JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng president Barry Skjoldhammer is just the sort of fair-minded guy who would decide that it was time to be ``kind to neighbours night'' and for a change wear the opposition's gaudy neckwear, even if was only to display a sense of tactic support for whom he called the ``underdog''.

Only his guests refused skulk into the kennel. Instead they just about chewed off the good natured Skjoldhammer's hand last night, and on an evening of surprises, shocks and upsets in the Standard Bank League day night series.

Skjoldhammer's guests, Northerns Titans, showed character and fighting-spirit equal to their name and stormed to an improbable five-wicket victory in a raucous bullring, a result which means they not only elbowed Gauteng out of the running but have almost clinched at least one trophy this season, the Standard Bank League.

This, the Gauteng president was gently ribbed, made possible through the batting heroics of Dirkie de Vos and Quentin Ferreira, the latter a former local who having sought riches elsewhere has now switched his rags for the smarter Titan garb.

Amid this we had lowly, down at heel Easterns upsetting Western Province at snooty Newlands in Cape Town and along the coast Natal just about wrecked Border's chances by eating the so-called chocolate soldiers in East London. All good stuff for the day/night fans.

At least Natal have moved upwards to secure a quarter-final spot in the Standard Bank Cup series in March.

Yet, if any one deserved what he got in the bullring last night it was the fresh-faced Pierre Joubert. At only 20 and already a veteran he collected his first man of the match gong for a more than impressive bowling display. His three for 23 strangled the life out of what had been a rampant Gauteng batting effort in the opening overs of the limited-overs match.

In only his second day night match of the season and preferred to David Townsend by coach Peter Kirsten as the replacement for Steve Elworthy, Joubert displayed the quality as well as the sort of precocious bowling talent which will make him and Townsend frontline bowlers in a summer or two. Having seen the more experienced Rudi Bryson, Ferreira and his skipper, Mark Davis, smashed around the Wanderers with the sort abandon you might expect from novices Joubert rolled up his sleeves and tackled a job which needed a veteran with a wily approach. Well, he did that and more.

After that it was left to a 62-runs partnership off only 40 balls by De Vos and Ferreira which swept the Titans to what was an amazing success and a turn around which began in the 41st over when the batsman snatched the initiative from Gauteng. The Northerns duo crunched 19 runs off Dean Laing's eighth over with the sort of tactics which stunned Gauteng. From a position of strength they began to buckle as the Titans brandished their swords of willow as runs flowed.

De Vos hammered Laing's first ball for six, a nifty, well-placed and time shot; then he galloped a single. It was Ferreira's turn to stepped up, or more to the point, down the pitch, and continued to redesign Laing's bowling figures as well as the Wanderers scoreboard.

From 173 for five by the end of the 40th over to 192 for five a matter of six balls later, the Titans surge began in the same way Gauteng had started the game, with attacking strokeplay.

Where as, however, Andre Seymore and Adam Bacher cashed in big by hitting square of the wicket with Bryson and Ferreira delivering either two wide or two short, Ferreira and De Vos were hitting the ball clean and straight. It was a bit of a shock for Gauteng to discover that Ferreira was capable of striking with more freedom than they had thought possible.

Even the Wanderers scoreboard producer, in the frenetic display of run-making, failed to acknowledge the 50 partnership: as did the PA announcer. May be they were caught up in the drama; perhaps they could not believe what was taking place: Gauteng, with four caps and a one-day limited overs specialist were overtaken by a side minus their three specialists: Elworthy, Mike Rindel (both with South Africa in the one-day series) and Rudolf Steyn, injured.

But there was the distinct impression in the media centre and long room as well that Northerns really did not have a hope; all was primed for a Gauteng success.

All Northerns need to do now is beat Griqualand West to clinch the Standard Bank League Trophy for the second time in three seasons.

When Ferreira joined the ever-gutsy De Vos with the score at 161 for five in the 38th over it needed the sort of tactics they provided to pull Northerns back into a run-chase they seemed to be losing. Ferreira, hitting cleanly and hard, ended with 33 off only 18 balls, just the sort of pick me up the Titans needed.

Northerns were quick to capitalise on what loose bowling there was with David Terbrugge and Clive Eksteen keeping the run rate in check. Yet the 92 partnership between Roy Pienaar and Martin van Jaarsveld, as rock solid as you can find, kept the visitors in touch with the total as they worked the ball around. There was also some big shots: Van Jaarsveld smacked Justin Engelke for six over long-off, an expansive drive of class and power.

Yet when Pienaar, missed when he had 45 and the score on 87. played around one from Eksteen and departed lbw for 48, you always had the impression of it being another wasted innings. He failed to carry through the promise of yet another stylish display.

Van Jaarsveld, after reaching his second half century of the limited-overs season, also gave it away; not at all the smart thing to do with Rindel, Steyn and Elworthy missing there was a hint of defeat looming. Yet Northerns character, so often visible in tight situations, came through yet again.

What was interesting was how Gauteng gambled after Laing's over when they brought Engelke in after Derek Crookes bowled out his overs. No pot luck here: Northerns made a meal of the bowling. They had Ross Veenstra and Laing with David Terbrugge to bowl the last over. It did not work out that way: Engelke was also knocked around with what was his last over: the 11 runs wanted were out of the way and an over remained.

Joubert did the sort of job you would expect of a maturing Fanie de Villiers. He is just the sort of all-rounder, who when he gets his batting act together is made for an international or test cap. This may be a too ambitious claim for one so young and in the early stages of a promising career; yet the class of bowling performance was all too apparent.

Brought on when Guteng were in overdrive and looking for a 300 target Joubert bowled to a field and put the breaks on to the extent that the run glut slipped a couple of gears. With some clever fielding placings from and bowling a tight line the Harlequin all-rounder applied pressure at the right time. A variation of pace and swing saw the run-scoring shackled. It was his variation which forced Seymore, who played in the same Northerns Schools side in the early 1990s, to drive the ball back to the bowler in the fifth over of his spell. Joubert plucked the ball out of the air as he dived across the pitch rolling with the ball clutched to his chest.

The two lbw decisions which followed came in his sixth and seventh overs. And what prized scalps they were: Ken Rutherford and Zander de Bruyn. Rutherford, like Seymore, had smashed the Northerns bowling around.

The fielding had been ragged and two catches were put down, Greg Smith dropping Rutherford early in his innings and at a time the desperate Titans were in desperate need of a wicket.

As a tribute to his ability to bowl to a field, none of the Gauteng batsmen were able to hit a boundary off young Joubert's bowling.

And what about Ferreira come back efforts? Mauled severely by Seymore and Adam Bacher as they raced along at more than seven an over at one stage, Ferreira watched his bowling disappear to any number of directions. His first four overs went for 25 and only a brave, confident captain such as Davis would back his man. The reward was one for 15 in the next five overs; nothing to sneer about in that performance.

The Seymore and Bacher blitz was more in keeping with the Sri Lanka smash and grab style than anything you get accustomed to in the domestic limited-overs series. The bowling was too short, giving the batsmen too much width and not at all the tactical efforts worked in the nets.

But once Seymore and Rutherford were out of the way Gauteng battled to come to terms with the tighter line of the Northerns bowlers.