It was the kind of Sunday afternoon Northants Baseball supporters have been
waiting for. After a frustrating start to the campaign, the Gold squad finally got off the
schneid in the sunniest possible way — taking both halves of a home doubleheader
against Leicester 2sox to record their first wins of the 2026 season.

The Centurions 2 Maroon side were not in action this weekend, with the next fixture pencilled in for Sunday 24 May away at the Essex Redbacks. So all eyes today were on Division 4,
and the Gold team delivered.

Division 4 — Northants Centurions vs Leicester 2sox
A home doubleheader against Central Conference rivals Leicester 2sox
provided exactly the platform the Gold side needed. The Centurions had opened
their season with two narrow defeats and were sitting bottom of the conference
alongside today's visitors. By the close of play, the picture looked very different: two
convincing wins, plenty of runs on the board, and a real sense that the bats have
arrived.

Game One: NHC 14 – LE2 7
The Centurions wasted no time setting the tone in the opener, putting up a
comfortable seven-run cushion en route to a 14-7 victory. The Gold offence looked
balanced and aggressive throughout — exactly what we'd hoped to see at home —
and the pitching staff did the job when it mattered. After two close losses earlier in
the campaign, simply getting that first win in the book was the big story; doing it by
seven runs was the cherry on top.

Game Two: NHC 20 – LE2 7
If Game One was about getting the monkey off the back, Game Two was about
pressing the advantage. The Centurions emphatically did just that, plating 20 runs
and finishing the day with a 13-run win. This was the kind of complete team
performance the Gold squad have been building toward all season — runs
distributed up and down the lineup, hard contact in key spots, and a comfortable
margin that allowed everyone to contribute. A 34-14 aggregate score on the day
says everything about how Northants controlled this matchup.

There has been quiet form to point to: Simon Shaw is currently sitting near the top of
the Division 4 batting averages and is the team leader in innings pitched, while Yulyn
Helm is among the league's RBI leaders heading into today. With confidence flowing
after a sweep like this, more of those numbers should follow.

MVP and pitching-line callouts can be added on request once the club has
confirmed who took the mound and who came up biggest at the plate.

Division 5 — Northants Maroon
The Maroon squad were not scheduled to play this weekend. After back-to-back
doubleheaders against Herts Raptors (19 April) and Essex Redbacks (26 April) to
open the season, the team have a fortnight to regroup before getting back on the
field. Next up is a return trip to Essex on Sunday 24 May, where the Centurions 2 will
look to build on the split they earned in Chelmsford last month. Plenty to play for, and
a couple of weeks of training to sharpen things up.

Standings Snapshot
In Division 4 Central, the Gold's two wins are a meaningful shake-up. Leicester 2sox
now sit at 0-4 in the conference, while Northants move to 2-2, leapfrogging into midtable contention behind early pacesetters Birmingham Bats and Milton Keynes
Bucks 2 (both 2-0 going into today, with Birmingham losing once today as well —
Birmingham defeated MK Bucks 2 17-8 in the morning before falling 14-10 to MK in
the afternoon). The conference picture is still wide open, and a sweep day like this
one is exactly how to climb the table.

In Division 5 East, Herts Raptors continue to lead the conference at 2-0 (with a
sweep over Essex Redbacks today), with Cambridge Monarchs close behind. The
Maroon side will look to climb the table once they return to action on 24 May.