He joined Northamptonshire for domestic reasons for the 1997 season, making his debut for the county in that seasons AXA Life League against Warwickshire, a season in which he took 13 wickets in that format an average of 19.84, which included his then best figures of 4/39. He played his first County Championship match for the county in that season, against former county Middlesex. He would go on to play 11 first-class matches for Northamptonshire, spread over 3 seasons, with his final appearance coming against Derbyshire in the 1999 County Championship. He found his wickets harder to come by at the County Ground, taking 20 wickets at an average of 41.25, with best figures of 3/48. Used more often in List A cricket, Follett made 18 limited-overs appearances for the county, during which he took 29 wickets at an average of 23.82. However, further injuries limited his appearances for Northamptonshire: Follett didn't feature in List A cricket in 1999, instead playing a handful first-class cricket. He left Northamptonshire at the end of that season.
