Their back to back success without Mile Rindel or Steve Elworthy, and under trying and pressure conditions at the weekend, has pulled them clear of other front runners as the Standard Bank League series moves into recess after tomorrow s mid week games.
Free State are at home to neighbours North West and Griqualand West are away to Border in East London.
After shock wins over Western Province and now KwaZulu-Natal, North West possibly fancy their chances against Free State who had to wait until Sunday's game against Easterns to collect their first limited overs victory of the programme. Natal can argue that their bowling attack was thinly spread for this match and North West took full advantage of some very wayward bowling. Also Mark Bruyns took over the captaincy when Shaun Pollock was forced to pull out and there was a noticeable shortage of exprience in a side missing Pollock, Dale Benkenstein, Errol Stewart and Jonty Rhodes.
Yet a look at the log indicates why Davis, the Northerns captain, and Peter Kirsten, the coach, are able to look back on a weekend's effort where they twice came out victorious in conditions where the bowlers were going to have the better of the argument.
Willowmoore Park's one time reputation of having the fastest pitch in the southern hemisphere must have died before the rinderpest (a cattle disease of the early 1900's). It was also worse than a Colombo cabbage patch for Friday night's match where Dirkie de Vos took only the seventh hat trick in a South Afica day night game history, which now goes back 18 seasons.
Davis was far from blase about the twin success without being able to call on Rindel and Elworthy.
``I think we have shown a lot of our critics that we have the depth to win matches the way we have this season'', he said. ``Three of the big sides are out of the way and our record speaks for itself. We have had three league wins this season. This gives us 20 wins in 24 league matches''
``If you have a look at the record of the top international sides in the limited overs game you usually find an 80% success rate. Ours is 83% and I think people should take serious notice of how we have done'', he added. Which is a fair comment from the Titans skipper.
Three league defeats since October 1996 along with one rained off game, has given the Titans a decided edge over Natal and Western Province, while Gauteng, who won the cup last season scraped into the last four on the strength of their victories over Free State and Border although Free State had a superior net run rate.
Gauteng's over confidence saw them fold against Griquas at the Wanderers on Friday when their bowling attack was unable to shut down Kepler Wessels. Then their top order disintrgated like soft feta against a bowling attack whose penetration is normally as strong as a water pistol being fired against a brick wall.