Doh! Yep, it's a very different deal at the NCG these days as the County look to go green, our sponsorship deal with the recycling company encouraging those seaming pitches for the likes of Wiggers.

It's a strategy we really should exploit more as we have one of the best fast bowlers in the division in van der Wath, who can blast the top order out anywhere if given these tops, although he does seem to have more breaks than Steve Davis after the first five overs.

After three straight draws the pitch was bang-on from the ground staff and a comprehensive championship victory that had been coming was the reward, with Leicestershire put to the sword by eight wickets last week – Capes' first win for a month.

Paul Nixon inserted Northamptonshire on a lazy warm day, an opportunity Boje and co weren't going to turn their noses up at.

A stoic Sales was really in the mood as he ground out one of his best centuries. These are the innings that get noticed somewhere on high, although there were no selectors in the dice-shake of a crowd to see it.

And on that topic, if a guy who has only 11 first-class games under his belt by the age of 29 can get a game for Vaughan's team then so can David Sales.

If Sales had learned his skills in Australia then he would have had 30 caps by now! And how ironic that the Pattinson selection was based on him plying his trade in another country's domestic championship, Kolpak style. Nice one Ashley!

Nixon's face was as red as that recycling company's strawberry logo as Northants batted out the first day for only four wickets down, with Sales restrained on the slow top from his normal aggressive game, forcing the bad balls for four and never getting flustered.

With everyone bar O'Brien chipping in around him and Klusener as ever by his side with another quality 50 and a ton partnership, the match was all but won on day one as the humidity rose.

We are really going to miss Zulu if he does retire in September from first-class cricket and I personally would have him here just on a batting contract if that's possible.

If the first day was slow and low then the second was chaos, the ball swerving and bouncing around like a Cruise Missile down a Baghdad street. As long as the quick bowlers pointed it in roughly the right direction the target would be taken out. The collateral damage was 17 wickets in a day at Wantage Road and none to the spinners!

After Sales was out, taking his innings as far as it could go in the unplayable swing at 151, Klusener was gone soon after as 320-5 became 373 all out. But it would be Leicestershire who got the worst of the barmy air, with only Allenby able to find any resistance in the first innings as they were skittled for 173.

Lucas mopped up from his favourite Wantage Road End with four and van der Wath and Hall split the other six. Whenever the ants take to the air you know the wickets will tumble.

With both Worcestershire and Essex winning, a victory was vital. The bowling was much better second time around; some spin, seam and swing on offer in equal measure to enthuse the tiring attack. The early Leicestershire order was again as unsteady as a certain ex-Northants bowler from the 1970s at the bar a couple of weeks back as the wickets were spread around neatly for 226 all out.

Nixon was unable to repair his odd decision to put us in with his fighting 73, before Sales and White sealed a cracking eight-wicket win. The boys came off that pitch high and I'm sure will match that effort with a back-to-back win at Chesterfield this week.

Who will follow Crook?
Somebody who won't be enjoying cricket at Northants in two years time is Andrew Crook, who suffered the humiliation of being released from his playing contract before Richard Logan.

He's now working the commercial and media side at Wantage Road and I believe he was further humbled in that he had to write up his own departure statement on the website!

Riki Wessels is also out of contract and has gone backwards since the mutiny and you can't see Johann Louw being invited back as Tagg begins to hoard his cash to pay for the compulsory floodlights – now quoted at £1m and rising.

Browny is also facing the axe as an impatient Graeme White outgrows the seconds. And as for 'Iron Gloves' O'Brien – well his game was made for Twenty20.

A good slog, a missed stumping and his flashy gloves the hallmark of Northants one-day failures this season.