When the Otago Sparks open their campaign against Wellington in Mosgiel on Friday there will be many familiar faces missing.
The lineup has been hit hard, with three internationals all leaving the fold.
Former White Ferns all-rounder Sarah Tsukigawa and former England international Clare Taylor retired at the end of the summer, and former White Ferns legspinner Emma Campbell is taking an indefinite break from the game.
There are other losses as well, with medium-pace bowler Tessa Hopkinson ruled out with an injury and batsman Lucy Foote opting to head overseas.
Anyway you look at it, the glass appears to be half-empty rather than half-full. Taylor played 105 one-day internationals for England and 16 tests. She was the first England player to take 100 wickets.
Tsukigawa played 42 one-day games for the White Ferns and was the heart and soul of the Sparks batting lineup for the past decade. In 103 games for the province, she scored more than 2000 runs and took 84 wickets.
And Campbell has been one of Otago's leading wicket-takers since she joined the province in 2007-08.
Otago Sparks coach Nathan King knows only too well you cannot replace that kind of experience.
"It is a massive loss for us to lose that amount of experience and the ability of those players," he said.
"On the flip side, it is pretty exciting for the younger players coming through."
Columba College year-12 pupil Bridget Thayer is one of those players. Her older sister, Louise, is a defender for the Steel and Bridget is a fairly handy netballer herself. But this summer she will be trying to pry the opposition batsmen from the crease with her right-arm medium pace.
Alana Kane returns after a couple of summers and former Canterbury middle-order batsman Susie Burrows is also making a comeback. Overseas player Natasha Miles is returning for another stint.
But the Sparks are very much in a rebuilding phase and will look to leading players Suzie Bates and Katey Martin to carry the load.
The pair will share the captaincy duties this season. Bates will captain the one-day side and Martin will take charge during the twenty/20 competition.
"We decided to split it because it is a pretty hectic playing schedule and both of those players have a lot of responsibility - Katey with captaining and keeping as well as her role with the bat, and Suzie is developing her skills as a captain and she needs some opportunities to develop," King said.
Last season, the Sparks were reasonably successful, winning half of their games in the twenty/20 tournament and three of their five one-day games.
The team, of course, had wanted a trophy or two but this season the goals are more modest. Still, King believes his side is capable of footing it with the better teams.
"There is no doubt we had a stronger squad last year and our expectations were higher last year. Our expectations are not as high this time and they simply can't be with the personnel we're missing.
"But, in saying that, on our day, when our better players perform well, we're certainly good enough to beat any team in the competition."
OTAGO SPARKS
THE DRAW:
Twenty/20
• December 2: v Wellington, Mosgiel
• December 4: v Wellington, Mosgiel
• December 9: v Auckland, Auckland
• December 11: v Auckland, Auckland
• December 27: v Northern Districts, Lincoln
• December 29: v Northern Districts, Lincoln
• January 1: v Central Districts, Dunedin
• January 3: v Central Districts, Dunedin
• January 7: v Canterbury, Christchurch
• January 9: v Canterbury, Christchurch
One-day
• December 3: v Wellington, Mosgiel
• December 10: v Auckland, Auckland
• December 28: v Northern Districts, Lincoln
• January 2: v Central Districts, Dunedin
• January 8: v Canterbury, Christchurch
THE SQUAD:
Alana Kane, Bridget Thayer, Kate Stiven, Katey Martin, Kylie Crowley, Lisa Grant, Natasha Miles, Rebecca Heenan, Sarah Osborne, Susie Burrows, Suzie Bates, Tanya Morrison, Victoria Abbott.
