Promotion to the Slazenger Cup competition is on the line when the Otago senior team plays Waikato in Hamilton today.
A year after being demoted from the Slazenger Cup, the national second division competition, Otago wants its spot back.
The 10-strong team, which won the South Island third division in July, is led by captain Elaine Hargreaves (38).
She is confident Otago can go to Hamilton and knock over Waikato, but knows it will not be easy.
''I think it will be really tough for us. The Waikato boys are really strong, they also played in the division one Wisden team.
''They were given special dispensation from Badminton New Zealand to play in both elite divisions because their top team was at the Commonwealth Games, which is a bit awkward for us,'' she said.
Otago's Luke White and Philippa Buzzard have also got some division one experience.
Both played for Southland earlier this year in the Wisden Cup and their experience at the top level can only help.
Otago and its northern foe will play four men's and women's singles games, two men's and women's doubles and four mixed games in the best of 16 series.
Waikato will be boosted by the inclusion of former New Zealand coach TJ Weistra to its team, and home court advantage.
However, Otago, which last played in the Wisden Cup competition in 1998, has been training twice a week the last month to get up to scratch.
''We wouldn't be going up there if we didn't think we could do it. We are motivated to play well.
''I know the boys are really fired up. You know what it's like when you have got a challenge ahead of you, they are fired up to meet that challenge.
''The problem for us is we don't really know much about the team we are going to play ... when we play the teams from the South Island, we know who we are going to be playing because they don't change much,'' Hargreaves said.
- Robert van Royen
Otago v Waikato
Hamilton, today
Otago: Luke White, Jake Dickson, James Swan, Kamil Patel, Elaine Hargreaves, Philippa Buzzard, Andrea Vernall, Monica Xiong, Pryal Patel, Jim Hoffman (coach)
