City side must clear their biggest hurdle at Bretton Gate

Cricket - The reigning Northants Premier Division champions are in town

Peterborough Town face their biggest remaining obstacle to their bid to win another Northants Premier Division title on Saturday.

Reigning champions Old Northamptonians are at Bretton Gate (noon) and Town skipper David Clarke believes they are the most dangerous threat to his team’s current status as top-flight top dogs.

ONs, who went through last season unbeaten, are currently third 14 points behind Town who are one of three teams to have beaten them this summer.

There should be a bumper Bretton Gate crowd to watch the action as the match coincides with Town’s popular annual Chairman’s Day.

“It’s a game we’re all looking forward to,” Clarke stated. “There’s always a decent crowd watching on Chairman’s Day which adds a bit to the occasion.

“Hopefully we’ll be the ones inspired in what is bound to be a tough match, probably the toughest of all the games we have left.

“ONs have some quality players and they will still believe they can retain their title even though they’ve lost a few games this summer.

“I’ve always said the matches between the top four will decide who wins the league and ONs are the first of those games. We played well when we beat them at their place and we will have to play well again on Saturday. It should be a close, exciting game between two top teams.”

Oundle actually moved into the top four after last Saturday’s rained off game against Town, but Clarke sees the games at home to secondplaced Rushton on August 26 and at fifth-placed Finedon on September 9 as the other key clashes of the summer.

Oundle will do well to maintain their title push as leading players Hanno Kotze and Cameron Wake will be unavailable from August 12.

Alex Mitchell returns to the Town team on Saturday in place of second-team skipper Kyle Medcalf.

Clarke doesn’t expect fast bowler David Sayer to have recovered from his latest back complaint in time to play.

(12.30pm) Division Two - Great Shelford v Ufford Park, Sawston & Babraham v Castor.

South Lincs League

(1pm) League Cup semi-final - Claypole v Long Sutton.

(1pm) Premier Division - Billingborough v Market Deeping 2nds, Sleaford 2nds v Stamford Town, Spalding 2nds v Grantham 2nds.

(1pm) Division One - Skegness 2nds v Welby Cavaliers.

(1pm) Division Two - Long Sutton v Freiston.

Hunts League

(1pm) Division One - Burghley Park v Hampton, Eaton Socon v AK 11, Newborough v Ramsey 2nds, Stamford Town v Southill Park.

(1pm) Division Two - Alconbury v Peterborough Town 3rds, Barnack v Bharat Sports.

(1pm) Division Three - Biggleswade v Ramsey 3rds, Falcon v Burghley Park 2nds, Orton Park 2nds v Huntingdon 2nds, Upwood v Sawtry.

(1pm) Division Four - Bretton v Hemingford Park, Ickwell v King’s Keys, Ketton 2nds v Newborough 2nds, Little Paxton v Castor 2nds, Werrington v Kimbolton 2nds.

Sunday, July 30 Minor Counties Championship

Eastern Division - Bucks v Cambs (first day of three at Chesham).

National Twenty/20 Cup

Midlands semi-final - Bourne v West Indian Cavaliers, followed by a final.

Rutland League

(1pm) Division One - Bourne v Barnack, Market Deeping v Grantham, Nassington v Ketton, Peterborough Town v Stamford Town, Wisbech v Oundle.

(1pm) Division Two - Burghley Park v Uffington, King’s Keys v Castor, Newborough v March, Uppingham v Ufford Park, Whittlesey v Weldon/

(1pm) Division Three East - Alconbury v Ramsey, Long Sutton v Hampton.

(1pm) Division Three West - Finedon v Easton-on-the-Hill.

(1pm) Division Four East - Castor 2nds v Market Deeping 2nds, Spalding v Uffington 2nds.

(1pm) Division Four West - Hampton 2nds v Barton Seagrave, Huntingdon v Benefield, Sawtry v Peterborough Town 2nds, Weldon v Laxton.

Hunts League

(1pm) Division Five - Addida v Houghton & Wyton.

Town’s Joe Dawborn admires his handiwork after running out Rushton skipper Andy Reynoldson in the Northants Twenty/20 semi-final.