NORTHANTS T20: Farcical start to county cup competition for Oundle Town and Peterborough Town

There was a farcical start to the revamped Northants T20 Cup competition today (May 20).
Peterborough Town skipper David Clarke during his brilliant innings of 123 for Peterborough Town against Horton House yesterday (Saturday). Photo: David Lowndes.Peterborough Town skipper David Clarke during his brilliant innings of 123 for Peterborough Town against Horton House yesterday (Saturday). Photo: David Lowndes.
Peterborough Town skipper David Clarke during his brilliant innings of 123 for Peterborough Town against Horton House yesterday (Saturday). Photo: David Lowndes.

The event switched from a straight knockout competition on Tuesday nights to Sunday afternoons with group stages for the 2018 season, even though this interfered with Rutland League commitments of the two most successful teams of the recent era, Oundle Town and Peterborough Town. The logic was teams would find it easier to fulfil fixtures.

Oundle and Peterborough were due to start their scheduled today, but opponents Northampton Saints and Rushton, two Premier Division sides, both conceded after failing to raise a team!

Saints and Rushton have now been thrown out of this year’s competition and next year’s. Town also have Wollaston and Finedon in their group, while Oundle are in a group with Geddington and Brixworth,