Should we keep bringing in the experienced and battle-hardened South Africans we know will deliver (the Kolpaks), or should we try to assemble our own English qualified players from scratch through the youth system, hoping to put all the bits in the correct place to produce the finished article (the flatpacks), hopefully without a wobbly leg or a loose screw?

As we don't have any transfer fees in cricket, and you can't be guaranteed your best kids will make it after all the investment, time and coaching in your academies, it might not be worth it in the long run.

So it is inevitable that the poorer counties like us don't rely on those kids succeeding, going for the South Africans instead to get results that keep people's jobs.

In the meantime, the poor clubs hope one or two of the kids come through, while learning from the Kolpaks and their obvious experience and will to win.

With Kolpak availability already past its peak as the ECB look to thin them out next year, I personally think we were right to cash in when we did at Wantage Road.

The failure to beat a rather raw Cardiff University Cricket Centre of Excellence at the NCG last week without the Kolpaks was an example of my argument.

While the UCCE game was about the Welsh lads getting some experience, presumably for us it was about trying to figure out which English guys will join David Sales and the Saffies for the coming campaigns, now Hall and Van der Wath (VDW) have arrived.

Rob White and Stephen Peters seem to be safe in the short term by their non-selection for what was effectively a trial against the Welsh, while the usual suspects stepped up their performance in the game to claim what looks like the three places going in the first 11 when Monty goes home to the Test team.

With Fugitives rock legend Steve Crook aggravating his guitar finger after another meaty 50, it just left the gloves and one bowling and batting slot in the best 12 up for grabs.

Alex Wakely and Riki Wessels cracked boundary-packed hundreds to again prove they were far too good for this level, while Niall O'Brien weighed in with 60 to stake his claim as pinch-hitter and gloveman in the one-day team.

Andrew Crook seemed to rule himself out of contention with two woeful scores worthy of the bass guitar in his brother's rock band, while young Mark Nelson failed to cash in and impress against ragged bowling.

It was also the first appearance of the season for Richard Logan (the drummer of the band by far), but David Lucas was again far superior to his opening partner with six for 36 in the first innings to prove himself on lead axe to grab that final bowling place in the first 11 – if we go with one spinner.

The game may have been more about the opposition getting first-class experience, but I think it confirmed Capes' 12 for the season – the band that will have to play in tune now the instruments are polished.

The Kolpak debate continued for the next match in what was a huge weekend for Capel in the Friends Provident Trophy.

We were well out of the competition at this time last season with our woeful seam attack, but in the box seat going into Saturday's game against the Leicestershire Foxes at the NCG.

There were at least 11 Proteas out there, and one wag quipped it was a Castle Cup match!

But it was the extreme irony that coach Capes had too many quality bowlers to pick from that was his tactical error here and cost us defeat.

He felt he had to play his new boys and Paneser, and so sending out a batting-light side to a damaging seven-run defeat.

I agreed with the three-spinner tactic as the pitch was slow and prepared for it, their 16 overs going for just 74 runs.

But by also playing his best seamers, the spinners weren't bowled enough and the Foxes seemed to milk the pace with ease.

Ackerman's intelligent hundred was the decisive factor, guiding them to a useful 268 on a placid pitch.

Hall's one for 58 was rusty, but Klusener's none for 45 from seven overs with the new white ball was predicted.

Because the Steelboks team was effectively upside down, the lack of batting early on had us again 100 for five, but this time the Afrikaans' middle-order was unable to take control of the game and press on, as some excellent Leicestershire bowling and field placement strangled the game for us.

This match was done and dusted by over 45 of 50.

Fair play to O'Brien for trying to play pinch-hitter and then holding up one end when the boys were becalmed, but you have to say there were too many chefs and not enough sustenance on the plate to keep the run-chase going.

The team looked bewildered out there at times.