Jeetan Patel's four wickets helped Warwickshire make it three wins from three Clydesdale Bank 40 Group C games with an easy eight-wicket victory over Northamptonshire yesterday.

Durham's attempt to lift themselves off the bottom of the First Division and record their first win of the Championship season was thwarted by a spirited Somerset side on the second day at Taunton.

A seven-year-old boy has died after being rescued from a house fire.

Northampton rugby director Jim Mallinder has agreed a new contract with the Aviva Premiership club.

Harlequins 25 Northampton Saints 23

Harlequins 25 Northampton 23

West Indies 147 England Lions 40-1

The Netherlands posted an impressive total of 239 for 6 in their first Clydesdale Bank Pro40 fixture of the season, against Gloucestershire yesterday. After losing the toss and being put in at Bristol, the Dutch reached their total thanks to Stephanus Myburgh's impressive 77, which featured 11 fours and two sixes, and Cameron Borgas's 38. Ed Young, who picked up 2 for 31, was the pick of Gloucestershire's bowlers.

Northampton Saints 42 Worcester Warriors 14: Northampton reach semi-finals but wing suffers spasm after scoring opener

Some 75 pupils  thought to have been hard at work practising for event this summer

Up to 75 young people aged between nine and 19 have been conned into believing they could take part in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, police said yesterday.

A 35-year-old man and 31-year-old woman have been arrested in Northampton and London as part of an ongoing investigation into a potential fraud in the run-up to the Olympics.

People were cautioned to keep away from swollen rivers today as dozens of flood warnings remained in place after heavy rain across parts of England.

Somerset batsman Nick Compton has been rewarded for his prolific form in a so-far bowler-friendly season with a place in a 12-man England Lions squad to play West Indies at Northampton from 10 May.