Around about this time last year the Taieri Cricket Club was battling for numbers.
It had 'nine or ten' senior players confirmed for the season and the club was contemplating pulling out of the senior competition.
It avoided the unthinkable and stitched a team together, and 12 months later finds itself in a much healthier position.
Clint Hayward will coach the senior side this summer - he is taking over from stalwart Michael MacKenzie - and he told the Taieri Times the club was thriving.
''We have absolutely loads of players,'' he said.
''We'll have four [men's] teams and probably about a 16 or 17-man senior squad.''
That is up from just two men's teams last season.
The extras are made up of returning players and some promising athletes fresh from school, as well as two prominent recruits.
Otago contracted seamer Warren Barnes has joined the club and fellow Aucklander Josh Tasman-Jones will bolster the batting.
Hayward said the influx of players should mean more competition for places in the top side and expectations had risen as a result.
''We're kind of hoping that we might be able to finish in the top three this year. We've got the majority of last year's squad back and we've picked up other players as well.''
While Taieri bowled well at times last season, its batting was a major issue, Hayward said.
''We'd bowl a team out [cheaply] but couldn't chase it, or we'd get a total which was not enough runs.''
Tasman-Jones' arrival will help on that front and Jarryd Taig is expected to perform well and will bat in the top four.
University-Grange has been cut from the senior competition this season leaving just six senior teams.
