after being placed alongside Cayman Islands in Group II for the October cricket competition.

Other countries in the section include Guyana, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands, but it is the western Caribbean nation that Bermuda would feel most confident going up against, especially after defeating them during the recent Americas Cup in Canada.

And while Bermuda Cricket Board of Control president El James conceded that Caymans present the best scenario for success, the goal in entering the tournament -- regardless of which group -- is to win...period.

"Any grouping would have been to our liking, because we just want to play cricket,'' said James. "Regardless of who we're playing against we're going down there with the attitude that we're looking for a victory.

"We just finished playing Caymans in the Americas Cup, and we know that while we defeated them, Caymans do have a very good team.

"Guyana always have a great team and are always contending, and Leewards and Windwards are extremely strong. The stiffer the competition I feel the better it will be for our guys, so we're looking forward to some stiff competition.'' The president stressed that nothing would be taken for granted with regard to any side Bermuda come up against, and noted how eligibility rules -- or lack thereof -- for the Red Stripe competition would likely allow Caymans to field a stronger side than witnessed in Canada.

"One thing about the Caymans when they were in Canada was that their batting was weak, but they had a lot of bowling,'' continued James, who witnessed Bermuda's 32-run triumph over them back in August. "The eligibility rules for the Americas tournament ruled out a lot of individuals that they might have used. So, where the eligibility rules regarding residency do not apply in the Red Stripe, they could come with a totally different 11 that are simply residents and haven't been residents that long.'' James appeared more interested in how Bermuda would cope against the likes of the Leewards, Windwards and Guyana, the powerhouse of the group, with the likes of Test players Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Mahendra Nagamootoo and Ramnareesh Sarwan.

"We need to target Guyana, the Windwards and the Leewards, that's who we need to go after and if we get the breaks going with us we can do it.

"I feel that we're going with one of the strongest teams that we've gone with in recent years. We have the guys. We have the talent to do it, we've come very close before. We'll need consistently good team effort to win matches, nothing more.'' Meanwhile, Group I contains Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Barbados and Canada.