Hayden Meikle counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
No 111: Otago wins fifth straight Wisden Cup (1951)
The eight-strong Otago side, comprising four men and four women, won at least a share of the Wisden Cup in five consecutive seasons spanning 1947-1951.
Larry Scott (83), of Mosgiel, and lifelong friend Jeff Robson were the driving force behind the golden generation of Otago badminton.
They combined to win six New Zealand men's doubles titles between 1948-1955, and between them captured 11 of the 13 national singles titles contested from 1948-1960.
The pair's story started simply, with two racquets, a ball and a wall at St Clair Primary School, before rapidly progressing upon their discovery of badminton courts at Brighton Hall.
Scott has fond memories of those early days.
"We went down to Brighton School and got into it. We both helped each other - we knew nothing about it in those days.
"We took to it like a duck to water."
Both men went on to represent New Zealand multiple times, and met in numerous hotly contested national singles finals.
Scott, initially reluctant to speak of his struggles against his great friend, later admitted to finishing runner-up to him at the national championships three times.
The current standard of badminton played in Otago did not compare with that played in his day, Scott said.
Auckland and Waikato tended to dominate the national scene now, he said.
Regional dominance and the quality of play were not the only things to have shifted.
There was no such thing as professional athletes or funding for overseas travel in Scott's day.
"We did it because we loved it."
