The storm system that washed out Sunday's home Pro40 game was yet another ominous portent for Spartan Capello and Emperor Tagg (think Toga and coronet!) up on the balcony as the distant thunderheads grumbled the fans' discontent, flicking out intimidating lighting bolts like a lizard's tongue in pointed accusation over this result.

This was Capello's embarrassing Paul Robinson moment as the ball trickled between his legs in a vital game we should have won, the angry jeers from the Blue Seat boo-boys now reaching John Emburey levels at the ground, which, on the Northamptonshire disillusionment scale, is one off the fatal Bob Carter lynching.

Yes, Glamorgan played some hard cricket, but this was a home banker if there ever was one.

The big players did not nail the win.

You don't win promotion if you don't put Glamorgan away on your own patch, and with the Welsh at 95 for four with two sessions to go on the final day pitch and the ball in Monty's hands, we should have won and now be sitting second.

If it's possible for a team to lose a draw, then this was it.

If Warwickshire win this week against champions-elect Worcestershire, then the season of so much promise will come crashing down all around us, the final twinkle of silver reduced to the absurdity of Steeler's Twenty20 boogie trophy.

Whether it was gormless officiating from umpires Headless and Chicken over bad light, the realisation for Monty and his fans that he is no longer a Test bowler or the fact the team isn't as good as we hoped when weather gave them enough time to win a game, whichever way you look at it, taking more than 110 overs to bowl out Glamorgan wasn't clever.

Considering how important the game was and how impressive captain for the day Lance Klusener looked in his club blazer for the toss, Northants just didn't seem on their toes from ball one after Glamorgan inserted themselves on a decent pitch.

A total of 287 all out was perhaps 50 more than we wanted them to get so we could control the game, but with the full quota of bowling points in the bag – van der Wath certainly earning his cigarettes with three fine spells for five for 55 – the game was set up for Northants to bat the Welsh back to the valleys and claim the full points quota.

It seems Rob White is back to normal after securing his new deal, while Sales (25) got in and then out for his contracted thousand runs before opener Niall O'Byes took up the challenge to score a fighting and energetic career-best hundred.

The chirpy Irishman may not be able to keep for toffee, but whatever you think of Iron Gloves, he really has exceeded his ability with the bat this season and made that rather unique pinch-hitting championship opener role his own, plugging a huge hole that really should have been filled in the winter with a regulation bat.

And this century was certainly not a slog. It was full of energetic running, imaginative angles and powerful cuts.

The ever-reliable Klusener joined in at the crease when we were rocking at 111 for four for an equally impressive effort in a 211 partnership that would secure the bonus points, before Niall's aggression ended him on 168.

Alas, the way captain Klusener batted on and on on Friday afternoon looked more like he was interested in that maiden first-class double-ton before he retires than judging the right declaration to be a captain next season.

There was a very slow hour in that mid-afternoon session that may have cost us the game if he's honest; especially as he knew the gormless umpires would be off when ever a cloud went over the sun.

There would definitely be another chance for Northants to beat Glamorgan in the near future, but not for Zulu to score that precious double, securing his 1,000 runs in the process for the third straight Northants season.

I just love watching Lance bat as he has all the shots and revels in improvising – flicking, driving and glancing all the sectors when required.

But this six-hour innings did suggest he won't be back next year.

With 42 overs lost to 'bad' light by the end of day three, it was decided that 488 for eight declared with that 200 lead would be the best way to discourage Glamorgan putting up a fight.

With a big game at Scarborough in the Pro40 for Glammy the next day, we all hoped they would be in no mood to hang around, and at 96 for four at lunch on the final day it looked that way.

Monty would surely tie them up in knots for his regulation five-for and send Northants second.

But Jamie Dalrymple dropped anchor and it became 180 for five at tea and with Glamorgan full of pride and fight under Crofty, despondency set in amongt the irritable home fans.

Surely we wouldn't blow it? By the time we did bowl them out there was just enough time to knock them off, but experienced bowling from Wharf and Gillespie produced the supreme irony of the season, that a team that was specifically assembled to win the Twenty20 , couldn't even get near the 38 runs from five overs with 10 wickets in hand to win!

It's the age old problem at Northants in the raw here.

We have the highest batting points by far in the league at 47, but the lowest but one bowling ones at 33.

We can't bowl sides out twice, and when we do it's never quick enough.

That's not Capel's fault or Mark Tagg's, that's just the way it's always been.

Monty or van der Wath should have taken those guys apart on Saturday, and the supposedly top-class players brought in this year to help a struggling team really need to look at themselves and their performances in critical game phases, and accept they let people down – especially themselves.