Date-stamped : 17 Nov97 - 18:22 Match report - day 1 Ill wind blows for WP as Free State score freely Mark Etheridge at Newlands Rusty, a typical first day of a SuperSport cricket season ... that's how Western Province captain Craig Matthews summed up yesterday's play after the opening day of their four-day fixture against Free State. It was also a day of firsts. In the first session, a cloud of acrid smoke, emanating from the brewery across the railway line, drove the players from the field briefly and there can be few scoreboards around the world that have flashed the notice "Bad smell stops play". Thankfully the players were back in action barely five minutes later but the game never really caught fire as Free State ended on 284 for five after 104 overs. It must also surely have been the first time that Brian McMillan and Herschelle Gibbs, two of the country's most dependable fielders, have put down what amounted to not much more than regulation catches on the same day. Source: Cape Argus --- Match report - day 4 "We'll be back" says Matthews by Michael Owen-Smith WESTERN PROVINCE will have to pick themselves up off the bottom of the log when they start their second SuperSport Series match against Gauteng at Newlands on Friday. Craig Matthews' side was one of four to lose outright in the opening series, leaving them well adrift of joint log leaders, Eastern Province and Natal, who have 18 points each, one more than Free State and two better than Border. Griquas are fifth on eight, followed by Northerns (5), Boland (4) and Western Province (3). Free State yesterday achieved the considerable feat of beating Western Province by six wickets with 20 balls to spare after the home side had suffered the humiliation of having to follow on as well. "It would have been a travesty had we saved the match," WP captain Craig Matthews said afterwards. "For such a big province to put up such a poor performance is simply unacceptable. Perhaps it was the wake-up call that we needed. "This result may be just the right thing to pick us up for our next game. The other factor - and I say this with no disrespect to the cricketers involved - was that our four players leaving for Australia on Thursday night were 50 percent on this match and 50 percent on the Australian tour." Free State captain Gerhardus Liebenberg was understandably delighted with his team's performance. "We set it up in the first innings when we scored nearly 400 runs. When you post that sort of total, you normally go on to win most of your matches. "It was an excellent team performance with most of the players contributing with either bat or ball and some with both. "It was strange that not one of our bowlers took more than three wickets in a match-winning team performance but I was pleased with the way our attack played. We don't have big names in our attack but they are all starting to come through nicely. "We were helped by the wash-out on Sunday which had the effect of giving our attack a rest day and they responded magnificently to take 14 wickets in one day." One thing that did emerge was Liebenberg's skills as a captain. He swopped his bowlers around effectively on the few occasions that Western Province got partnerships going and this was normally enough to effect a breakthrough. Up to now, most critics have thought in terms of Dale Benkenstein of Natal as the emerging young leader but Liebenberg's credentials certainly deserve further investigation. "I do not find myself under particular pressure, having the additional responsibility of captaincy as well as opening batsman," Liebenberg said. "You are always under pressure when you open the batting and I don't think I would find the pressure any less if I was down at No 5, for instance." If there is one consolation for Western Province, it is the fact that the team that has won the SuperSport Series the last two seasons, has started its campaign with a home defeat. It happened to Natal last summer against Border and to Western Province against what was then Transvaal the year before that - the last time that Western Province had lost a SuperSport Series match at Newlands. Western Province cannot rely on past history to get their campaign going again. The general confusion of their performance against Free State was reflected yesterday by two run outs, one of which cost them Herschelle Gibbs, when they were batting to save the match. HD Ackerman fought a rearguard action, putting together his first major score of the season but, when he departed to the second new ball, Western Province had only just succeeded in wiping out their first innings deficit of 194. On the credit side coach Duncan Fletcher said that Brett Schultz had suffered no after effects from his comeback bowling performance in a club game on Saturday and should be included in the team to be named today for the Gauteng match. Another casualty, Eric Simons, has been included in the South African XI to play in the first leg of the MNet Masters Series at Centurion Park tomorrow which means that he should also be in Friday's lineup. Source: Cape Times Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)