BERMUDA'S 16-and-under girls registered two victories to earn a sixth place finish out of ten countries at the Junior Fed Cup competition in the Dominican Republic last week.

The trio of Ashley Brooks and sisters Kara and Zoe Fisher beat Guatemala and Honduras - both by 3-0 - in round-robin play to finish third in their group of five behind El Salvador and Puerto Rico.

That performance earned the girls' team, which was captained by Laverne Stowe, a place in the fifth and sixth place play-off where they won the doubles rubber, but went down 2-1 to Costa Rica.

Bermuda's 16-and-under boys - John Masters, Kyle Smith and David Campbell - found the going somewhat tougher and finished last of the nine countries taking part in the Junior Davis Cup.

It was Bermuda's first-ever appearance in the North/Central America and Caribbean regional pre-qualifying event, sanctioned by the world governing body of tennis the International Tennis Federation.

For the girls, it was encouraging that all those playing are young enough to be eligible to play next year.

Coach and Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association president Terry Smith, who accompanied the teams to Santo Domingo, was happy with the efforts of boys and girls alike.

Smith said: "It was a very high standard. The girls finished in the middle of good competition. The boys' field was very strong and it was not so easy.

"It was great for them to get exposure to that level of competition. All we can do from here is to improve.

"What really pleased me was the effort they put in and the camaraderie they showed as team members. They understood the strategic decisions made the captains and they played as a team. And they were out there to cheer each other on. It was a real team effort."

Hosts the Dominican Republic won the boys' event, while El Salvador won the girls' tournament. Both countries will go on to the final stage of regional qualifying against the might of the US, Canada and Mexico in Florida next weekend.

Bermuda's appearance in the tournament and in the 14-and-under World Junior Tennis Competition the week before was made possible by funds raised from the Lori McNeil / Elbow Beach Celebrity Classic last year.

With the Classic set to continue and organisers promising it will be bigger and better, it seems that Bermuda will have the means to enter these youth competitions again next year.

"That is the intent and that is what we need to do," said Smith. "The teams may get stronger and the players will learn from seeing the stronger level of other teams.

"From a developmental standpoint we need to be going to tournaments like this to get our juniors looking forward to representing their country in the Davis Cup and Fed Cup."

The junior Fed Cup and Davis Cup competitions were formerly known as the NEC Youth Cup and Smith was told how one up and coming star now making his mark at the top of men's tennis used this route to progress to the top ten on the ATP Tour. "Speaking to the ITF representatives, they said it could be the stepping stone to the full Davis Cup and Fed Cup and more," said Smith.

"They used the example of Andy Roddick. He played for the 14s at the World Tennis Competition, then he played Junior Davis Cup, then the NEC Youth Cup, and now he plays for the US Davis Cup team. I think it builds a passion in individuals to represent their country."