CENTURION (South Africa) - It is some years since Peter Kirsten has been involved in a final, but the sense of the occasion and the taste of glory have not been too far away, especially this season where the A Section road has been as rocky as it has been rough.

Now he feels there is every chance that Northerns can go a long way in reaching the second top rung of the SuperSport Series log by Sunday night and compete in the final.

While the missed batting opportunities have worked against Northerns at this end of the series, where every point counts, the A Section game against Free State, starting today at Centurion, represents another opportunity to boost the tally.

Whether it is possible is another matter. There are many ``ifs'' and ``buts'' involved in the race to second place on the log and the eventual venue. ``We are looking for five victories and five batting points,'' Kirsten said with an engaging smile yesterday after a tough late morning-early afternoon batting session.

If he was disturbed at having to forge yet another first wicket partnership he did not show it.

From memory, about the harshest words the Titans coach has said to anyone in recent years were those directed at Darrell Hair at Adelaide Oval where he lost a large part of his match fee about seven years ago.

It has been the top-order which has presented Kirsten with his biggest problem in his first season as a senior coach. Deon Jordaan has battled to find his touch, Rudolf Steyn has been injured since December and the experiment of Rindel in the top three did not quite work. Now it is Grant Morgan's turn to step up and show what he can do.

He did a more than adequate job in the second innings against Natal, and on a surface which had forced the batsmen to work for their runs, which is why Quentin Still's injury has disrupted the Kirsten plan. Still is likely to play, but probably at about seven or eight in the order. The idea is to give him a chance with his left-arm spin.

With Martin van Jaarsveld not far off 500 first-class runs this season and Mike Rindel also in the same bracket and in good nick until the lbw decision wrecked dreams of the two batting points, the batting at four and five is there.

For the national selectors, looking to put together a President's XI to play England A next weekend, and the A Team tour of Ireland and Scotland later in the year, the last round of A Section games offers a chance to most young candidates who have emerged this season.

And for Free State, after a season of more downs than ups, the win over Boland has pushed them up the log to a place which is more comfortable than the lower rungs of despondency.

Teams

Northerns (from): Deon Jordaan, Grant Morgan, Gerald Dros, Martin van Jaarsveld, Mike Rindel, Dirkie de Vos, Quentin Still, Quentin Ferreira, Mark Davis (capt), Greg Smith, David Townsend, Pierre de Bruyn, Gift Pedi.

Free State (from): Gerhardus Liebenberg (capt), Botea Dippenaar, Morne van Wyk, Jonathan Beukes, Kosie Venter, Louis Wilkinson, Andrew Gait, Herman Bakkes, Sarel Cilliers, Johan van der Wath, Matthew Hoggard, Dewald Pretorius

Umpires: Wilf Diedricks and Robbie Brooks
TV umpire: Nic Pretorius

Hours of play: 10.00-12.10; 12.50-3.00; 3.20.5.30