Northerns and Western Province look to be prime contenders to contest the SuperSport Series final in April after completion of the first round this week. Western Province had to settle for a draw against Boland while Northerns took care of Border inside three days.

Easterns, KwaZulu-Natal, Griqualand West and Eastern Province will join the two runaway group leaders in the Super Six Series starting mid-February.

The remaining teams Gauteng, Free State, North West, Boland and Border will play out for the Shield, also starting in February.

This weekend's matches saw KwaZulu-Natal leapfrog Free State for third spot in Pool B with a close win against Eastern Province. Needing 288 to win the Dolphins, thanks to a 90 from captain and Man of the Match Dale Benkenstein, managed to get the total with eight wickets down. Nixon McLean and Andrew Tweedie, with eight match wickets apiece, also played a big part in Natal reaching the Super Six stage of the competition.

Justin Kemp's 5/60 in the first innings did his national selection chances a lot of good but was not enough to help the Jumbos who had qualified for the second round before the start of the match.

Northerns continued their unbeaten run with a three-day victory against luckless Border. Fine performances by Jacques Rudolph, scoring his third hundred of the season, and Steve Elworthy, with nine wickets in the match, must have drawn the attention of the national selectors. Rudolph also tops the batting averages while Elworthy has taken the most the wickets.

Border, after being bowled out cheaply in the first innings, can thank ex-Dolphin Mark Bruyns for his hundred to take the match into day three.

Gauteng will once again have to play in the Shield section of the second round after falling to neighbours Easterns. Injuries in the second innings, when Easterns were 59/6, to David Terbrugge, Franklyn Rose and Johnson Mafa did not help the Gauteng bowling department.

Griqualand West, the surprise package of the season, finished off winless North West of inside three days. Once again it was the youngsters from Kimberley who continued to build on their pre-season form. Hundreds from Pietie Koortzen and Adrian McLaren in the first innings set the Northern Cape men up for the victory.

Alfonso Thomas, with figures of 38-13-95-7, and Dirkie de Vos scoring 95 fought lone battles to try and keep North West in the game.

Western Province, travelling to Boland, seemed to have the game in the bag after the openers put on 221, a double hundred from Andrew Puttick and a hundred from opener Graeme Smith.

Boland responded well with a slow first innings after which the game was always heading for a draw. Claude Henderson strengthened his credentials with 5/129 in the drawn-out Boland innings.

A break now of nearly three months from first class cricket is, however, questioned with the two series against Australia coming up. During the three-month layoff the only domestic competition taking place will be the one-day Standard Bank Cup competition.

© CricInfo