It's showtime! The skies might be cloudy, but there's sure to be an abundance of stars in and around Warwick Lanes today and tomorrow, as an array of top foreign professionals and local bowlers stake claim to the $4,000 prize on offer at the $20,000 PBA Bermuda Southern Regional tournament.

Back to defend his title is Antoine Jones. The local amateur last year shocked the more seasoned pros, beating Virginia resident Richard Dodge in the final.

Yesterday Jones was cautiously optimistic as to his chances for a repeat triumph, merely saying he would try his best.

"I'm going to give it a go,'' said the lefty kegler. "The first thing is to make the cut.

"You try and make the cut and see what happens. Once you make the cut then the confidence starts flowing.

"The key to these tournaments is that you need to position yourself and start excelling from there.'' Earlier in the year Jones competed abroad in a few tournaments with reasonable success, but since returning home his form has wavered.

He rated his present status as "not exceptional, but coming'' and hoped it would come the full circle by early this afternoon.

Of the Bermudians entered, the always dangerous Dean Lightbourn is rated as the best shot for the title, as he always seems able to rise to the occasion.

Lightbourn, too, has been abroad recently, plying his craft in several lucrative tournaments.

Other locals who could find themselves in the hunt are Richard Zuill, Doug Hines, Mike McCallum, Conrad Lister and veteran pro Quinton Hayward, in his first Bermuda event. However each will be up against perhaps the strongest overseas contingent ever assembled.

Leading that pack -- at least in terms of style -- is the affable Guppy (Mr.

Colourman) Troup, who, when not on the party circuit, can bowl a mean game.

Troup holds the record for number of PBA titles, with 42, and hopes to add another to his resume.

He will be hard pressed by the less dazzling, but remarkably steady Sam Zurich, who prefers to let his game do the talking. Zurich led the money list in 1996, winning $35,000 in prize money and is a close second to Troup in overall tour wins.

"I'm more low key and don't really like to talk myself up,'' said Zurich during Thursday night's cocktail reception hosted by Colonial Insurance. "I'd rather be quiet, sit back and wait until I see an opening and shoot for it.'' Not to be forgotten is Richard Dodge, last year's runner-up and holder of four PBA titles.

More than 60 foreign entrants in all are here to take part in the event, which has the qualifying round taking place today at 1.00 p.m., from which 16 will emerge to go through to Sunday's match play round (10.00 a.m.), with the stepladder finals held that evening (5.00 p.m.).

"This is a hot happening event,'' said Bermuda Bowling Association president McCallum, charged with organising the affair. "We've put a lot of work into it and it should be a lot of fun, maybe the best ever.'' ANTOINE JONES -- shocked the pros in last year's PBA Bermuda Southern Regional bowling tournament and will be looking to pull off another surprise this weekend.