Date-stamped : 27 Jan1998 - 11:04 Jan 23-26 1998 Gauteng v Northerns, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg Match report from Trevor Chesterfield Johannesburg - Northerns are not in the habit of establishing records in places such as the bullring, but the way the Fanie de Villiers led assault tamed the Gauteng lions yesterday, anything was possible. Putting together a display of out-swing bowling which was as good as any of his best test performances, Vinnige Fanie helped Northerns wrap up their SuperSport Series match at the Wanderers about an hour after lunch. And the victory by an impressive 234 runs pushed Northerns to second place on the A Section log - 11 behind log-leaders Free State - after they routed Gauteng for a second innings total of 74. Apart from being the lowest total by a Gauteng side against Northerns (the previous lowest score was 79 at Berea Park in the 1961-62 season), Gauteng were, at one stage, of being routerd for their lowest total. De Villiers, well supported with some class left-arm bowling by Greg Smith had, in a matter of 34 balls, reduced Gauteng to 12 for seven during a spell of 34 deliveries. Little wonder a look at their scorecard was enough to reduce the lion's roar to the simpering mewing of a kitten. A "very chuffed" Northerns coach Keith Medlycott admitted that he had only seen one performance to match it, when Surrey were dismissed for 14 several years ago. But yesterday the Gauteng scoreboard looked decidedly hung over as wickets one to seven fell without a run being scored; the row of five ducks was the sort of humilitaion Gauteng once inflicted on Northerns. Although De Villiers ended with four for 11 in 13 overs, his pre-lunch figures of 7-6-1-4 underlined the devastation his outswing caused within the Gauteng ranks. Smith's figures of 4-2-6-2 at lunch and final tally of 9-5-16-3 shows the quality support he gave and helped reduce Gauteng's batting to a listing wreck taking a battering on the rocks of indecision. It was De Villiers who started the slide when he caught Mark Benfield on the fine-leg boundry to give Smith the first wicket of the innings in the seventh over. Neil McKenzie followed six balls later and the slide continued at such an alarming rate that the shuttle service between the Gauteng dresssing room and the pitch was in danger of running out of fuel. Talk about being lost without a compass and a batting guide: it is doubtful whether Gauteng imagined they could be subjected to such humiliation. To rub it in, Mr Extras provided a top score of 21. Naturally Ken Rutherford did not go as far to suggest the players would be raffled off to the highest bidder if they could find one, but a major change in personelle looms for the Boland match starting at the weekend. After man of the match Martin van Jaarsveld's match-winning innings of 134 in the Northerns total of 277 for seven wickets, declared, it needed something special to match it. And it was provided by De Villiers and Smith. Van Jaarsveld admitted after the game that he has set himself goals of scoring a couple of centuries and "a few more half-centuries" this season. But he is not aiming as high as a place in the South African A side to tour Sri Lanka in June. Selection for that side would be a bonus. Northerns skipper Mark Davis felt the 311 run target he set Gauteng at 3.30 runs an over was a "fair declaration". And you cannot blame him for his astute thinking the way Van Jaarsveld and De Vos counter attacked on Sunday when they scored at more than three runs an over. He had the support of two fine bowlers who did the job in the manner of the professionals they are. Contributed by Trevor Chesterfield