in the Red Stripe Bowl cricket tournament, beginning Saturday in Jamaica.

So says Arnold Manders, who regains the national team captaincy after seven years.

"The guys are confident they are not going to be overawed by the occasion,'' said Manders as he prepared to lead the team into their second West Indies one-day tourmament. Last year Manders was a member of the Bermuda team that lost all six of their matches against the Windwards, Barbados and Guyana, though there was one match against the Windwards which Bermuda should have won, losing by the agonisingly close margin of two runs.

"We should have beaten the Windwards in the first game but we made a lot of mistakes,'' Manders recalled of the match last year in Guyana.

"We were competitive in every match, except the matches against Guyana,'' Manders said. "If we can cut down on our mistakes, then all one team has to do is have one bad performance and they could end up losing the match.'' Bermuda will again be in the Windwards group, but regardless of how they perform they are guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals as group matches will only determine who plays who. Also grouped with Bermuda are Trinidad, led by top batsman Brian Lara, and Jamaica who will be captained by West Indies captain Courtney Walsh.

"We have a chance. I won't count us out. If we go down there and play good positive cricket we could beat somebody.'' Manders takes over as captain from Western Stars team-mate Albert Steede, but he leads a team that is not as strong as the 1996 squad with the absence of Bailey's Bay trio Charlie Marshall, Glenn Blakeney and Roger Trott and St.

George's wicketkeeper Dean Minors. Marshall was overlooked while the other three are unavailable.

"I see my role as a facilitator, trying to get the guys to play to their full potential,'' said Manders, who last captained the Bermuda team in 1990.

At 38, Manders would like to think he can lead the team to the next two tournaments and help mould a new squad.

"I hope this is not just a one-off thing, I think I can take it for another year or two years and by the time I'm finished the things that Dougie (coach Allan Douglas) and I are trying to instill in them, they will come normal to them,'' said Manders.

This squad contains new faces like Dexter Basden, the Willow Cuts captain, Devonshire Rec. pair Anthony Amory and Donald Norford and Herbie Bascome of St. George's.

"There are a lot of guys who have been knocking on the door and haven't had the opportunity, but now is the time to prove themselves. Dexter has a future in Bermuda cricket and I'm glad to see him come into the national programme,'' said Manders.

"I'm happy to see Herbie (Bascome) in. If anybody is worthy it's him because he's had a great season.'' Bascome will lead the pace attack with Roger Blades with back up from medium pacers Anthony Amory, Janeiro Tucker and Lionel Cann. Manders and Del Hollis will do the bulk of the spin bowling.

Manders said he was still working on the batting order, though he confirmed his intention to bat at number five or six himself.

"Every player knows his role and responsibility in the team,'' said Manders.

"I want them to be aggressive, positive and disciplined. The main thing is to get them to play at their full potential as a unit.'' As one of the team's most seasoned players, Manders won't be intimidated by playing against some of the top cricketers in the region. "Those guys are human just like us and they also makes mistakes,'' he said.

The team left for Jamaica this morning.

ARNOLD MANDERS