It has been a long struggle for Kaikorai but the club had a breakthrough last summer and is hoping to build on its progress.
After years of finishing towards the bottom of the competition table, Kaikorai emerged as a genuine contender finishing second-equal with Albion in the Bing Harris Shield.
Green Island took the honours, of course, but for Kaikorai a share of second place was a vast improvement, having finished seventh the year before and either fifth or sixth in the previous five seasons.
Kaikorai, which last won the title in 1990-91, made its biggest strides in the Declaration Cup, sharing top billing with Green Island.
Opening bowler Will Deerness joined the club when he shifted to Dunedin from Wanganui six years ago and puts the turnaround down to some patient recruiting.
"We had to bite the bullet a bit," Deerness said.
"So we recruited some young guys from school and gave them a taste of senior cricket. Guys like Charlie Hendry, Colin Aitken, Daniel Duke and Matt Hunter came on board.
"We stuck with them and slowly, we've started to see some results. That coincided with getting Robo [Iain Robertson] last year. That was obviously a big bonus."
Robertson scored a century for New Zealand A in a first-class game and has played 20 first-class cricket matches for Canterbury. He made his debut for Otago last summer, playing one twenty/20 game.
The skilful all-rounder is a key player in the Kaikorai lineup and one of the few names the casual cricket observer might recognise.
Kaikorai is not a team of stars and does not boast the talent of some of the other sides.
University-Grange, for example, is loaded with representative players including Aaron Redmond, Michael Bracewell, Sam Wells, Ian Butler and James McMillan.
North East Valley has the Broom brothers Neil and Darren, and Otago wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder in its ranks, while Albion can call on the McCullum brothers, Brendon and Nathan, and the likes of Shaun Haig, Neil Wagner and Nick Beard.
It hardly seems fair some clubs should be full of Otago players while others draw their talent from the region's schools.
But as Deerness (33), who captained and coached the side last year, sees it, it actually works to the club's advantage.
While University-Grange will be strong early in the club season, once the representative season gets under way its ranks will be quickly depleted. Clubs such as Kaikorai will remain largely unaffected.
"It probably works in our favour. Obviously, you don't have the experience of having guys like that around in your changing rooms but, at the same token, you don't have to replace them.
"If you can stick with the squad the whole year, and don't have too many guys coming and going, I think it is probably more beneficial."
Kaikorai opens its season with a one-day game against North East Valley today. In other games, Otago Country plays Albion, Green Island plays University-Grange and Taieri plays Carisbrook-Dunedin.
The format is similar to last season, the summer opening with the Senior Cup (single-round one-day competition), in which Otago Country will compete, as it did last season.
In mid-November, Otago Country drops out and the remaining seven clubs compete for the One-Day Cup. The Declaration Cup gets under way on February 11.
Deerness believes Kaikorai is well-placed to improve on last summer. The team made a sluggish start and hopes to get the season off to a positive start today and build from there.
"We probably only won half our games in the first half of the season, which can happen when you don't have the star power.
But having said that, we have to target a better start and be aware that that is the case."
Green Island will be chasing a fifth consecutive title and has a familiar look to last season.
"They are always strong and have a couple of guys in [Mark] Joyce and Jordan Sheed who have played for a long time and have plenty of experience.
Their squad is pretty consistent throughout the year.
"University-Grange have gone to the nationals for the last couple of years and are always strong, particularly at the start of the year with seven Volts.
"But I think everyone else looks beatable," Deerness said.
• Last season: Second equal
• Gains: Dan Ford, Josh Cuttance, Tim Ford.
• Losses: James Harty, Kieran Parker, Sam Ward.
• Squad: Shaun Haig (captain), Jamie Glenn, Blair Brown, Mitch Ryan, Neil Wagner, Andrew Prouse, Nathan Sims, Adam Thomson, Sam Jones, Mark Craig, Josh Cuttance, Dan Ford, Paddy Cairns, Ollie Newton, Tim Ford, Nick Beard, Dion McCall, Nathan King, Sam Sawers, Scott Haines, Sam Welsh, Nathan Shanks, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum.
• Coach: Nathan King.
Taieri
• Last season: Last
• Gains: Ryan Senior, Ash Simpson, Tim Field, Michael Rae.
• Losses: Marcel McKenzie, Bradley Frost, Tim Clydesdale.
• Squad: George Spittle (captain), Cody Cape, Liam Edwards, Callum Egen, Tim Field, Isaac Gutschlag, Anthony Harris, Harry Jones, Ben Kidston, Phil Lill, Matt McCallum, Tom McKnight, Michael Rae, Ryan Senior, Ash Simpson, Reuben Simpson, Logan Smart, Callum Thompson, Dwayne Weir.
• Coach: Ryan Senior.
Green Island
• Last season: Champion.
• Gains: Scott Simpson.
• Losses: Paul Dixey, Jarred King.
• Squad: Jordan Sheed (captain), Jeremy Waldron, Craig Cumming, Hamish Rutherford, Mark Joyce, Dion Lobb, Jamie Munro, Scott Simpson, Russell Ritchie, Greg Croudis, Blair Soper, Ben Willemsen, Regam McCormack, Freddie Klassen, Nathan Watt, Mathew Johnston, Henry Blackwell.
Carisbrook-Dunedin
• Last season: Sixth.
• Gains: Sean Eathorne, Sam McKenzie.
• Losses: Ash Simpson.
• Squad: Brad Rodden (captain), Tony McEntyre, Warren McSkimming, Rhys Phillips, Sean Eathorne, Tom Rutherford, Rob Polson, James Hogg, Tom Hills, James Welch, Jorden Horrell, Sam McKenzie, James McAuslan, Nick Eathorne, Matthew Lobb, Dan Willemsem,Tim McCormick, Sean Moran, Brad Hamill.
• Coach: Geoff Rodden.
University-Grange
• Last season: Fourth equal
• Gains: Alistair Collie, AJ How.
• Losses: Ciaran McMeeken, Mayank Patel, James Fuller.
• Squad: Mitch Rutherford (captain), Aaron Redmond, Michael Bracewell, Sam Wells, Ian Butler, Ant Bullick, Craig Smith, James McMillan, Steve Jakeway, Jason Hynes, Jesse Simpson, James Bishop, Tim O'Sullivan, Will Young, Angus Reid, Adam Coleman, Alistair Collie, David Goddard, AJ How.
North East Valley
• Last season: Fourth equal
• Gains: Jimmy Neesham, Dave Simpson, Tristan Eckhoff, Nick Pearse-Smith.
• Losses: Andrew Hicks.
• Squad: Jamie Murley (captain), Neil Broom, Darren Broom, Derek de Boorder, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan Manu, Lance Taylor, Keegan Harrison, Jessie Ruwhiu, Jens Moller, Florian Schmidt, Dan Power, Ben Millar, Anthony Wilkinson, Russell Thomas, Jerram Bateman, Nick Pearse-Smith, Simon Murley, Dave Simpson, Tristan Eckhoff.
• Coach: Ben Millar.
Kaikorai
• Last season: Second equal
• Gains: None.
• Losses: None.
• Squad: Iain Robertson, Geordie Scott (co-captains), Will Deerness, Matt Hunter, Charlie Hendry, Scott Hawkins, Tim Muir, Ryan Duffy, Laxman Popli, Dan Duke, Craig Sneddon, Colin Aitken, Sam McConville.
• Coach: Scott Hawkins.
Otago Country
• Last season: Fifth (senior one-day cup).
• Gains: Daniel Ford.
• Losses: Leighton Morgan, Ronnie Kotkamp, Ollie Newton, Jason Domigan, Ben Purvis.
• Squad: Brendan Domigan (captain), James Pyle, Fraser Wilson, Liam Curran, Karl McDairmid, Sam Blakely, Michael Collins, Mark Knox, Sean Moran, Daniel Ford, Jarred Andrew, Cameron Rutherford, Peter Breen, Scott Paulin, Brayden Hill, Morgan Cuthbertson. Plus Ian Butler, Warren McSkimming and James McMillan for the first round of the Dunedin club competition.
• Coach: Andy Sainsbury.
Note: Placings refer to Bing Harris Shield only. Names supplied.
