Standard Bank League: Titans prepare for quarters (9 March 1999)

9 March 1999

Standard Bank League: Titans prepare for quarters

Trevor Chesterfield

CENTURION (South Africa) - Peter Kirsten plans to put his feet up tomorrow and catch up on a little television viewing and the soapie he plans to look at is the Fochville crunch where Free State play North West in the play offs for the Standard Bank Cup quarter-finals.

The winner of this particular match in the slogs meets Northerns at SuperSport Centurion next week as the second phase of the limited-overs pyjama party takes over from the A Section series won by Western Province.

This was the game Northerns had hoped to get entangled with Border but a lack of batting points queered those plans no matter how the genial Titans coach, Kirsten, laid down bonus points targets for his charges.

Not to worry, the chance of collecting a second trophy looms and Kirsten was quietly happy about the progress of preparations for the quarter-final Friday week at home, which the coach admits could be an interesting game.

"Both sides are strong competitors in the limited-overs arena and I'll be taking a close look at them on television," he said. "We have played both teams, but it does no harm to get another view of your opposition, especially to see if there is anything new."

What has been pleasing is the form of the three Northerns players appearing fro the SA President's XI against England A at Newlands over the weekend. Greg Smith, a late replacement;for Mornantau Hayward, bowled as well as he has in his career, but again without luck. Two for 53 in 29 overs and two for 73 in 31 overs tells only half the story. Kirsten called in at Newlands to get a sight of Smith and David Townsend bowl and Martin van Jaarsveld bat.

Although statistics tell one story facts give you a broader picture. And the way Derek Crookes, the SA President's XI captain, tells it, Smith and Townsend bowled without a lot of luck, swinging the ball nicely and bending it around enough to have the England A top five batsmen playing and missing so often they were fortunate to get away with edged shots falling short.

Both bowlers had catches put down in the slips and gully positions.

Van Jaarsveld picked off as good a century as has been played this season. Asked to get 440 the President's XI managed 393 to go down by 46 runs with the Titans batsman scoring 147 off 314 balls. It was a monumental innings of studied concentration and fluent strokeplay.

"It is a pity he didn't get the runs for us in the A Section matches when we needed them, but it was good to see him bat the way he did," said Kirsten yesterday.

What was particularly special about Van Jaarsveld's century was that it was against a bowling line up which included a couple of England test players and fringe caps and that he looked the part of a batsman in touch with his game. He also showed the he has as much class as Boeta Dippenaar who did not have a particularly memorable game.

"Had we someone to stay with Jarre (van Jaarsveld) in the latter part of his innings we could have won the game," said Crookes with a touch of confidence.

Kirsten has planned a middle net at L C de Villiers tomorrow (thursday subs) and a build up on Friday and early next week with a session under lights. The squad for the game against either Free State or north West is being put together next Tuesday.

Free State go to Fochville because they finished lower on the final log in the league,, but as Corrie van Zyl said, North West have become a dangerous side at the mining town venue slap in the middle of the province.

In other games Natal are at home to Easterns and Western Province play Boland at Newlands.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News