A mixed Sunday for Northants baseball. The Gold squad had no Division 4 fixture this weekend, resting up before a busy stretch, while the Maroon side travelled to face the Herts Raptors — the Division 5 East front-runners — in a re-arranged doubleheader. The Centurions 2 came up short in both games, but there were real positives in the second, where they went toe to toe with one of the division's best.

Division 4 — Northants Centurions
The Gold side were not in action this Sunday. After a hard-fought run of games through May, the weekend off comes at a useful time to rest arms and reset before the schedule picks back up. The Centurions' next outing is a pairing against Leicester 2sox on Sunday 21 June — two games the squad will fancy, with Leicester still searching for their first win of the campaign. Northants sit third in the Central conference on a 3–5 record, with plenty of season left to climb.

Division 5 — Northants Centurions 2 vs Herts Raptors
A tough but useful day's baseball for the Maroon squad, who ran into a Herts Raptors team sitting top of the East and unbeaten coming in. Two defeats on the road won't flatter the scoreline, but the second game showed exactly what this side is capable of against quality opposition.

Game One
NHC 4 – HTR 14 LOSS
The Raptors set the tone early and pulled away to a ten-run margin. Northants put four on the board but couldn't keep pace with the conference leaders, who have been one of the division's most productive offences all season.

Game Two
NHC 7 – HTR 11 LOSS
A far tighter contest. The Centurions 2 posted seven runs and stayed within four of the Raptors throughout — a marked step up from the opener and the kind of performance to build on. Keeping it to a four-run game against the side at the top of the table is a genuine positive heading into the rest of the season.

Standings Snapshot
Division 4 — Central Conference
Northants Centurions sit third of four on a 3–5 record. Milton Keynes Bucks 2 lead the way at 7–1, with Birmingham Bats close behind at 6–2; Leicester 2sox — next week's opponents — sit bottom at 0–8.

Division 5 — East Conference
The Herts Raptors stay top of the East with a perfect record, with Cambridge Monarchs and Essex Redbacks in behind. Northants Centurions 2 are still chasing their first win and sit on 0–4 after today's doubleheader — but there's a long season ahead and clear signs of progress to build on.

There's a lot to take from today. Two losses sting, but the Maroon squad's response in Game Two against the East's best gives them something concrete to carry forward — and the Gold side return refreshed next Sunday. Both Centurions teams have more to give in 2026.