FORCE India’s Nico Hulkenberg was second fastest on the first day of the second Formula 1 pre-season test in Barcelona yesterday, hot on the heels of reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.

CORBY is an unlikely stopping off sandwich point to link San Jose and Texas but truth as they say, is much stranger than fiction.

Northampton Saints have announced a trio of new contracts for current players – prop Tom Mercey, wing Anders Mogensen and hooker Ross McMillan.

THE car Strakka Racing will field in this year’s World Endurance Championship exceeded all expectations in its initial shakedown test, leaving the team in good shape ahead of the first race of the season in just over three weeks’ time, according to the Silverstone-based squad.

Chris Ashton will be on a wing and a prayer when England tackle Wales in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations showdown at Twickenham.

IT wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t enough to drag them out of the npower League Two drop zone, but the Cobblers completed back-to-back wins with a tense victory over Macclesfield Town.

MERCEDES GP’s new car will allow the Brackley-based team to take “the next step forward” in on-track performance, according to boss Ross Brawn.

ASHLEY WESTWOOD believes George Rolls is getting “closer and closer” to completing a takeover at Kettering Town.

AIDY BOOTHROYD revealed he had ‘a bit of a moan’ at his Cobblers players after last night’s win over Macclesfield despite it being the side’s second win on the spin.

PAUL DORAN-JONES is hoping to get a starting spot for Saints to press his claims to be in the England side.

Courtney Lawes looks set to return to the England side for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Wales at Twickenham.

AIDY BOOTHROYD won’t be making too many changes to his Town team sheet for tonight’s visit of a struggling Macclesfield side to Sixfields.

FORMER British Boxing Board of Control general secretary John Morris believes the sport has been brought into disrepute by the brawl between Dereck Chisora and David Haye at a press conference at the weekend.

Cheshire Juniors 96- Northants Thunder 83: Big contributions from Piers Toone, Sam Round and Matt Yates weren’t enough to prevent Thunder from slipping to a Junior Men’s Premier Division North defeat against Cheshire Juniors last Saturday.

ANOTHER week and yet more uncertainty, but the message from Kettering Town caretaker-manager Ashley Westwood is clear.

JIM MALLINDER says Lee Dickson deserves to start for England against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

THE mother of former Cobblers’ trainee Richard Butcher has urged the town to get behind the team as it fights to avoid relegation from the football league.

Northampton Town have signed Bradford City goalkeeper Matt Duke on loan to the end of the season.

JIM MALLINDER described Saints’ grind to victory over Sale as “workmanlike” as they kept their place in the Premiership’s top four.

ASHLEY WESTWOOD insists his Kettering Town players know what they need to do to avoid relegation from the Blue Square Bet Premier.