Free State beat plucky Northerns by three wickets with 11 balls to spare, but the match was a far closer contest than it might have been.

Northerns' total of 191 for eight seemed woefully inadequate on a sound batting pitch and in the face of Free State's competent batting line-up. However, the home side made heavy weather of their reply before reaching 194 for seven in 43.1 overs.

Free State's second win as many matches - and that after they failed to win a home game in either competition last summer - had much to do with their captain, Gerard Brophy, who was duly named man-of-the-match.

The former Gauteng player effected five dismissals behind the stumps and then marshalled his team's batting superbly with a cameo 47 off 68 balls.

Brophy threatened to undo all of his good work when he glanced a catch to his livewire wicketkeeping counterpart, Kruger van Wyk, off the erratic but penetrative Pierre Joubert in the 40th over with 16 runs still required and not much batting to come.

However, Herman Bakkes calmly took on the responsibility of seeing Free State home with Victor Mpitsang showing a good deal of batting chutzpah, though not technique.

Wiaan Smit and Brophy had put Free State back on track with a sixth-wicket stand of 48 after they slipped to 82 for five in the 18th over. Veteran Steve Elworthy bowled with all his old verve with the new ball, but he was let down by his support staff.

Northerns' first wicket tumbled before they had put a run on the board, and much of the rest of their innings lurched along in similarly unhappy fashion.

They were reduced to 58 for five in the 21st over before Martin van Jaarsveld finally found worthy support in the shape of Finley Brooker, who helped him add 99 for the sixth wicket. However, Brooker's dismissal by Johannes Mokoenanyana in the 39th over probably represented the difference between Northerns posting a mediocre and a respectable target. Van Jaarsveld was 88 not out off 110 balls with five fours.

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