Back in October, the outlook for Western Province's campaign to break their five-year silverware drought didn't look particularly promising - at least not on the surface.
They had just returned from a pre-season tour to Australia where they had been whipped by Queensland and New South Wales; their pace bowling appeared to lack depth; the batting could be awesome one day, but inexplicably brittle the next, and there was still no wicket-taking spinner.
Everybody knew WP had arguably the strongest line-up in South Africa when their national players were available. But everybody also knew that reserve strength - as Natal proved in 1994/95 - was the key to winning trophies.
When WP lost their opening Castle Cup match against Transvaal at Newlands - in spite of Jacques Kallis's maiden cup century - the portents for the rest of the season didn't look encouraging. At home, and at full strength, these were the matches WP had win to be trophy contenders.
Then out of the blue came Paul Adams. At the end of a disappointing 1994/95, WP coach Duncan Fletcher had spoken of the desperate need for a spinning strike bowler who would turn the ball away from the right-handed batsman.
Adams, therefore, was a like a godsend. The 18-year-old with the frog-blender action had played just one match for the B team and his selection for WP's second cup match against Northern Transvaal at Centurion Park was a huge gamble.
In fact, as selectors are prone to stick to a winning team, one wonders whether Adams would have been chosen at all had WP beaten Transvaal and Dave Rundle had a reasonable match.
Adams, literally, proved to be the turning point in WP's fortunes for they thrashed Northerns by eight wickets for the match.
No sooner was he discovered, however, when he was whisked away by the national selectors to play England A in Kimberley, forcing him to miss WP's next match against Eastern Province at Newlands.
In Adams's absence, WP went for an all-pace attack and whipped EP by seven wickets thanks to Meyrick Pringle's six for 32 in the visitor's second innings of 109. Pringle's return to form was a good sign. The swing bowler, who had performed so well at the 1992 World Cup, had barely been a force for WP during the past two seasons, such was his loss of form and fitness.
Pringle often seemed more interested in his favourite past-time of rubber ducking than cricket, and at one stage it was doubtful whether WP were even going to offer him a contract. In hindsight, his omission from WP's Australian tour was a blessing for he was so hurt that he vowed to prove everybody wrong.
With left-arm seamer Aubrey Martyn slowly regaining his form and confidence after an 18-month injury lay-off, and Craig Matthews and Brian McMillan only rarely available, it was vital that Pringle fire.
And he certainly did this spectacularly by ending the season as the competition's leading wicket-taker with 41 dismissals at an average of 15.29 and five five-wicket hauls. He even regained his test place briefly and, from WP's viewpoint, it was just as well he didn't hold on to it.
By the end of the season, Martyn was also back to something near his best and finished with 20 wickets from only four matches.
While Pringle and Martyn were solving WP's problems of bowling depth, the provinces younger batsmen were succeeding in taking on more responsibility when the national players were away.
Sven Koenig was unlucky to only be chosen for four matches, but he averaged 41 with important half-centuries against Free State and Border; Herschelle Gibbs lacked consistency, but managed an important century in victory against Boland, and H D Ackerman enjoyed a superb season capped off by his maiden cup century in the trophy-clinching match against Border last week.
Kallis also came of age but, alas, it is likely that national commitments will limit his provincial appearances.
Last, but not least, was the influential performance of wicketkeeper Paul Kirsten who exceeded expectations in his debut season for WP. His 42 catches and a stumping broke the provincial record of 41 dismissals in a season held by his predecessor Richie Ryall.
His batting was a little disappointing, but he was at least chose the right moment to play his one innings of note - the 46 which helped rescue WP when they were in tatters against Border.
Better all-rounder depth, then, ensured WP could win matches when their national players were away, and if Natal could cry foul because of the rain that wrecked their chances of beating Northern Transvaal and thus retaining the title, WP could also justly claim that the weather prevented them from defeating Free State.
If anyone should doubt their status as champions, it is worth remembering that WP haven't been defeated in 16 matches since losing to Transvaal in October.
Date-stamped : 05 May97 - 22:18