This is mainly due to the start of the cold spell down at Fengate and excuses include decorating, Christmas shopping and taking the kids to the panto.

They thought they'd heard them all. That was until this week, when on Tuesday evening burly fourth team vice-captain Sam (short for Samantha?) Sargeant announced he would be unavailable this Saturday.

"I have to paint my girlfriend's new nail bar shop," he confessed.

And I bet it's pink!


Cat turns foxy . . .

RUMOUR has it that Nene Valley Harrier Cat Foley is a foxy lady.

Foley's name appeared in the official results of the National Cross-Country Relays as Cat Foxey.

Mind you, for someone whose e-mail address begins with 'nuttytart' perhaps this should come as no surprise.


Surprise, surprise!

RICHARD Berry, the house manager at Peterborough Milton Golf Club, prides himself on being a smart operator. Not much goes on at the Castor club without him knowing . . . or so he thought.

Well, the other weekend, right in front of his nose, family and friends spent the whole day organising his surprise 40th birthday party at the club.

He simply didn't have a clue and wasn't even suspicious when the disco people arrived and fobbed him off with a fib about testing their equipment for a do the next night.

Richard certainly wasn't in party-mood when everyone suddenly jumped out at him. He said he didn't like surprises but him getting the hump probably had much more to do with the fact that he'd been well and truly hoodwinked.

Thankfully he did loosen up after a few glasses of wine, and was spotted at midnight slurring his way through 500 Miles by The Proclaimers.


Beaumont's bashing

MEMBERS of Peterborough Rugby Club's X-Men will think twice in future about turning out for the opposition if they're short of players . . . especially if Darren 'Punchy' James is playing for the city side.

This follows what happened to poor old Justin Beaumont the other Saturday after he agreed to help out Huntingdon seconds.

Towards the end of the game, Beaumont found himself below a pile of bodies and being rabbit-punched repeatedly on the head.

Turns out James had been the offender, but he explained that he had been punching with his eyes shut and only realised when he opened them that the bald head he had been pummelling was that of his own club stalwart Beaumont!