Panesar panacea
Quality not quantity is a maxim Northamptonshire's director of cricket Kepler Wessels has been forced to adopt. With the county still struggling to make a profit, Wessels has had to contend with one of the smallest budgets in the country. It meant a big cull of players during the winter of 2004 - many of them home-grown, which annoyed some followers - and a concentration on the 1st XI, while praying there were no serious injuries.
To a great extent it worked, with third in the totesport League equalling the club's best finish in the one-day competition. And, after the critics' slating of Kolpak players, it was the emergence of a home-grown bowler that made this a season of two halves.
After trying to switch the County Ground and his team to a seaming strategy and not completing a Championship win at the halfway stage, Wessels was thankful to see the left-arm spinner Monty Panesar finally finish his Loughborough University degree, at the age of 23.
He took 46 wickets in eight games, galvanising his spin partner Jason Brown and the rest of the team to five wins and three near-misses. It was a late surge that saw them miss promotion by seven and a half points and ensure there are plenty of ifs and buts to ponder over the winter, not least the weather ruining winning chances at Somerset and Durham in the run-in. Brown and Panesar took 14 wickets in the impressive win over Lancashire and all 20 - 10 each - in the innings win over Yorkshire.
Usman Afzaal hit four centuries in the last four Championship games but after propping up the side last season he had plenty of allies this year with David Sales and Martin Love joining him past 1,000 runs and Bilal Shafayat only 18 runs short after signing from Notts. The one-day side will miss the death bowling partnership of Johann Louw and Damien Wright but, if Lance Klusener does join, they could well be serious one-day trophy contenders next summer. AP
Player of the Year Monty Panesar looked to be drifting out of the game, now back, and how.
High The second half of the season, showing spinners can win games.
Low The club's finances.