And it wasn't 'total cricket' from Capes and co either against Surrey in the championship last week at the NCG – the home side comfortably the lemons.
Old favourites Andre Nel and Usman Afzaal were the decisive factor in the visitors' star-packed
side, both smashing championship bests to prove a point – all twenty-one of them – as Surrey claimed their first championship win since 2007.
In front of a healthy crowd, swanky Surrey (with their own cocktail bar and parasol on the players' balcony!) won the toss (of which Nicky Boje has lost all five in the championship so far) and effectively elected to win on a track with a tinge of green by bowling first and actually bothering for once.
The first day movement proved decisive, with Nel the man with six for 36. His all arms-legs-and-snarling action disguising his distinct loss of pace since he played for us, but he was still sharp enough to make his point.
Andre is always great entertainment, with the NCG all the motivation he needed to skittle us for 209 on a 300 track.
The returning Stephen Peters, itching for first-class cricket, put up the best resistance and hit 10 crisp fours in his 59.
He has hit the ground running and that is the only good news for our increasingly fragile first five now that David Sales is out for the season.
Everyone who reads this column or supports Northamptonshire will miss Sales and that vital 1,000 runs at number four, a gap we probably won't be financially able to plug this season.
One of the young ones can now grab their chance. And one of them has to.
Against Surrey the boys soon fell away with some rusty shots, clearly not yet shaking the T20 out of their game and missing the buzz.
Andrew Hall was particularly woeful when lifting his bat to be clean bowled halfway down the stumps after clouting four boundaries.
It didn't do young Mark Nelson's confidence much good either coming in at three to face the snorting Nel.
The only other batting on show was Monty Panesar in front of the England selectors no less, providing the late order entertainment that he hasn't been doing in the T20, with some lusty blows.
He ended up one short of his career best with 38 well crafted runs. Could he open with Alastair Cook we wonder?
Surrey's reply was tentative against a Northants attack that has been at its best on first day pitches this season.
Johan van der Wath and David Lucas got plenty of swing and seam early on, and David Wigley picked up three good wickets.
He is the most improved player this season, but he couldn't get any worse let's face it.
I and many others have given him stick over the years, but he has certainly responded and no longer gets annihilated with the newer hard ball. That's all we ask.
The 'jester in the pack' role has comfortably been passed to Monty, yet again ineffective to the point of infuriation.
He was allowed to bowl and bowl to no avail, faster and flatter as the match ground on, helping Surrey into a winning position.
Blue Seats favourite Afzaal scored freely, putting on 130 with Batty and then 184 with Aussie Ryan Harris, with no pressure applied at all by Boje in the sunshine as all his bowlers went to the ropes.
For some reason, Harris was allowed to bat with a runner for all of his 94, a guy clearly not that restricted by his injury, smashing 16 boundaries with two sixes.
The cheeky monkey even asked to have line painted for his runner as he knew he wasn't going anywhere fast!
Or maybe we just bowled rubbish against him.
If you're interested it's another Aussie, DJ Buckingham, who holds the first-class record at 150 for having a runner from ball one.
It was so easy for Surrey on a warm afternoon on a drying wicket that you felt Capes and Boje were leaned on to bowl Monty as much as possible in the match, so England can make an early decision on him for the first Test.
If that's the case, it's yet another example of the negatives of central contracts.
Surely that decision should be made on this week's match against Glamorgan on that dodgy Swalec Test square.
Two wickets in 15 matches for Monty going into the Cardiff game makes embarrassing reading though, as was his fielding against Surrey.
When Monty warms up to bowl down at cow corner by swinging his arms and hopping around on one foot it reminds me more of his cartwheeling fielding!
But hopefully he will take a load of wickets in the second innings against Glamorgan and all will be well.
Afzaal, as slow and laidback as ever at the crease, took the opportunity to post his career best score of 204 to remind us what we are missing. Uzi wouldn't have done his minuscule Test chances any harm either in front of Geoff Miller with back-to-back hundreds.
The guy is a class act and a Test player in every way, almost mocking the bowling in his phlegmatic way at the NCG.
Surrey posting 530 was very disappointing. Northants were as flat and lifeless as the pitch throughout the innings.
There was no noise or geeing up from captain Boje, clearly carrying that injury niggle on his mind.
Lucas impressed the most with the ball for his three for 83, but Wigs let himself down again with some late tap to wreck the good work.
David Murphy, replacement keeper for Iron Gloves (Niall O'Brien) and Riki Wessels, was very neat and tidy and looks a good prospect. Well he is a wicketkeeper after all!
The news on Riki wasn't great, apparently developing pneumonia from gastric flu, and being kept in hospital for observation.
Get well soon and leave those nurses alone was the instruction!
Northants' second innings mirrored our first, the first four soon back in the hutch, with Peters the only one to grasp what was needed on this type of pitch with another studied 50, every run earnt.
Hall also tried desperately to find his start of season form with 45.
Some late hitting by van der Wath took the score over 200 and into the last day, but Monty was left unbeaten to slope off the pitch as Schofield showed him how to bowl spin on the same pitch with five for 40. An innings and 95-run defeat was a fair result. Monty can't buy a wicket right now.
All three innings saw both teams four down for less than 100, with both bowling well with the new ball.
But it was Surrey's batting depth (and some dropped catches) that won the match from number five, with future centurions looking in short supply for Northants.
This was definitely a match for Zulu (Lance Klusener) to rescue.
We have to sort the batting order out fast,so why not try David Willey at three?
The kid wants responsibility, and as the coach didn't seem to trust his bowling much in this match for an all-rounder, it may be worth a try.
We can easily pile into the lads for a wretched defeat, but for me their heads will still be on Planet Twenty20.
I feel subconsciously they know the championship is not their top priority, the subliminal message from their chief exec coming through loud and clear – 'reach the quarter-finals!'
But we have the chance to put things right very quickly this week by beating Glammy and getting back in the chase, what the wage bill and fans of proper cricket demand.
And despite a difficult opening couple of days in that match, I still have a good feeling that will happen.
Come on Monty!
