For a club that has grown accustomed to winning over the past 12 months, these are unsettling times the Cobblers, but David Buchanan is of the belief that, with time, their fortunes will take a turn for the better.

After the agony of Gillingham and the torment of Peterborough, title-chasing Bradford City were hardly the ideal team for Northampton to face as they looked to rectify recent mistakes and put their season back on track on Tuesday.

It proved that way too as James Hanson’s second-half header condemned the Cobblers to a third successive league defeat and sent them tumbling down to 15th.

But for Buchanan, it’s not all doom and gloom.

Though deservedly beaten, Town at least kept themselves in the game at Valley Parade and almost snatched what would have been an excellent point late on when Alex Revell was denied by a fine save and then John-Joe O’Toole saw his header ruled out for offside.

“It’s very disappointing,” said a dejected Buchanan ahead of Saturday’s Sky Bet League One clash with Bolton Wanderers at Sixfields. “But we’re not far away.

“We’re playing really well, we worked our socks off first-half and I thought we were the better team. We knew we’d have to defend our box and I thought we did that really well for most of the evening.

“I thought their goal was slightly offside but they’re the fine margins - their goal isn’t offside and ours is and that’s the difference in the game.

“Losing matches is a horrible feeling and to be fair to this club, we’re not used to it over the past 15 months or so.

“But we’ve got a lot of experienced professionals in the dressing room and people who want to work hard for each other.

“We’ll bounce back. As quickly as we’ve lost three on the trot, we can turn that around just as quickly.”

What is of real concern is the Cobblers’ inability to win tight games or respond to a setback.

Town are yet to win from a losing position this season and of the eight times they have fallen behind, only once have they come back to claim a point, going on to lose the other seven.

Buchanan said: “Let’s have it right, at Bradford who are third in the league and going really well.

“On Tuesday’s evidence, no one can say they were miles better than us.

“We matched them all over the pitch and the difference was that they took their goal and our goal didn’t get given.

“We dominated at Gillingham for large periods and we end up losing in the 93rd minute, and then everyone on Saturday because we restricted Peterborough to no chances until the last minute and we’ve hit the bar 30 seconds before they score.

“We’ve gone to Bradford, we’ve dusted ourselves down, we’ve worked well, the gaffer’s made changes and we’ve adapted well again.

“But at the end of the day we’ve been on the end of three defeats which is difficult to take.”

Bolton will provide stiff opposition on Saturday but it does give the Cobblers the opportunity to right the wrongs of recent weeks and hit back with a bang.

After all, they remain closer to the play-offs than the relegation zone.

“What I will say is, as a group of players and fans, we’ve just got to stick together,” stressed Buchanan.

“We’ve done that when we’ve been going well and all credit to the fans on Tuesday because they came out in their numbers and waited for us and clapped us off and appreciated our efforts.

“As a player of this football club, we appreciate them.

“I love Saturday-Tuesday games and it’s another chance to put it right and it’s probably the biggest team in this division with no disrespect to anyone else.

“They’re another team up there and I think anyone who finishes above them this season will probably win automatic promotion.

“They’re going to come here and see our results and fancy their chances, but we’ll dust ourselves down and be raring to go again, and what a better game to have next then playing Bolton at Sixfields.”

Ben Nutley laughs when the suggestion is made that he might have found life easier if he’d stuck with football.

The blond-haired back row forward was a goalkeeper in Luton Town’s youth team, but switched sports and made his way into the Saints Academy.

But at the age of 24, the brutality of the modern game has taken plenty of chunks out of the talented flanker.

His most recent injury came in a friendly against Cornish Pirates at Franklin’s Gardens, where Nutley tore his MCL (medial collateral ligament).

He was forced to miss the first 10 matches of the season before making his return from the bench in the Anglo-Welsh Cup win against Gloucester on November 12.

And he then got much longer at Sixways last week, putting in a superb display as he replaced Sam Dickinson after just 11 minutes in a nail-biting 18-17 success.

It was a yet another reminder of Nutley’s talent as his energy, enthusiasm and quality carried Saints to victory.

He was clearly enjoying every minute, but does he sometimes things it might have been an altogether more comfortable existence had he chosen football rather than rugby as his career?

“Sometimes,” he said, smiling broadly. “It wouldn’t have been as physical and I could have ended up getting paid more, but, no, I love what I do.

“There was a reason I chose rugby and you never know, I could not have made it in football and here I am, playing for one of the top rugby clubs in England and loving life.

“Obviously sometimes when people ask you the question you think, ‘yeah, I could have had a cushty life’, but the adrenalin of playing rugby is unlike any other sport.”

Nutley always makes an impact whenever he plays for Saints, with one of his stand-out performances coming in the Champions Cup quarter-final defeat at Saracens last season.

On that day, Nutley and fellow back row forward Teimana Harrison took the fight to the team who would eventually be double winners.

And Nutley again showed the same sort of desire in the win at Worcester, belying his lack of game time.

“It’s what we do for a living so I knew what I was doing,” he said.

“I wasn’t expecting 70 minutes and it was unfortunate that Sam Dickinson got injured because he was playing well and captaining the side.

“It was bad for him, but it was a plus for me and I enjoyed it.

“You want to play rugby and I’ve had a bit of time on the sidelines but had 20 minutes the week before and got three times as much at Worcester.

“It was a good win and a good team performance.

“It is a team game and I can’t do half the things I do if I don’t get passed the ball.

“It is nice when you’ve been out for a while to get good feedback, but if I’d played well and we’d lost, I wouldn’t be sitting here smiling.

“I’ve taken my opportunity and hopefully I can carry on doing that.”

Nutley’s attitude is admirable and the affable character’s positivity has clearly been key in his recovery from some very serious injuries.

“Some people tell me to books and things like that, but it’s not something I can control,” said the Luton-born player when asked how he deals with setbacks.

“They’re not muscular injuries, which I could prevent, they’re ligaments, they’re bones and that’s something you can’t control.

“The minute I did my knee, I knew. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it was three months where I wasn’t going to play and there’s no point in fretting.

“Obviously you watch the games and you get frustrated because you want to be out there, but there’s not much you can do other than improve yourself while you get back fit.

“It is tough at times because it’s what you enjoy doing, what you love and you do it as a job, but it’s something you can’t control.

“You’ve got to deal with it and I’m much better at dealing with it now because the first and second time it happened I was very down about it, but that’s not the way to deal with it.

“I got a bit emotional when I got injured in pre-season because I knew I’d done something bad, but you can’t sit back because it is easy to get into that negative mindset of ‘it’s happened again and it will happen again after that’.

“But it’s part and parcel of the sport and rugby gets more and more physical every year.

“It’s my sixth year and it gets harder every year.

“Your body adapts, you get stronger and fitter, and you have to stay positive, not just for yourself, but for the team.

“If the other players see you down, it brings them down, and it’s the same with your family.

“I’ve got better with it over the years and a lot of people can learn from it. Tom Stephenson is unlucky as I am and he’s a positive guy as well so that’s the way to be.”

Nutley embraces his role as a mentor to other players who have endured injury issues.

And he said: “I get called old boy - and I’m only 24. I know my face has taken a few knocks, though.

“Reece Marshall recently did the same injury as me and as a younger person you’ve been in their shoes.

“It’s the same when you’re playing and with people like Lewis Ludlum coming through in my position, you want to help them, you want to talk to them because I’ve been there.

“I had Phil Dowson, Calum Clark, Tom Wood, three top players, helping me through my younger career. You could easily look at someone in your position and shun them but we’re a good squad here and we get on with each other, on and off the pitch.”

And Nutley certainly takes advice from the coaches.

He explained: “Nobby (forwards coach Dorian West) tells me all the time that you’ve only got one shot at this life and you don’t want to let it go.

“I love having my opportunity and taking it, and hopefully I can get a run of games now.

“Even when those international boys come back, I want to make them strive harder to get their position back because I’m playing so well.”

England captain Alastair Cook believes Northants batsman Ben Duckett still ‘has an England future’ after confirming the left-hander will be dropped for the third Test against India.

Duckett will be replaced by Lancashire’s Jos Buttler in Mohali as England aim to get back in the series, which they trail 1-0 after the opening two Tests.

After an encouraging couple of first Tests in Bangladesh, where Duckett hit his maiden Test half-century in the 1-1 drawn series, the County ace has struggled in India.

In the opening two Tests of the series he managed to score just 18 runs, and has struggled against spin bowling, and particularly against the off-spin of Ravi Ashwin who has dismissed him in the three innings he has played.

Cook today confirmed Buttler will play in the third Test, which starts on Saturday, but said Duckett will be back despite suffering this setback four matches into his Test career.

“Ben won’t be the only good player that’s been dropped,” said Cook. “He has an England future, there is no doubt about it.

“He is a very talented guy with a lot ahead of him and it’s amazing chatting to him saying ‘I thought I was a pretty good player of spin’, and he is a good player of spin.

“He’s just got an issue which has been found out quite quickly, as can happen in these parts of the world and international cricket.

“It’s hard cricket at this level. The difference I think is quite stark from playing at Northampton.

“Suddenly every innings is scrutinised, that’s just the nature of the beast.

“So he can go away and address that and come again. It’s just a blip in his career.”

One of the aims of the Drive For Justice campaign is to lobby for greater use of driving bans given out when sentencing and longer bans for those who kill or seriously injure on the roads.

Campaigners are supporting this call and believe greater use of driving bans would act as a deterrent to motorists when it comes to risky behaviour.

However, figures reveal driving bans being given by courts are rare and becoming rarer.

Between 2005 and 2015, they declined from around 150,000 to less than 60,000.

Amy Aeron-Thomas, advocacy and justice manager for RoadPeace, the charity for road crash victims, said:”It is very rare that drivers committing offences on the road are sent to prison. It is usually only if they kill someone they are given a prison sentence.

“For dangerous driving offences that do not result in a death, less than half of offenders go to prison.

“This is why we think driving bans play such a key role.

“We think dangerous driving should carry longer bans and judges should never let drivers off.

“The fact that there are fewer driving bans being given out rather than more means we are going the wrong way.

“The more serious offences already carry a driving ban but other bans are discretionary such as with using a mobile phone even though evidence shows it is as dangerous as drink driving.

“Driving bans are always more of a deterrent for the vast majority of people.

“If you take away the opportunity to drive, it hits people hard.

“The justice system needs a rethink on driving bans. They are a punishment that truly fits the crime.

“Driving is a privilege, not a right, and the privilege should be removed when it has been misused.

“We would call for courts to use driving bans much more - for short, long and lifetime for the worst offenders.

“There should be lifetime bans for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence.

“The Sentencing Guidelines should recommend longer driving bans for the more serious offences.

“With summary offences, even short bans, if given frequently, should deter law breaking.

“Where a serious injury has resulted by careless driving or using a mobile phone, driving bans should be given.

“Drivers arrested on suspicion of any offence that carries an obligatory driving ban should be banned immediately.

“This should be a driving license condition, rather than a sentence imposed before a conviction.

“Judges need to be trained upon the importance of driving bans as a deterrent.

“If the courts cannot manage, then the DVLA should take on more of the responsibility of banning drivers, as they already do with penalty points.”

Duncan Dollimore, senior road safety and legal campaigner for Cycling UK, says: “Our biggest concern about sentencing for driving offences is the inadequate use of disqualification laws.

“We believe the courts are forgetting that driving is not an entitlement but a privilege.

“We would like to see more disqualifications and with repeat offenders, much longer bans and the consideration of lifetime bans from driving.”

Gary Rae, campaigns director at road safety charity Brake says: “We believe drivers who kill and seriously injure should be taken off the road once they are charged as a condition of bail.

“Prosecutions often take months to come to court. In many cases, the driver charged is able to continue driving during this time potentially putting others in danger and often in the same community where the crash took place causing further distress to bereaved families

“We are not happy that many offenders are using extenuating circumstances to argue to allow them to drive again and again by saying not being able to drive would cause them extreme hardship.

“But then by being allowed to drive, sometimes that person has gone on to kill and caused extreme hardship to another family.

“Driving is a privilege, not a right. You do not have the right to put other people in danger.”

You can sign our Change.org petition here and share it using #DriveForJusticeCampaign

Tchaikovsky’s classic The Nutcracker is a favourite among ballet fans the world over.

So with Christmas just around the corner and a desire to feel festive, I went along to enjoy this masterpiece at MK Theatre.

If you like dramatic plot lines in your ballet, The Nutcracker probably isn’t the show for you, but if you want a charming production that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy in the run up to Christmas, this is ideal.

The English National Ballet production keeps to the traditional style with grand sets, including a massive Christmas tree, and brings to life 19th century Russian society.

The dancers pulled out all the stops and charmed the audience with their grace and poise. The young dancers from Tring Park School for the Performing Arts who played a young Clara and Freddie showed great skill for such a tender age.

The orchestra performed Tchaikovsky’s score brilliantly, including the well-known Waltz of the Flowers and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

What a great way to get into the festive spirit. The Nutcracker runs until Saturday.

Tickets for the show can be booked by calling the box office on 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/miltonkeynes.

Northants Steelbacks will begin the defence of their NatWest T20 Blast title with a home game against Derbyshire Falcons next July.

David Ripley’s men are once again in the North section and will play seven home matches, but there has been a change to the scheduling from previous seasons.

In the past, the T20 campaign has begun in May, with matches being stretched out between then and the finals day in August.

In 2017, the tournament will be played in a two-month block in July and August, with finals day scheduled for Edgbaston on September 2.

Friday night cricket has proved very popular at the County Ground, with big crowds packing out the venue last season, but just three of their seven home games are on Fridays next season, with two on Thursdays and two on Tuesdays.

The opener against Derbyshire is on Friday, July 7, but the County then don’t have another Friday night game until August 11 when Leicestershire Foxes come to town.

They wrap up their home group campaign the following Friday (August 18) against Durham Jets.

The Steelbacks’ other home games are against Yorkshire Vikings (Tues, Jul 11), Worcestershire Rapids (Thurs, July 27), Birmingham Bears (Tues, Aug 1) and Lancashire Lightning (Thurs, Aug 3).

On the road, Steelbacks travel to Durham on July 9, Birmingham Bears on July 14, Leicestershire on July 21, Notts Outlaws on July 22, Derbyshire on July 28, Worcestershire on August 5 and Yorkshire on August 17.

Hundreds of rail passengers in Northampton watched on as a suspected robber hurdled three train lines with police in pursuit.

Rush hour commuters in Northampton were already experiencing delays after a car hit a crossing near the line in Rugby earlier yesterday evening.

But at around 6.40pm, a man in a grey vest was then seen sprinting onto the platform.

He ran across the footbridge and hurdled three of the lines before disappearing into the darkness.

Officers followed around two minutes later, said a witness, and the police helicopter was scrambled to look for the man.

Rail passengers had to be herded to the sheltered parts of the station by police while the pursuit took place and London Midland halted trains, citing an "intruder" on the line.

Earlier yesterday evening a police force Twitter account confirmed the officers were looking for a robbery suspect.

However Northampton's Proactive Team later tweeted: "He got away after assaulting a police dog. Still hopeful that we'll hopefully track him down."

All lines were reopened at about 7pm yesterday.

Northants will create history by hosting their first day/night County Championship match against Leicestershire at the County Ground next June.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced the full domestic fixture programme for 2017, and it includes an historic first full round of nine day/night matches in the Specsavers County Championship, all starting on Monday, June 26 with a 2pm start each day.

As well as Northants hosting Leicestershire, the other counties staging the matches are Essex, Hampshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire in division one, and Durham, Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire and Sussex in division two.

The matches will be played with pink Dukes balls and the announcement breaks new ground for the County Championship, which has only featured one previous day/night match which was a trial game between Kent and Glamorgan at Canterbury in 2011.

The move is designed to help broaden the audience for the four-day game and also give England players an opportunity to experience the conditions ahead of another slice of history later in the 2017 summer when Edgbaston hosts the country’s first ever day/night Test match between England and West Indies on August 17.

The schedule sees 10 of the 18 first-class counties staging day/night matchess as West Indies will also have their chance to prepare for the Test at Edgbaston in a three-day match against Derbyshire from August 11-13.

“We were excited to announce a few weeks ago that Edgbaston will be staging an historic day/night Test, and it’s great that the counties, and the Specsavers County Championship, can also get involved,” said ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison.

“It was important for us to arrange a full round of fixtures to give our England players the chance to experience the conditions.

“But just as we wanted to assess the impact of making Test cricket more accessible by changing the hours of play, the counties have really embraced the potential of Championship matches that stretch well into the evening when people have finished school or work.

“The early indications from Edgbaston are that day-night Test cricket is proving very popular, and hopefully it will be the same for the Specsavers County Championship now the fixtures are confirmed. There are some really attractive matches in the day/night round, and it will be fascinating to see how it works out.”

Meanwhile, Northants will begin their Specsavers County Championship Division Two campaign with a home game against Glamorgan that starts on Friday, April 7, before going to Derbyshire on April 14 and Worcestershire on April 21, with Worcester then coming to Northampton on May 26.

The County end their season with a trip to Leicestershire on September 25, with their final home game starting on September 19 against Nottinghamshire.

A change in scheduling for one-day cricket has seen the NatWest T20 Blast switched to an eight-week block in July and August, with the Royal London One Day Cup being brought forward to be played in April and May, with the final at Lord’s on Saturday, July 1.

The Steelbacks host reigning champions Warwickshire in their opening game on Thursday, April 27, and it will be a day/night game starting at 2pm.

Once again the Royal London One Day Cup sees two nine-team sections, and the top three teams in each will qualify for knockout stages which will be staged in mid-June.

The County also have home games against Worcestershire Rapids (Weds, May 3), Yorkshire Vikings (Weds, May 10) and Notts Outlaws (Tues, May 16).

Steelbacks’ away games are at Derbyshire Falcons (April 30), Lancashire Lightning (May 5), Durham Jets (May 7) and Leicestershire Foxes (May 12).

The Steelbacks will begin their defence of their NatWest T20 Blast campaign with a home game against Derbyshire Falcons on Friday, July 7.

Their other home group games are against Yorkshire Vikings (Tues, Jul 11), Worcestershire Rapids (Thurs, July 27), Birmingham Bears (Tues, Aug 1), Lancashire Lightning (Thurs, Aug 3), Leicestershire Foxes (Fri, Aug 11) and Durham Jets (Fri, Aug 18).

On the road, Steelbacks travel to Durham on July 9, Birmingham Bears on July 14, Leicestershire on July 21, Notts Outlaws on July 22, Derbyshire on July 28, Worcestershire on August 5 and Yorkshire on August 17.

“We are gearing up for a long, busy and exciting summer,” added Harrison. “We have two ICC world events with the Champions Trophy in June and the Women’s World Cup in July, and now county cricket will have a different rhythm.

“The Royal London One-Day Cup’s position earlier in the season means a Lord’s final in July rather than mid-September, and the NatWest T20 Blast will also have a very different feel, being played in a block of matches during the school holiday months of July and August.

”With eight teams in Division One and 10 in Division Two under the new structure of the Specsavers County Championship, and the Kia Super League returning for a second season after such a promising debut in 2016, there is so much to look forward to.”

This week, 42 years ago, the Birmingham Pub Bombings took place. On November 21, 1974, bombs were planted in two Birmingham pubs – the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town. The explosions killed 21 people and injured 182 others.

Six men – the so-called ‘Birmingham Six’ – were jailed for life for the bombings but were released 16 years later, in 1991, when their convictions were quashed by the Court Of

Appeal.

In London, three time-bombs blasted pillar boxes during the rush hour. Commander Robert Huntley, the head of Scotland Yard’s Bomb Squad, described the bombings as a “classic IRA tactic to cause chaos.” Twenty people were hurt in the explosions.

Trouble in Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s military rulers stunned the country’s 25 million people with the news that 60 former ministers, officials and military officers had been summarily executed.

Radio bulletins of the executions were broadcast in an announcement by the 120-man Supreme Military Council, which had ruled the country since former Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in a military coup.

Tin can Maggie

Back on home soil, Margaret Thatcher, who was about to challenge for the leadership of the Conservative Party, angered housewives and MPs in a magazine article in which she admitted to stockpiling tinned food.

The future Prime Minister said she had been squirrelling away groceries such as ham, tongue, tinned fish and fruit, jams and marmalades for “some time”.

Left-wing Labour MP Dennis Skinner seized on the subject in the Commons. He asked the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, to extend the wealth tax to include food hoarders.

Film goers get Tangoed

Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango In Paris, a Franco-Italian erotic drama starring Marlon Brando, went on trial at the Old Bailey in what was regarded as the most important obscenity trial since the Lady Chatterley’s Lover case in 1960. It was the first occasion on which a film passed by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) had been prosecuted.

The case was thrown out on a point of law. The film, however, was not allowed on British television until the 1990s, when it was shown on Channel 4 as part of its ‘Banned’ season.

Boss Rob Page believes the Cobblers have already proved they can be a match for the best that Sky Bet League One has to offer - and says they are going to have to do it again at Sixfields on Saturday (ko 3pm).

High-flying Bolton Wanderers are the visitors this weekend, with the match concluding a tough week of fixtures that has seen the Cobblers narrowly edged out 1-0 by two other promotion chasers in Peterborough United and Bradford City.

Phil Parkinson’s men have won seven of their past eight league matches - their only blip a 1-0 defeat at Posh - and it’s a run that has kept them very much in the title race as they sit third in the table, level on points with second-placed Sheffield United and six points behind clear leaders Scunthorpe United.

And it is the standard of Cobblers’ performance in their 1-1 draw against table-toppers Iron at Glanford Park back in October - a match that saw Town play the final 30 minutes with 10 men after Matt Taylor’s red card - that Page says his players have to match ahead of facing the Trotters.

“We are fully aware of the quality Bolton have, but go back to the Scunthorpe game, and the level of performance we gave against a team that has been outstandingly consistent at the top,” said the Town boss.

“We went to Scunthorpe and could have won that game with 10 men, and we have to look back at games like that, where we have more than held our own against the top teams in the division.

“We need to take the confidence and belief from that, even though we are having an indifferent time at the minute, because the defeats we have had, we haven’t been played off the park and been battered, we have been in the games.

“I think we could be sitting here with an extra two points on the board, having not particularly played well, but we have to take belief going into Saturday’s game and give a good account of ourselves.”

Bolton will be making their first visit to Sixfields, with the two clubs not having met in the league since the 1989/90 season.

Wanderers have been living the high life for a lot of the years since then, and spent 11 successive seasons in the Premier League from 2001 onwards, twice qualifying for the UEFA Cup, before being relegated into the Championship in 2012.

That was the beginning of a tough financial time for the club that very nearly saw them go out of business last season.

The club just about survived, but they were relegated to league one, where they have again started to flourish.

The squad still contains players that have Premier League and Championship experience with the likes of Jay Spearing, David Wheater, Mark Beevers and Sammy Ameobi, and in 21-year-old Zach Clough, their six-goal top scorer, they have unearthed a real talent.

Page admits Saturday’s game is going to be a real challenge for his players, but that he’s confident they can rise to the occasion.

“Zach Clough is a terrific player, he got the goal against Coventry in their last game with a great finish,” said the Town boss.

“Gary Madine, who I have played with and worked with, is another terrific centre forward, so they have got an abundance of quality in the team.

“But we knew coming up to this level that you are going to be tested coming up against opposition like this, and that is why we are in the game, we want to play against the best in our division and Bolton are up there at the minute.

“They are pushing for promotion and rightly so, and it is a fantastic opportunity to go and give a performance against one of the best teams in the division.”

Saturday’s meeting is only the 11th between the clubs in competitive football, with the Cobblers winning the most recent clash, claiming a 2-1 victory at the Reebok Stadium in the league cup back in 2008 thanks to two goals from Adebayo Akinfenwa,

Is there a more likeable British actor than Mark Rylance? Here he is, months after winning an Oscar, on stage on a bare set in a small theatre in an absurdist comedy he's co-written about the practice of ice-fishing in Minnesota. You wouldn't get Christian Bale doing that.

And although he'd be too modest to admit it, it's Rylance who's clearly the star attraction here, and who's the best thing about the show. That's not to criticise anyone else involved, of course: Rylance is almost certain to be the best thing about anything he's involved with, whether that's the BBC's Wolf Hall, the recent Steven Spielberg films Bridge of Spies and The BFG, or pretty much all of his garlanded stage career. His presence is profoundly enigmatic: he seems to be made of different stuff from everyone else, ever twinkling and quixotic, while bringing a universal humanity and humaneness to all he does. It's a privilege to see him at work.

This is undoubtedly an extraordinary piece of theatre. Some might call it quirky, offbeat or oddball, but that would be to suggest a tweeness, or potentially irksome quality. It may be better to think of it as akin to Waiting for Godot as reimagined by David Lynch: the humour is by no means always obvious, relying more on a pervasive strangeness than witticisms or punchlines. At one point, Rylance's character lists the dietary habits of his various family members; it's far funnier than it has any right to be, as is a scene in which he pieces together a sandwich.

The play focuses on two characters, Ron, played by Rylance, and Erik, played by Jim Lichtscheidl. Erik is an earnest angler, stolidly waiting for a fish to bite from the other side of the ice on which they're sitting. Ron knows little about the art of angling but provides a degree of practical and moral support for his friend, offering unbidden his detailed thoughts on topics as diverse as women and mosquitoes. As time passes, and passes, and passes, they are joined by an assortment of unusual folk: a young woman named Flo, an officious environmental inspector who has no name and appears sincerely to believe he is some sort of angelic being; and an icy man named Wayne, who seems to embody winter. Each has much more to say than to do, there being precious little here in the way of conventional plot, but none seems extraneous to proceedings: they reminisce, cogitate, muse, philosophise, as befits a script based largely on the prose poems of Louis Jenkins.

It may have the makings of a slow evening, but one of the more remarkable aspects of the play is its pace. It is lent an urgency by Claire Van Kampen's often inspired direction, with small episodes played out as little vignettes ending abruptly in blackout, the light returning seconds later to show a reordered stage. Only a couple of scenes outstay their welcome, and even then, not by much. There is no interval; there is no need for one. It is also helped by a gradual shift in mood and tone: what begins comically ends quite heartbreakingly. Most important of all, for all its riches and depths, it never takes itself too seriously: unlike the fish, laughs are never far from the surface.

Credit is also due to some delightful staging. Todd Rosenthal's spare set is complemented by tiny trees, little huts, the occasional puppet, all contributing to the general air of woozy whimsy, which also infuses Van Kampen's delicate music.

It's fair to say some parts work better than others, with some disquisitions a little unnecessary; and, in the final analysis, it may not really add up to all that much. But, the play might have it, you could say the same about life, so let's enjoy it while we can. For 90 minutes, Nice Fish helps us do just that.

* Nice Fish runs until February 11. Visit www.nicefishtheplay.co.uk to book.

Kieran Brookes was sent off against his former club as Saints suffered a disappointing 22-16 defeat to Newcastle Falcons at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night.

Jim Mallinder’s men were 8-3 down when Brookes was dismissed by referee Andrew Jackson for a forearm charge to the face of Falcons hooker Scott Lawson.

But Saints battled in spirited fashion after the break and the 14 men did lead when skipper Christian Day scored and Stephen Myler added a conversion and a penalty.

Newcastle eventually made their man advantage count though as Will Witty grabbed a try and Joel Hodgson a conversion.

Myler responded with a penalty to make it 16-15 with nine minutes to go, but former Leicester wing Vereniki Goneva intercepted a Tom Kessell pass and beat an attempted Ben Foden tackle to score.

Hodgson converted to put his team six points up with three minutes to go, and Saints couldn’t summon one last fightback as their four-match winning streak ended.

Newcastle, in their eye-catching orange shirts, had started brightly and after Goneva missed the chance to find Mark Wilson for a two on one, the former Leicester wing eventually offloaded to Hodgson, who scored.

It was a special moment for Hodgson on his return to the Gardens, but he badly skewed his attempted touchline conversion to leave the gap at five points after as many minutes.

Saints were struggling to get going and after Goneva again broke through, Marcus Watson dived over in the corner.

But the score was ruled out for a block on Luther Burrell by Juan Pablo Socino in the build-up.

Saints eventually got some possession in a dangerous area and after the Falcons fluffed a lineout and conceded a penalty, Myler grabbed the home side’s first three points.

Foden was soon celebrating as though he’d scored his team’s first try, but he didn’t get downward pressure on Tom Collins’ kick ahead and the TMO deemed there was no score.

Goneva was relieved as he had moved with the haste of a snail towards the ball, allowing Foden slight chance, which the full-back so nearly took.

Aside from that unneccessary scare, the Falcons looked controlled and they soon had more points to their name as Hodgson landed a penalty.

And a bad half for Saints was about to get even worse when prop Brookes was sent off for a forearm to the face of Lawson at a ruck.

There was shock all around at the Gardens as supporters had expected the referee to produce a yellow card, but Brookes would not be allowed back on against his old club.

Saints were five points down at the break, but, galvanised by Brookes’ dismissal, the 14-man home side were to lead five minutes into the second period.

Captain Day muscled his way over for Saints’ 1,000th Premiership try, and Myler’s conversion made it 10-8 to Jim Mallinder’s men.

Saints replaced lock James Craig with Paul Hill to fill the front row void left by Brookes, and centre Burrell joined in at scrum time to add weight to the home pack.

And Saints were to win a penalty at the scrum soon after, with Myler landing it to make it 13-8.

The fly-half was starting to pull the strings, putting his side in the right positions and pinning the Falcons back.

But eventually Newcastle found their feet in the second half and after Day was forced off, the Falcons scored, with lock Witty forcing his way over the line.

Hodgson kicked the conversion to give the away side a 15-13 lead, but Myler responded with a penalty to put his team a point up with nine minutes remaining.

However, it wasn’t to be for Saints as Kessell’s pass only found the hands of Goneva and he flew away from inside his own half, beating the despairing dive of Foden to score.

The Saints full-back smashed his fist into the ground in frustration at missing the tackle and Hodgson kicked the conversion to put the icing on the Newcastle cake.

Saints: Foden; Elliott, Burrell, Hutchinson (Wilson 66), Collins; Myler, Kessell; A Waller (E Waller 68), Haywood, Brookes; Craig (Hill 47), Day (c) (J Onojaife 62); Paterson, Gibson, Nutley (Ludlum 74).

Newcastle Falcons: Tait; Goneva, Waldouck (Burdon 25), Socino, Watson (Connon 61); Hodgson, Young; Vickers, Lawson (Sowrey 73), D Wilson (S Wilson 58); Green, Witty (Civetta 73); Chick (Fonua 62), M Wilson (c), Hogg.

Referee: Andrew Jackson

Jim Mallinder admitted referee Andrew Jackson had no option but to send off Kieran Brookes in Saints’ defeat to Newcastle Falcons at Franklin’s Gardens.

Brookes was dismissed towards the end of the first half for a forearm charge on Falcons hooker Scott Lawson at a ruck.

Saints were 8-3 down at the time after a very poor start to the game, but they battled back and led 13-8 and 16-15 before a Vereniki Goneva try and Joel Hodgson conversion won it for the Falcons with nine minutes to go.

And when asked about Brookes’ dismissal, Mallinder said: “I’ve looked at it a few times and what happened was that someone put their head into the ruck, they came in and caused that first offence, Kieran Brookes took exception to that and their players took exception to Kieran Brookes.

“What you can’t do is retaliate. You can’t strike anybody near the head and the referee had no option.

“If you’re behind in the game or ahead in the game, you don’t want anyone getting sent off - it puts your team under a lot of pressure.

“But I think the 14 men responded really, really well in that second half and we should have come away with the win.”

Saints had been on a four-match winning streak going into the game.

But they will now head to Leicester Tigers next Saturday needing to bounce back in style.

Mallinder said: “We’re very disappointed. It was a poor start, we went behind and to lose Kieran Brookes just before half-time is what you don’t want to happen, down to 14 men without your tighthead.

“I was pleased with the way we responded, we showed some pride in that second half and I suppose we should really have won the game.

“We were doing what we needed to, getting into their half, driving the lineout, but unfortunately the intercept (for Goneva’s try) really cost us.”

These photos look old, and they are – they come from August 1963.

They show people in Daventry enjoying the waters of the town outdoor pool, one year after it first opened.

The story which ran along side it was about Daventry Swimming Club. The club formed after swimming teachers were trained by the Swimming Pool Association in 1961.

On the opening night of the outdoor pool in 1962 the swimming club already had 100 members, and by the end of summer 1963 it had 294 members.

The heating for the pool was used for the 1963 season, allowing more children to use it for longer.

Top is one of the club’s star swimmers diving into the pool.

Bottom is a group of swimming club members enjoying the pool.

A woman broke her ankle after tripping over a pothole in Daventry town centre, leaving her eight-year-old grandson to run down the road seeking help.

Mandy Dyson was walking to the town centre from her home on the Southbrook with her grandson Jayden Adams on the evening of Monday last week.

Having cut through the church graveyard, they were crossing Church Walk when Mrs Dyson tripped on a pothole and went over on her ankle.

She was left immobile in the middle of the quiet road with a broken ankle. She also injured her hand and knee.

Because Mrs Dyson could not move, her grandson Jayden, eight, ran off down to Casey’s Club where he raised the alarm and paramedics were called.

Mrs Dyson’s daughter and mother of Jayden Chenade Adams said: “They were just walking into the town when it happened by the church.

“I think the county council needs to do something about it. If my mum had fallen over and hit her head she might not be here because she has a shunt in her brain.

“It’s a fairly big pothole – several inches across and an inch or two deep.

“It might not be big enough to worry a car, but roads aren’t just for vehicles.”

The location is a busy pedestrian route in and out of the town centre.

The time of day meant the road was dark, and what street lighting there is can be blocked by trees. Add to that the amount of leaves on the roads and pavements, and it can be difficult to see problems like potholes along that road.

The road is also a dead-end for vehicles, so there are fewer motorists going at a much slower speed to notice and report potholes.

Mrs Adams said: “Jayden was so brave. He knew he needed to get help so he ran down the road to get someone to help.

“Jayden does know how to call 999 because of his gran’s illness. But that’s usually indoors.

“This time he was outside in the dark, I just think it’s amazing and that he was really brave.”

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “We are committed to maintaining the quality of the county’s roads and carry out regular inspections to see what maintenance work needs to be carried out. These inspections assess any defects present, including both the carriageway and footway, against defined intervention criteria.

“Anyone who needs to report a pothole can do this through our Streetdoctor service www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/streetdoctor. They will receive a reference number and can track the progress of their call.”

Councillors in Daventry district have called for a rethink on plans to radically alter the area’s parliamentary constituencies.

Daventry District Council (DDC) has called on the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) to revise its proposals which would see the district split between two different MPs.

The Commission has proposed a new cross-county ‘Daventry and Lutterworth’ constituency – combining some, but not all, wards in Daventry district together with parts of south Leicestershire and Wellingborough.

Villages to the south of Daventry, in the Woodford and Weedon wards and including places like Staverton and Badby, would be moved into the South Northamptonshire constituency under the proposals, which are part of a national review of parliamentary boundaries.

The existing Daventry constituency, represented by Chris Heaton-Harris MP includes all of Daventry district, together with two wards from each of the Wellingborough and South Northamptonshire Council areas.

The changes are being proposed after the commission was charged by the Government to reduce the number of MPs across the whole country from 650 to 600, and alter seats so that each MP represented a similar number of voters.

DDC’s Strategy Group agreed on Thursday, November 24, to call on the Boundary Commission for England to maintain that arrangement, in order to ensure the whole of Daventry district continues to be represented by one MP.

Cllr Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council, said: “We are keen to ensure that the whole of Daventry district is represented by one MP, helping the council and its residents to have a single point of influence on national policy in order to help us achieve local aims.

“These proposals would put the towns of Daventry and Lutterworth, which share no historical, economic, transport or cultural links, together in the same constituency while severing a significant part of Daventry district.

“This would not only see residents in Weedon and Woodford Wards breaking ties with the rest of Daventry district in respect of their parliamentary representation, but would also result in 15,000 people from south Leicestershire forced into a largely Northamptonshire constituency.

“While we appreciate the Boundary Commission has a requirement to reduce the number of constituencies in the East Midlands from 46 to 44, these proposals would harm people in both the Daventry district and south Leicestershire areas, and this council calls on the commission to consider the viable alternative we have put forward.”

Residents can find out more about the proposals and have their say at www.bce2018.org.uk. The current consultation closes on December 5 2016 and there will be a further two rounds of consultation in 2017.

Following the conclusion of all three consultation periods, the BCE will look at all the evidence received and make final recommendations to Parliament in September 2018.

If agreed by Parliament, the new constituencies will be in use at the next scheduled General Election in 2020.

Rob Page has urged his side to cut out the ‘stupid mistakes’ that have plagued their season if they are to reverse their current poor form which continued on Saturday with a 1-0 home defeat to Bolton Wanderers.

Despite a much-improved performance, the Cobblers were beaten by Zach Clough’s first-half goal when the highly-rated youngster spun away from the home defence and slotted beyond David Cornell.

The manner of the goal frustrated Page, who was otherwise satisfied with his side’s showing against the high-flying Trotters.

“In the second-half we were camped in their half and did everything but score,” he said afterwards.

“I sound like a stuck record and I’ve just said exactly the same to the lads; until we start eradicating the stupid mistakes that we’re making and stop creating problems for ourselves, like the throw-in for the goal, we’ll get punished.

“We’re in a good defensive position and one person switches off and Clough gets through and is one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

“It’s basic stuff and until we learn from that, we’ll always be punished, even against average teams in this division let alone the so-called best.

“We’ve just made Bolton look average to say the least, certainly in the second-half.

“I thought the changes made us better but their goal was all our own doing and that’s bitterly disappointing.”

It’s now four straight league defeats for Northampton, all by the odd goal, as they slide down another place to 16th in Sky Bet League One, but Page is convinced their form will turn if they continue to perform at their current level.

“We cannot be down about it,” he added. “Nobody likes losing and I hate losing, as do the lads and our supporters, but if we keep performing and giving that level of commitment week in, week out, we’ll win more than we lose.

“It’s not quite dropping for us at the moment and I’m not making excuses.

“We need something to drop for us to change it but from a performance point of view, to be camped in their half against a team who’ve just been relegated from the Championship, speaks volumes about what the lads have done.”

Bolton Wanderers inflicted a fourth straight league defeat on the Cobblers who produced a battling, gritty performance at Sixfields on Saturday but were ultimately beaten by Zach Clough’s well-taken first-half goal that decided an entertaining contest.

Up against one of the promotion favourites and a team who’ve won seven of their last eight games, Northampton were the better side for large periods and dominated much of the second-half but time and again the finishing touch or final pass eluded them.

After an relatively even and equally enjoyable opening 45 minutes during which both teams threatened, Bolton gradually clicked into gear and improved to the extent that they just about deserved the half-time lead given to them by Clough’s cool finish.

But the second period was all one-way traffic as Town piled on the pressure and came close several times, including having a goal controversially ruled out for offside, however it wasn’t to be as Rob Page’s men suffered a fourth successive league defeat and a third 1-0 loss in the space of eight days to drop to 16th in Sky Bet League One.

Facing a team who’ve conceded a miserly 12 goals in 19 games this season, Northampton couldn’t afford to fall behind first, and Clough’s goal turned out to be enough give Bolton victory, albeit only after being pushed all the way.

The result also meant that, for the ninth time this season, Northampton failed to turn a deficit into victory, something which will need to be addressed sooner rather than later if Page and his team are to reverse the current trend of results.

Page made three changes to the team which lost at Bradford City, two of chose coming in defence as fit-again Lewin Nyatanga replaced Rod McDonald while Aaron Phillips started at right-back in place of the injured Brendan Moloney.

There was also a recall for winger Kenji Gorre, his first league start in two months, with John-Joe O’Toole dropping to the bench.

That meant Matty Talyor moved back into central midfield and Sam Hoskins played in the free role, and set up in a 4-3-3, Northampton made a promising and purposeful start against one of the hot favourites for promotion with David Buchanan hooking an early volley straight at Ben Alnwick.

Sammy Ameobi twice connected cleanly with rasping shots for Bolton but, in between those efforts, the Cobblers were inches from making the breakthrough when Taylor clattered the post after being teed up by Gorre who had shown some fancy footwork on the left.

Both sides had their moments without forcing either goalkeeper into drastic action in an enjoyable and lively first-half as Hoskins blocked well at one end before driving a shot too close to Alwnick at the other

Bolton’s strength and aerial threat was evident all over the pitch and with the impressive Clough and Ameobi continually finding pockets of space, the visitors looked capable of scoring at any minute.

And so it proved. Those two combined for the opening goal on 25 minutes when clever movement from Clough saw him spin Gabriel Zakuani and race through on goal where he latched onto Ameobi’s neat threaded pass before coolly steering beyond the onrushing David Cornell.

Bolton ominously came forward again through the same dangerous duo Clough and Ameobi, while Northampton’s attempts at getting themselves back into the game were snuffed out by the away side’s resilient rearguard.

Jak McCourt and Taylor both sent ambitious long-range efforts sailing over the crossbar, but the Cobblers were oh so close to levelling with the last action of the half when, from a sweeping counter-attack, Alex Revell was unable to reach McCourt’s low cross.

Northampton had by no means been outplayed in the first-half and they continued to hold their own after the break but the final touch remained elusive, highlighted when Buchanan’s teasing cross evaded everyone.

The introduction of Marc Richards and John-Joe O’Toole prompted a change of shape to 4-4-2, and that seemed to give Northampton an extra edge up front as they applied sustained pressure.

The Trotters were forced into some last-ditch defending to clear several dangerous balls into the box, and the home side’s pressure almost told when O’Toole poked in from close-range after Paul Anderson and Richards had both been denied by Alnwick, only for a contentious offside flag to be raised.

The Cobblers huffed and puffed and threw everything at their visitors but Bolton showed why they have the league’s meanest defence by heading and clearing most of what came their way.

Five minutes of stoppage time gave further encouragement to the home fans as Alnwick denied Taylor at his near post but despite continuing to push, there was to be no equaliser and Northampton slumped to another defeat.

Match facts

Cobblers: Cornell, Phillips, Zakuani, Nyatanga, Buchanan (c), McCourt (O’Toole 54), Taylor, Hoskins, Anderson (Potter 75), Gorre (Richards 54), Revell

Subs not used: Smith, McDonald, Hanley, Beautyman

Bolton: Alnwick, Wilson, Derik, Beevers, A Taylor, Thorpe, Spearing (c), Ameobi (Henry 71), Vela, Clough (C Taylor 87), Madine (Procter 81)

Subs not used: Buxton, Moxley, Anderson, Turner

Referee: Darren Deadman

Attendance: 7,018

Bolton fans: 1,264

Former Saints fly-half Joel Hodgson admitted it was ‘awesome’ to win against his former club on Friday night.

Hodgson played a starring role at 10 as Newcastle Falcons claimed a 22-16 Aviva Premiership victory at Franklin’s Gardens.

The 24-year-old, who spent a season at Saints between 2014 and 2015, scored a try and kicked seven points in his team’s victory.

And he said: “If you look at our season on the whole, only two games we’ve not been at the races and that was Bath and then Exeter last week.

“We’ve always known we can mix it and put teams under pressure.

“The big thing on Friday was the 80-minute performance and it was awesome to come here and get a win.”

On his own performance, Hodgson added: “I just love to play, happy to get the game time.

“Hopefully I can get much more.”

Saints fans probably thought the worst thing about Black Friday would be the emails they were bombarded with throughout the day.

But then they witnessed the events at Franklin’s Gardens, where it really was a black night for Jim Mallinder’s men.

At the end of it, players, supporters and coaches will have wanted to head for a dark room to gather their thoughts.

And supporters could have been forgiven for holding their own cut-price sale, in a bid to offload their season tickets before Christmas.

Because this was far from fun.

In fact, the fun has drained from Franklin’s Gardens during the past couple of seasons.

The mood has grown grey and the atmosphere has consequently suffered.

Supporters are desperate to see their team carve an opposition outfit apart.

To revisit the sun-soaked days of a few seasons ago, when bonus-point wins were as common as cockroaches on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Now, Saints are finding sides increasingly difficult to penetrate.

And visiting teams are finding it increasingly easy to end their barren runs in Northampton.

Credit to Newcastle, who won in Northampton for the first time since February, 2009.

They showed real character, especially during the first half, when they merited their 8-3 half-time lead, and in the second, when they fought back to win it.

Saints should also get some credit for the way they recovered with just 14 men.

Because, for a team missing so many international players to come back from 8-3 down to go 13-8 and 16-15 up with 10 minutes to go, takes some doing.

But despite that second-half spirit, the win was to elude them.

And much of that is down to what happened in a shocking first period, when Saints simply didn’t turn up.

Kieran Brookes’ red-mist moment, similar to Calum Clark’s at Worcester last week, apart from the fact Brookes connected with his opponent where Clark didn’t, was costly.

But so was the woeful showing prior to that.

Supporters are just that because they get behind their team no matter what.

But it is much easier for them to do that if their team come out of the blocks quickly.

Saints have really struggled to do that this season.

They had to fight back to beat the likes of Exeter and Montpellier.

They were nervy throughout against Gloucester.

And they have not really clicked at any point.

Fans used to be on their feet more than they were off them.

Now it is like super glue is applied to the seats before games because the thrill simply isn’t there.

It is not all doom and gloom.

Saints are not Bristol, and let’s not forget they won their past four matches going into this gloomy game.

But they will have to step things up significantly if they are to compete with Leicester and Leinster, who they face in a Champions Cup double-header, in the coming weeks.

The return of men such as Louis Picamoles and George North, their marquee players, should help.

But Saints were not playing especially well with them in the team, so they will have to find a way for the whole squad to step up.

With a trip to Welford Road up next, nothing less than a huge showing will be acceptable.

Saints have not won at the home of their local rivals since 2007, and not at all under Mallinder.

It would be some turnaround if they were to break that duck this time round.

They have been doubted before and produced a big reaction.

But this would up there with the biggest of them all.

How they rated...

BEN FODEN

Unfortunately for the full-back, he will remember this match for the tackle he failed to make on Vereniki Goneva, with the Fiji wing scoring the winning try... 5

JAMIE ELLIOTT

Showed real determination throughout and the tough winger made some telling tackles as well as taking some high balls well... 6

LUTHER BURRELL

Endured a sticky start, but bounced back well, desperately trying to get Saints on the front foot and even joining in with some scrums... 6

RORY HUTCHINSON

Made some big tackles but it was a tough night for the Saints backs, who struggled to find a way through the Falcons defence... 5

TOM COLLINS

Tried to use his pace to trouble Newcastle, but in a compact game, largely a battle between the forwards, it was tough... 5

STEPHEN MYLER

Found it tough during the first half, but started to get a grip of the game during the second, pulling the strings and kicking well... 6

TOM KESSELL

Has performed well in recent weeks, but this wasn’t the best night for the scrum-half, whose pass was intercepted by Goneva for the winning try... 4

ALEX WALLER

Put in a decent shift in the scrum as Saints managed to win a few penalties, but it wasn’t enough... 6

MIKE HAYWOOD

Gave it 100 per cent as always, and desperately tried to help Saints battle back during the second half... 6

KIERAN BROOKES

Will know that he should not have reacted and will not need telling that he put his team-mates in even more trouble than they were already in... 3

JAMES CRAIG

Was the man sacrificed to make up for the loss of Brookes and will have been frustrated that he didn’t get longer to try to help to turn the tide... 5

CHRISTIAN DAY

The captain-for-the-day was a key man in the revival and losing him to injury certainly didn’t help Saints... 6

MICHAEL PATERSON

Shifted into the back row from the second row and put in a decent shift for the team, as always... 6

JAMIE GIBSON

Was so impressive at Worcester, but couldn’t have the same influence here as the Falcons fronted up well... 6

BEN NUTLEY

Came in for his first start of the season and wasn’t able to be as effective as he was at Worcester last week... 6

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

PAUL HILL (for Craig 47)

Played his part in helping Saints to stay strong at the scrum, but this was not an easy game to get into... 6

CHRON STAR MAN - Vereniki Goneva (Newcastle Falcons)