It was Northants’ 1,000th first class game at Wantage Road last week and the club celebrated by awarding demonstrative county caps to Alex Wakely and Jack Brooks.
Yet a similar amount of questions are still to be asked on on those players’ futures at Wantage Road in a far from first-class season.
The very public presentation in early August came as a surprise, especially for Brooks.
It’s almost as if he is getting the Monty Panesar treatment with the club letting everyone know he has a get-out clause in his deal and is available, his seemingly chronic back injury a real concern for cash-conscious Northants now.
To quote the club: “We have had no approaches yet for Jack.”
I do hope I’m wrong on that one.
With Wakely it won’t be so much about money and club loyalty but because of guys like James Taylor, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann walking straight into the England side once they signed for a big team.
I do feel we need to do more to keep Alex but I also feel he should be more positive with his batting if he wants to achieve anything with Northamptonshire if he does stay.
He really should be smashing some of this division two filth around the park. England will need a future captain and so maybe Andrew Hall needs to hand over the reigns next season to improve Alex’s England chances.
With five championship games to play in August and Vaas and Brooks’ backs as stressed as the international banking system it’s another season in division two as they both look like missing the run-in.
Willey will try his heart out with the new ball but without them on top form we simply don’t have the firepower any more.
This weather makes Derbyshire’s 20-plus point lead far healthier than it looks.
Victory over unbeaten second-placed team Yorkshire in last week’s home game had to happen for Northants to stay in the promotion hunt and close that 27-point gap to second.
It didn’t happen as the rain won the day yet again.
Yorkshire decided to bat first on a worn but fair-looking pitch and were duly bowled out in a day, with just enough humidity in the air and the pitch playing like an old mattress with varied bounce to allow that to happen.
If Stone and Willey got it in the right areas the ball would pop, the batsmen would hurry and the inner circle would catch them, simple as.
But Phil Jacques’ silly run-out at 148-2 really decided the day, Daggett pleasingly picking it up and two quick wickets soon after to drag it the home sides way at 64 for three.
I thought Daggs would struggle with the Dukes Ball this season – and those signature four balls he bowls – but as the temperature warms up so does his bowling consistency.
The second and third days offered sunshine then showers as Northants tried to construct a winning innings over two days.
Peters’ form has been particularly poor and he needed a big score. He has not been pushed for his place this season as we have no one else and so maybe that is the reason for his poor form.
But he did step up, a 66 partnership with Coetzer and 85 with Newton to secure the first batting point.
He is so critical to Northants hitting big scores in the championship and his first century for quite was a while very welcome.
A little middle-order tumble left it to Mr Muscle David Willey to blast a career-best 76 to chase down two more batting points.
It was an excellent, unselfish knock that secured that fourth batting point at 352 all out, always helping young Stone to settle at the crease.
If one cricketer has improved this year more than anyone else at Northampton it has to be Willey.
He is always aggressive and very positive, meaning he can turn games like Newton can.
They say Surrey are sniffing him but with Brooks in decline he is the man right now at Northampton, and the rightful owner of the golden headband.
It’s a shame his teammates haven’t been able to perform at his level of late.