FOCHVILLE (South Africa) - Free State not so much manage to squeeze some extra life out of their season last night as kick down the North West door as Boeta Dippenaar led a run-spree at a picturesque venue in the middle of a mining village.

While Dippenaar, back from a low key performance against England A at Newlands, did much to shut down a North West bowling attack in desperate need of a direction finder, there was also solid support down the order and the total of 261 for five was always going to be too much for the maroon-clad locals.

The Free State victory by 62 runs in this play-off at the postage-stamp size Gert van Rensburg Stadium has set up an interesting Standard Bank quarter-final against Northerns at SuperSport Centurion on Friday week.

From the moment Free State skipper Gerrie Liebenberg won the toss North West were in trouble and their bowling added to Martin Venter's problems. Apart from bowling both sides of the wicket, Ezra Poole added to their worries by dropping catches. The butter-fingers and dropped catches did not end there either. The sloppy fielding added at least an extra 35 runs.

Whether Northerns Titans coach Peter Kirsten managed to get any idea from what he saw on the pay channel is another matter. It was on satellite and not of much help to anyone other than acknowledging that Free State gave a professional performance as North West were always under pressure to achieve the 262 needed. In the end they managed 199 before being dismissed in the 45th over.

As it is a touch of Yorkshire flare, if not pudding, in the form of Matthew Hoggard ripped apart the North West top-order and with three wickers falling in the first nine overs and only 27 on the board, it needed a touch more luck than usual. Hoggard bagged four for 29.

Morne Strydom, hero of the victory over Western Province at the start of the league programme in early October, went for nine, lbw to Herman Bakkes while Hoggard had a hand getting rid of Glen Hewitt and Venter for nominal figures. After that the innings stuttered along in the usual fashion: wickets fell and the asking run rate climbed and climbed.

That was until Mark Lavine arrived to add some spine to the innings with a half-century which consisted of more than your the usual slog efforts. He put together a swift 60 but then departed with five overs remaining and 83 still needed when a wind up against Bakkes saw him make cardinal batting error.

Dippenaar looked that much better than the others. Okay, the North West bowlers added to their team's agony by bowling too short for their own good, and this after an opening partnership of 44 in which the rotund Kosie Venter declined too many short singles on account the he might fall victim to a run out.

Which was the case with Poole's nifty footwork putting in the boot and knocking the stumps over. He was so far out of his ground he did not hang about for the embarrassment of being given his marching orders via the TV replay

Yet Dippenaar was in such command he worked the North West bowlers around as he pleased. There were crisp drives into the V and when he cut it was with precision and well-placed timing. He picked up only four fours and a six yet 71 off just 81 balls and was, in the words of Peter Pollock, national selection panel convener, ``a batsman of rare talent''