IN CENTURION

Peter Kirsten has serious plans to strengthen Northerns batting next season as the team head's for the millennium and the promise of placing more trophies in the cabinet at Centurion.

After Northerns had wrapped up their record fifth consecutive A Section victory with a five-wicket win over Free State yesterday Kirsten admitted that but for six to eight batting points the Titans would have been contesting the Super Sport Series final next weekend.

Yet to get as close as they did to Border and Western Province was an indication of the character of the side which had already won one trophy and looked at winning a second and possibly a third. Now they would have to be satisfied with winning both limited-overs prizes.

``I think it shows you that despite winning five games in a row and equaling teams such as Border and Western Province (who are contesting the final) in the number of games won we still end up third.

``It is also an indication of just how tough the competition can be, which is good for the game,'' he added yesterday after Northerns finished on 91 points, four short of edging Province from second place.

``Sure it would have been nice to end second, but our batting let us down at crucial stages and the two blow outs at the start of the season didn't help us either,'' said Kirsten after Northerns had beaten Free State at home for the first time in nine seasons.

Kirsten, not one to pull punches, was critical of the way Natal had allowed Western Province to win their A Section game at Newlands and ``give the final to Province on a platter'' after setting a target of 290 which Province managed in the last over of the game.

``All being equal we would have gone into this game with a chance of making the final, only it was not to be and we have to look at our batting short fall, especially in those two first two matches which we lost so badly,'' he said.

As it was and not for the first time this season, all-rounder Quentin Ferreira became the unlikely batting hero Northerns needed to aid their cause and this time it was Free State's turn to be pounded into submission. The 26-year-old whom Gauteng allowed to carelessly slip through their normally sticky fingers helped Northerns hoist a five-wicket victory while most people were thinking about sitting down to their Sunday roast or braai.

For the second time this season Ferreira managed to post a first-class career best. Last time it was in Kimberley against Griqualand West. At Centurion yesterday he stretched it to 63 not out as with Dirkie de Vos the pair added 117 in an unbroken sixth wicket partnership to steer Northerns home.

A well -placed boundary by Ferreira backward of square at 12.50 pm and off Yorkshireman Matthew Hoggard did the trick as Northerns, looking for 226 for victory, won with almost two sessions to spare. It was a good patch up job with De Vos as the pair rescued the innings from a shaky middle-order hiccup. The side had slipped, with the aid of a dodgy lbw decision against Martin van Jaarsveld, from an overnight 92 for two to 109 for five in a matter of five overs.

Just the sort of collapse which gets the nerves tingling in the dressing and has the captain wondering what went wrong and why. After all, scoring the 134 needed to win, on a fairly docile surface, should not have been too difficult. But Northerns have the habit on ``freezing'' in the middle these days and when Rindel departed first ball and Gerald Dros eight runs later pressure can sometimes get to the batsmen to come in.

But Ferreira arrived, took the innings by the scruff of the neck and with De Vos tuck neatly in his slipstream, gave Northerns the sort of batting performance which Deon Jordaan had provided on Saturday afternoon. It was positive, it was full of flamboyance and those who inhabit the terraces for limited-overs games would have also enjoyed it.

If De Vos played the perfect foil to the hard-hitting Ferreira his contribution was equally important with 44 not out and 100 runs for the match.

Free State sniffed their chances of success but from the moment the wicketkeeper Morne van Wyk put down Ferreira when he had 12 and the score was 137 for five the bell started tolling Free State's death knell.

Ferreira went to his 50 with a six: a handsome of-drive of Kosie Venter who did what he could but lacked the panache to spin a side to victory. It was Ferreira's second six, and the way he tapped the ball through the gaps showed there is a lot of good batting to come from the young man.

Man of the match award went to David Townsend for his 10 wicket haul for 110 runs, the first of his career and a place in the South African President's XI later this week against England A at Newlands.

Reflecting on the A Section season Kirsten, who took over from Keith Medlycott, felt there had been many ``positives'' despite failing to make the final by what amounted to lost batting opportunities in the first two games an other matches.

``David Townsend has had a great season for us, Greg Smith has bowled well and offered that added bit of left-arm variety but had little luck from his efforts, but where we came short was when Rudi Steyn was injured and that took away one of our top players.

``There is a lot of talent around though and Ferreira has been a revelation. He came back from a groin injury in November and has gone on from there. One of my aims was to help produce all-rounders for the province and he put up his hand and has done a brilliant job.''

Kirsten also had praise for De Vos as well as Mark Davis, the skipper for the last two games in A Section. Players such as Pierre de Bruyn and Pierre Joubert who were on the fringes but unable to make the team.

``It shows the depth we have, especially when Steve Elworthy is back,'' he added.