonably good value out of them at the moment because they're in their first contracts, but in four years' time it's going to be a big job to keep them all.

"We're going to have to be really smart about how we keep those because I'm convinced that if we can keep the spine of this team together from young, English, local boys, that's the best place we can come from.

"To sum it up, we're not looking for a lot (of signings for) next year."

Chris Boyd says it's 'a little bit too early' for talk about whether he will stay at Saints beyond the summer of 2021.

The Kiwi boss has made a brilliant start to life at Franklin's Gardens, having arrived from Super Rugby side the Hurricanes in 2018.

Boyd steered Saints to a European Challenge Cup quarter-final last season, as well as guiding them to Premiership Rugby Cup glory - their first trophy for five years - and a Gallagher Premiership top-four finish.

They currently sit second in the league standings this season and won their opening Champions Cup match, against Lyon, last Sunday.

But when asked whether he could stay at Saints beyond his current three-year deal, Boyd told fans at a season ticket holders forum: "It's a little bit too early for that.

"We might be sitting here in 12 months' time and it might be a completely different picture.

"You might be saying to him (Saints CEO Mark Darbon) 'why didn't you get rid of that mug last year?'.

"Things can change really quickly in this game, I can promise you that."

Reflecting on his Saints stay so far, Boyd said: "It's pretty easy to sit here at the moment because we had a reasonable year last year.

"We had a sticky start and managed to get it right at the end.

"This year, we made the decision to use the PRC (Premiership Rugby Cup) to develop some of our youngsters and we lost our first four games, including the (pre-season) game against Leinster.

"There were a few wobbles around the place and I could see people were getting a bit uncomfortable about the fact we lost our first four games.

"But we stuck to it and the last month has been pretty good for us.

"We're in a good place, it's a positive place to speak from.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed it, I'm pleasantly surprised around the brand of rugby we've been able to play.

"We have three things around how we want to play, and we want to play really good football.

"The barometer for that is that you guys (the fans) go home and if the spectators go home and and say the team has worked really hard and they've enjoyed the spectacle, that's the No.1 thing.

"Secondly, as a team internally, we want to have fun doing it. There's no point turning up to work and working hard and not enjoying it.

"Thirdly, we want to play in silverware matches regularly.

"We want to be challenging continually and it's been good."

With the dreary and dark nights of winter having now closed in around us, the long days of summer and warm sunshine seem to be a long way away - but the Northants cricketers are already back at work and gearing themselves up for the 2020 campaign.

Having secured promotion from Specsavers County Championship Division Two at the end of September, David Ripley’s men are preparing to play in the top flight of English cricket for the first time since 2015.

The squad returned for the start of winter training last week, and will be working non-stop between now and the start of next season in April.

Some players will be travelling the world to play cricket, but the bulk of the squad will be wintering at home, and will be closely monitored as Ripley sets about ensuring his squad is as well prepared as they can be for the new campaign.

It’s a far cry from the playing days of the not so distant past, when players would return for duty at the end of March having been off for six months, and pre-season training amounted to a couple of laps of the County Ground outfield before the players hit the nets!

And it is a change in attitude and mindset that Ripley, who has now been head coach at the County Ground for seven years, welcomes.

“With the players having 12-month contracts, it means we have control of the schedule,” said Ripley.

“I think it is important they have some down time, so they have had that from the end of the season.

“They reported back for fitness testing, and Chris (Lorkin, head of strength and conditioning) gathered all his information on where they are physically at the moment.

“We actually did some of that down at the University of Northampton, as we have a partnership, and it was good. It’s a new complex and the facilities are good and it meant we got a bit more detail in some of that testing.

“Their winter schedule is now set pre-Christmas, and it is only physical work although one or two lads are ticking over with cricket, because they might be going away and be on a slightly different timeline.

“But those guys who are concentrating on going to Singapore on March 10 for pre-season training, they don’t really need to do much here if they don’t want to do it.

“We won’t ask them to do it, and we will start with the cricket in the first week of January.”

The players who are going away at various points to play cricket over the coming months include Rob Keogh, Nathan Buck, Saif Zaib and Ben Curran, while pace bowler Jack White - who signed a new one-year deal last week - is aiming to spend five weeks playing in Australia.

Also on his travels is all-rounder Gareth Berg, who next month plays for Italy in the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B in Oman, where they will take on Kenya, Jersey, Uganda and Bermuda.

Berg has been preparing for that trip with Ripley at the County Ground, but he has also been joining his team-mates in some more unusual training as well - in the form of ‘hot yoga’.

The squad were invited to Ben Cohen’s SooYoga centre at Sol Central, where the Rugby World Cup winner’s partner and former Strictly star, Kristina Rihanoff, put the players through their paces.

“There was some hot yoga down at Ben Cohen’s place with Kristina, and she took the session,” said Ripley, who is always open to new ideas to keep his squad fit and healthy.

“Our sports science and medical team are really proactive.

“Barry (Goudriaan, head physio) has been here for years, but he is always someone who likes to think outside the box, and Chris is just very professional and the players have a lot of trust in him, so we are in a good spot there.

“We did a bit of yoga last year, and some of the lads didn’t enjoy it. They were trying to get it off the table, but some of those lads who didn’t enjoy it, also didn’t miss a game last season.

“But it worked pretty well last year, the lads stayed fit, and touch wood we will have that again.

“We have one or two things that we plan to do a little bit differently this year, but we don’t need to rip things up because I thought the winter work last year was good, and we were in good shape.

“There was enjoyment there, there were challenges there, the fitness targets were in place, so it is all about tweaking, trying to keep things fresh, and not throwing out what works.”

Dozens of Daventry homes have been repossessed by court order over the last five years, figures reveal.

Ministry of Justice statistics show county court bailiffs have repossessed 27 properties mortgaged by homeowners in the area since October 2014.

Mortgage lenders can take possession of a property through a county court as a last resort to recover money owed.

But because many cases do not make it to court, the number of repossessions could be much higher.

Since 2014, lenders have lodged 102 court claims for properties in Daventry.

These led to judges granting:

45 orders for people to leave their homes by a certain date. These decisions can be appealed or later rescinded.

34 suspended possession orders letting homeowners stay, providing they keep up their payments and pay back funds owed; and

81 warrants to evict people in breach of previous orders.

Across England and Wales, bailiffs repossessed 25,068 mortgaged properties over the five-year period.

There were 1,205 repossessions between July and September this year – up 29% on the same period in 2018.

Court claims, mortgage orders and warrants are also up from last year, but remain well below levels seen in previous years.

Trade association UK Finance said the increase was partly driven by a backlog of older cases being processed.

Low mortgage rates still help to keep borrowers’ repayments relatively affordable overall, it added.

Following the economic downturn in 2008, lending rules were tightened to discourage borrowers from taking out loans they could not pay back.

Fewer homeowners and landlords are now in arrears with their mortgage compared to a year ago, the figures show.

“Lenders continue to show flexibility to borrowers in financial difficulty and possession is always a last resort,” UK Finance’s report into the latest statistics said.

It continued: “The proportion of homeowner mortgages in arrears remains at historically low levels, with the vast majority of borrowers continuing to repay their mortgages in full and on time each month.”

Police officers are appealing for witnesses after a fatal collision on the A45 at the junction with the B4037.

At about 8.40pm yesterday, (Wednesday, November 20) a yellow Fiat Panda, a white Jeep Compass and a silver Audi A4 were all in collision.

As a result of the collision, the driver of the Fiat Panda, a 21-year-old man, died at the scene.

The drivers and passengers of the other vehicles were treated at the scene and taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Anyone with information or who witnessed this incident is asked to call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615 or Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Time is now ticking as the £1.6m social wellbeing contract will end for a dozen county organisations in March – however as yet although they have been promised interim funding, the amounts to come to each organisation have not been decided.

Today at the full council meeting the council opposition attempted to find out whether the funding would remain the same, but despite a number of questions by different councillors neither leader Cllr Matt Golby or cabinet member for adult social services Cllr Ian Morris gave an answer.

The ending of the three year funding – which is administered by organisation Commsortia on behalf of the council – has caused much concern in the county with a number of voluntary organisations, such as Age UK, saying that a funding reduction could even force some county branches to close.

Cllr Morris did commit to interim funding but did not mention any firm figures.

He said: “It is up to Commsortia how they are going to run the contract and how the contract value is distributed and NCC is not involved in that.

“We do take this very seriously. This is public health funding and has to meet public health.

“We want funding to continue as much as the opposition do.”

And Cllr Golby accused the opposition of playing politics with the issue.

Speaking before the councillors Deepa Bakrania, centre manager from Dostiyo – a centre that provides day centre services for Asian women in Northampton – said the organisation had lost 40 percent of its funding over the past five years and could not take any more.

She said: “Sixty women use our services each day. They will have no place to go, no place to socialise. We support them to be part of the community and we teach them the language.

“All this will be lost because we won’t be able to survive any cut at all.”

Labour councillor Winston Strachan said he had been ‘bombarded’ with letters from residents who were concerned about the services being affected.

Fellow Labour councillor Danielle Stone said she did not want to see a funding cut affect the voluntary sector in the way the cuts to youth funding had impacted the county.

She said: “We need to be really vigilant in the protection of our voluntary sector.”

Cllr Jim Hakewill (Ind) said: “This contract has been up for renewal for three years. Three months away and we are telling these organisations we dont quite know what we are doing. They will be sitting there and wondering how they move forward.”

A motion put forward by Cllr John McGhee from the Labour group asking the Conservative administration to commit to keeping the funding level the same after March was amended by the councillors, to the fury of Cllr McGhee who said the changes negated the amendment.

In the end the amended proposal was agreed without the financial reassurance.

Earlier this month Cllr Morris told the Local Democracy Reporting service the funding would go to the December cabinet for final agreement.

Dan Biggar says Saints boss Chris Boyd is one of the best men he has met in rugby.

And the fly-half is so happy to be back at Franklin's Gardens after concluding his World Cup commitments with Wales.

Biggar made his first club appearance of the season last Sunday, securing the man of the match award in the 25-14 Champions Cup win against Lyon.

He notched 20 points in a flawless kicking display as he got his side off to a great start in Europe.

And when asked how easy it was to return to Saints after steering Wales to the World Cup semi-finals, Biggar said: "It was really easy.

"It always helps when you're coming back to winning and a positive environment, and it's been a great start from the boys.

"Chris Boyd has made it so seamless, he's made it easy and he's as good a man as I've met in rugby in my time.

"It's a combination of him and the boys making it so easy to come back in.

"Everyone's made me feel welcome and it's great to see all the good work that has been going on here while I've been away.

"I set the alarm for about 6am one morning to catch the second half of the Quins game and I stayed up for the Sarries game as well.

"This is my bread and butter.

"It's a massive start for us and it's a real privilege to be part of this club to be honest.

"It's great to be back!"