Peterborough and Northampton Croquet Clubs battle it out at Central Park, Peterborough Credit: Adam Hughes / SWNS A centuries-old battle over how to pronounce a river name was decided by a game of croquet on Sunday. The River Nene originates in Northamptonshire and runs for 100 miles through Cambridgeshire and Norfolk before flowing into The Wash. But for generations there has been controversy over the way it is pronounced – locals in Northampton say "Nen" while 40 miles away in Peterborough they say "Neen". When a long-awaited local croquet derby was planned, the two sides decided to up the stakes by making it a decider on the pronunciation.