Spread across the pages of sports magazines and internet sites, the Bermuda Open, which has Logic Communications, Hewlett Packard and Endurance as its three principle sponsors, is gaining widespread attention and in the words of current world champion and Bermuda resident David Palmer, is "one of the most exciting tournaments to hit the world tour in years".

To those who have not had any contact with the sport locally for the last ten years or so, the enormity of this transformation might be difficult to understand.

In the early 1990s, squash in Bermuda was undeniably on its last legs. The junior programme lay in tatters, the club membership was at an all-time low and the committee was having difficulty even covering the cost of the day to day maintenance of the four-court facility in Devonshire.

With the appointment of Jane Parker in 1994, however, local squash was given a significant shot in the arm and when Ross Triffitt took over in 1999 he inherited a vibrant club with a comprehensive junior programme.

The Australian, in conjunction with Gary Plumstead, the South African playing professional, has built rapidly on this foundation and now presides over what internationally renowned squash coach Mike Way has called, "the best per capita junior programme in the world".

With two young, internationally ranked players in Nick Kyme and James Stout, the individual Caribbean champions at both senior and junior levels, as well as holding the Caribbean Men's Team championship trophy, Bermuda squash has never been in better shape and is now arguably, along with sailing, the most successful and ambitious sport on the Island.

The work that has gone into making a tournament the size of the Bermuda Open a reality is impressive by anybody's standards and Triffitt paid tribute to both Stephen Young, president of the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association and the tournament chair, Kim Carter, for their "tireless" efforts.

The Open will be played on a brand new, state-of-the-art all-glass court which is being brought in from Europe en route to its storage base in the United States.

Although Triffitt revealed they had considered a number of options, including bringing in operational courts from as far afield as Colombia or Spain, it was at the US Open in Boston that the Australian became aware of the new court under construction and secured it for use in Bermuda.

"The beauty of an all-glass court is that we can accommodate spectators all around the playing area and people who have never seen squash in this type of facility before will be able to watch the game from a variety of novel angles," he said.

"Watching world class squash on a glass court really is an exhilarating experience because you can really appreciate the phenomenal speed and athleticism of the top players at close quarters and from some angles you feel like you're in the court with them!"

The newly renovated Vesey building at the Bermuda High School will be the venue this March, a facility Triffitt described as "superb".

He revealed, however, that in the long term, he and his fellow tournament organisers very much hope to host the event outside at one of Bermuda's most picturesque locations.

The prestigious Al Ahram Super Series tournament ? squash's equivalent of a Grand Slam ? is held in the Egyptian desert beside the pyramids while the "Tournament of Champions" takes place in the vast Grand Central Station in New York. Triffitt is confident that Bermuda possesses the necessary attributes to rival the fame of these other spectacles.

"If marketed properly, Bermuda is an absolutely outstanding location to host international sporting events because of the wonderful climate, beaches and natural beauty," he said.

"We looked at a number of outdoor venues and it really is our long term goal to hold the event outside in the most picturesque location we can come up with.

"There are a range of idyllic venues such as down at Elbow Beach, the Southampton Princess, on the water at Dockyard or somewhere like Fort St.Catherine.

"It will ultimately come down to a question of logistics and whether any of those venues would be interested in hosting an event such as this."

The success of the tournament in its first year depends on a large amount of international exposure, and it is clear that tournament organisers have left no stone unturned in this regard. Triffitt has already received considerable interest from people wishing to attend the event, particularly from North America and he remains confident that the event will be a sell-out.

"We have adopted a comprehensive approach to spreading the word and will be welcoming a large number of tourists from around the world to attend the event," he said.

"Remember also that we are running an amateur, divisional Bermuda Open at the BSRA in Devonshire at the same time as the professional tournament so we will be attracting a number of top amateurs both to compete and to watch.

"The whole thing really is a mammoth undertaking but we are confident that we can pull it off and bring considerable kudos to local squash and also to the country as well."

In the long term, Triffitt vowed not to rest on his laurels and intends to ensure that the tournament continues to grow and become "one of the top three Super Series events". He also revealed that serious consideration would be given to hosting a top level female squash tournament to try to solve what is, by his own admission, a dramatic gap in standards and participation levels between local men and women.

He rejected the suggestion that by running both a men's and women's event, becoming one of the few tournaments in the world which does so, he would be sacrificing the ambition of moulding a single event capable of ranking in the world's top three.

"It's really important to us that the event grows and is successful but it is also important to look at the big picture," he said.

"Women's squash in Bermuda is suffering and putting on my BSRA cap rather than my Bermuda Open hat, we have to consider how to promote the sport to more women, and certainly more girls and I think it is important that we do consider running a top level women's tournament in order to kick start our female programme on the Island."

The Australian argued also that because of the smaller levels prize money that the Women's World Squash Tour commands, it would be possible to host a women's event without jeopardising the health of the men's tournament and therefore, the likelihood of hosting the World Championships.

With all of the world's top players forecast to journey to the Island in March, together with television coverage to be beamed to a potential global audience of 375 million and the availability of an online wireless network broadcasting the scores and results live on the internet, the BSRA will find themselves presiding over one of the most significant sporting events to ever take place in Bermuda.

Not bad, one might argue, for a sport which was sliding ignominiously towards extinction only ten years ago.