The Southern Lakes team will aim to make it ''lucky 13'' in a row in the second round of the Southern League in Dunedin this weekend.
At stake is the Rennie Trophy, which has been in its cabinet for 12 years. Southern Lakes takes a 7-5 lead from the first round against Otago held in Queenstown in November. Both teams will also meet North Otago in division one play today before a virtual final tomorrow morning.
Otago has all its top men available, but is depleted by the unavailability of several women, including the top three from the first round.
One of these, Jessie Stevenson, is only available today, leaving Christchurch student Zoe Berryman, Rileigh Fields, Abby Edwards and Eliza Booth to face the experienced Lakes line-up.
Lakes will be without nationally-ranked junior Emilia Price, who is heading overseas to play, but Felicity Oxnevad, Li Ying Moroney and Suma Ito are wily veterans and should hold too much ability for the inexperienced Otago squad.
The Lakes men will have nationally-ranked junior Miki Nobuzawa along with James Smith and the vastly experienced Mark Milburn, a former New Zealand top 10 player. Chris Bradley, a former leading national junior, is now also in the early veteran stage.
The return of North Harbour student Aaron Hicks at No 1 and the absence of national top 10 player Riki McLachlan from the Lakes team could tip the balance towards the Otago men, and, with Carlos Reid, Paddy Ou and Ryan Eggers, Otago has the luxury of playing Mitchell Sizemore in the B team in division two.
Sizemore will be joined by Nelson student Hamish Low, Oliver Reid, George Alexander and Andrew Mitchell and again it is the men who will carry the responsibility if Otago is to get a result.
Southland A, winner of the second division last year, has opted to stay there, again mainly due to lack of depth in the women's team.
South Canterbury A posted two wins in November, against Otago and North Otago B teams, and will meet Southland A and Lakes B this weekend to complete the round robin.
Play begins at Logan Park today at 9am and ends early tomorrow afternoon. The Edgar Centre is a backup venue.
