It was a challenging Sunday for Northants baseball as both the Northants Centurions Gold and Northants Centurions Maroon suffered sweeps in their respective double-headers, leaving both sides searching for their first wins of the 2026 season.

Division 4 — Northants Centurions vs Birmingham Bats
The Centurions' Gold squad hosted the Birmingham Bats at home today in a Central Division double-header, and it proved to be a tough afternoon against one of the early pace-setters in the conference.
In Game One, the Bats came out firing and built a commanding lead, eventually running out winners 17–7. The scoreline tells a story of Birmingham's potent offence proving too much for Northants to contain over the course of the game, though the Centurions will have had their moments with seven runs of their own on the board.
Game Two provided the more dramatic contest of the afternoon, and the one that will arguably sting the most. Northants pushed hard throughout and had the Bats on the ropes — with the game going down to the wire before Birmingham edged it 14–13. A single run separated the two sides at the final out, and the Centurions will know they left a win on the field. Had that one gone their way, it would have been a very different complexion on the day.
The sweep leaves Northants Centurions sitting at 0–2 in the Central Division, joint bottom alongside Leicester 2sox, while Birmingham — one of two Central teams with a perfect 2–0 record alongside Milton Keynes Bucks 2 — continue to look like genuine contenders early in the season. The Centurions' first win cannot come soon enough, but the competitive showing in Game Two suggests the quality is there; it's just a matter of converting those close moments.

Division 5 — Northants Centurions 2 vs Herts Raptors
Over in Division 5, the Maroon squad had a tough trip away to Herts Raptors, who are fast establishing themselves as the team to beat in the East Division this season.
The Raptors were dominant in Game One, shutting out the Centurions 10–0 in an eye-catching performance that will have boosted Herts' confidence considerably. Northants struggled to get anything going offensively and were unable to trouble the Raptors' pitching, with the game ending in a shutout.
Game Two showed some improvement from the Maroon side — they got six runs on the board this time — but the Raptors remained in control throughout and wrapped up the doubleheader sweep with a 15–6 victory. Herts' pitching staff, led by Abdul El Hamri who has been outstanding early in the campaign, proved too strong across both games.
Northants Centurions 2 sit at 0–2 in the East Division standings, while the Raptors move to a perfect 2–0 at the top of the conference. It's still very early in the season, and the Centurions Maroon will have gained valuable experience from the day — particularly in how to compete against a well-organised top-division outfit.

Looking Ahead
Both Northants sides will be eager to regroup and get their first wins on the board as the season progresses. The Division 4 Centurions showed in the final moments of Game Two that they have the fight to compete — it just hasn't quite come together for the full seven innings yet. For the Maroon squad, development and cohesion will be key as they continue to find their feet in Division 5.

More action to come — keep supporting the Centurions!
— Northants Baseball