Peter Kirsten wants to start his coaching career with Northerns as someone who knows how to win trophies. And there's nothing wrong with that idea. He also knows tomorrow's Standard Bank League opener against Free State is going to be a tough test of strategies and skills for the Titans as they start their quest to win either the league or the knockout series cup later in the season.
``We'll think about the A Section later in the month when we play our first game against Eastern Province, but right now we have two tough league games ahead of us and we know we have to perform,'' he said last night.
The first challenge is tomorrow, however, and Kirsten, who knows a trick or two, feels Northerns have worked out a game plan to combat the special batting skills of Hansie Cronje who has been drafted into Free State side along with Allan Donald and Nicky Boje.
``Yes, we have worked out a plan to combat a player like Hansie and I think it will work,'' he added.
Naturally just what that plan entails is very much under wraps. Giving away secrets is not Kirsten's style of management. He's been around far too long for that.
Although Free State are playing the same top six batsmen who did duty at SuperSport Centurion last Saturday, you can guarantee Springbok Park will be fairly flat for this opening limited overs match in the slog series. And as he showed last Saturday in the annual Challenge Trophy outing the rest has not dulled Cronje's appetite for runs.
Northerns Titans are going into the game with the same side which batted their way to a score of 207 for five against Easterns at Willowmoore Park on a slow surface where there was not too much bounce. While Gerald Dros has shown good early season form, there have been some static performances from the other batsmen.
The bowling attack was not tested on Tuesday night and Rudi Bryson, back to the limited-overs form of two seasons ago when earned a berth in the South African limited-overs squad for the LOI series against Australia, is fronting up as a danger man.
Kirsten is quietly confident about the Titans chances. ``It's a big one for us and I see it as a 50/50 game as both sides are very strong,'' he said. ``And as we play Western Province at home a week later, we know we have to perform well.''
Last season Province were drawn to meet Northerns at Newlands on New Year's Day before an almost sellout crowd. And Province, who open their new season's campaign against North West at Fochville, won that outing quite comfortably.
With Fanie de Villiers (retired) and Dan van Zyl available for Boland when his winter duties are over, the Titans are shy of a couple of seasoned players, but Kirsten feels the material is available to replace two quality limited-overs players.
Teams
Northerns: Mike Rindel, Roy Pienaar, Martin van Jaarsveld,
Gerald Dros, Dirkie de Vos, Rudolf Steyn, Steve Elworthy, Mark Davis
(captain), Dennis Smith, Quinten Ferreira, Rudi Bryson.
Twelfth man: Pierre Joubert.
Free State: Gerhardus Liebenberg (capt), Koos Venter, Hansie
Cronje, Louis Wilkinson, Botea Dippenaar, Morne van Wyk, Nicky Boje,
Herman Bakkes, Wiaan Smit, Allan Donald, Victor Mpitsang.
Twelfth man: Johan Beukes.