Dwayne Weir can hardly be accused of getting carried away with dreams of success.
The laconic Taieri president and senior player is setting his sights closer to the middle of the table than the top as his team prepares for the national club finals in Auckland.
"Hopefully we get a bit of rain that helps us out somewhere along the line," Weir joked as he looked ahead to the next five days of cricket.
"Mid-table would be not a bad achievement for the side we've had throughout the year.
"You obviously go up to win games. We'll fight hard and if a bit of luck goes our way, you never know."
It would be some sort of Cinderella story if Taieri could shock its more fancied opponents in the annual tournament at the Cornwall club.
The Eels - who share a nickname with their rugby counterparts, who won the Dunedin premier title last year - finished bottom of the Bing Harris Shield this season, but qualified for the national finals by winning the Otago-Southland knockout tournament.
"If we weren't going to this tournament, it would really be a season to forget," Weir said.
"We dropped a couple of games early on. It was like we just hadn't figured out how to win close games. We never got the taste of winning after that, except on Sundays."
Taieri opens its campaign with a game against Christchurch club St Albans today.
A key player for the side will be experienced top-order batsman Anthony Harris.
"Ant has played a lot of cricket over the years, and he's been very loyal to Taieri," Weir said.
"If he can get us off to a good start, we'll do well."
Duncan Anderson, a former St Albans player, and Callum Thompson will spearhead the Taeri bowling attack, while Ash Simpson and Ryan Senior will provide options on pitches tipped to take spin.
The national finals normally attract a sprinkling of first-class players, and Weir hopes some of his young team-mates will soak up the experience.
"It would be fantastic to play against guys from the top level.
"Also, to play at a club like Cornwall, the home of the Crowe family, will be quite special."
There will be live scoring of the national finals on the New Zealand cricket website (www.nzcricket.co.nz).
National club finals
Cornwall club, Auckland
Dates: Today-Sunday.
Format: 50-over round robin.
Teams: Taieri (Otago), St Albans (Canterbury), Easts (Wellington), United Palmerston North (Central Districts), Otumoetai Cadets (Northern Districts), Takapuna (Auckland).
Taieri squad: Ant Harris, George Spittle, Ash Simpson, Ryan Senior, Tim Field, Corey Hart, Ben Kidston, Toby Batchelor, Dwayne Weir, Tony Hannagan, Duncan Anderson, Harry Jones, Matt McCallum, Callum Thompson.
