Otago found that lesson out the hard way in the opening game of the HRV Cup at Seddon Park in Hamilton last night.
Northern Districts' English duo Steven Croft and James Foster combined in a stunning 126-run stand for the fifth-wicket.
Croft whacked 81 off 49 deliveries and Foster scored 48 from 30.
Both were out in the last over but not before they had guided Northern to an imposing total of 174 for seven.
Otago's reply petered out at 150 for six. The chase never gained any momentum. Officially Northern won by 24 runs but that does not do justice to what was a comprehensive victory.
Otago actually started well and had the better of the opening quarter.
Jacob Duffy made the first breakthrough. He took three for 19 in his provincial debut last summer and continued his charmed run, picking up the wicket of Daniel Flynn when the left-hander looked to pull a delivery and dragged it on to his stumps.
Strangely he was replaced at the crease with Otago using a different bowler in each of the first six overs.
The element of surprise worked for Jimmy Neesham, though.
He disappeared for back-to-back boundaries from his first two deliveries but fooled Brad Wilson with a slow delivery. The batsman clamped down on the ball but it bounced off his pads and on to the stumps.
The situation deteriorated when Anton Devcich was needlessly run out and Scott Styris nicked his first ball from Duffy.
The 18-year-old could do no wrong, making some athletic saves in the field as well.
But Foster and Croft showed the experience of more than 180 twenty/20 games between them. They rebuilt the innings with some risk-free cricket before opening their shoulders and launching a series of boundaries.
Curiously, Otago captain Derek de Boorder gave the ball to part-time bowler Neil Broom when he had plenty of overs available from Duffy and Neil Wagner. It proved costly with 23 runs smashed from what was some very pedestrian bowling. Fingers crossed Broom is not sighted at the bowling crease again.
The 100-run partnership came up shortly after the calamitous over and off just 62 balls.
Wagner captured three late wickets but was expensive with 39 runs coming from his four overs.
Otago's reply had an early setback with the in-form Aaron Redmond unlucky to be caught by the groping Foster, who eventually gloved the ball after bobbling it several times.
Hamish Rutherford and Broom tried to emulate the partnership of Croft and Foster, adding 65 for the third wicket. Broom (33) holed out looking to increase the pace and Rutherford (47) came back for a second run which was never on.
De Boorder was well caught on the boundary by Corey Anderson for 12 and Neesham did his best to whack his side to miraculous victory with a hard-hit 36 from 19 deliveries. But Otago needed 40 runs from the last two overs and that proved impossible.
Both sides will switch the coloured clothing for the whites when they met in a Plunket Shield game at the venue tomorrow.
Otago is unlikely to make any changes but three players will make their debut for Northern.
Medium pacer Tony Goodin will replace Graeme Aldridge, who is on a limited bowling workload as he recovers from surgery. Legspinner Ish Sodhi gets an opportunity and Adam Wheater will take the gloves.
• SBS Bank has signed on as the naming right sponsor for the Otago Volts and Otago Sparks.
"We have a policy in Otago Cricket of promoting our own and to be able to extend that to our commercial portfolio with SBS Bank becoming our principal sponsor is something we are proud of," Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes said.
