NO one really expected Bermuda squash pro Nick Kyme to get past the number one player in the world, Frenchman Thierry Lincou, when the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters got underway on Monday. Kyme, ranked just inside the world top 70, gave a gutsy performance at the Bermuda High School gym in front of a packed-out partisan home crowd before going down in three straight games.

But this summer Bermuda can expect Kyme to be in the running for the crown at the Island Games in Shetland. And then he flies the flag again at the Pan American Championships and will also be a favourite to win the Caribbean Championships.

After spending a month earlier this year in Wales getting ready for the Bermuda Masters, Kyme will now base himself at home to get prepared for the Island Games.

Kyme said this week: "Right now I want to work on a few things in Bermuda ? at least for the summer when the (Professional Squash Association) tour is quiet.

"We have the Island Games, Pan Am Championships and the Caribbean Championships coming up. I am looking forward to the Island Games ? I believe myself and James (Stout) will do very well at the Island Games. We will also play doubles together."

Kyme beat Stout earlier this year to gain the wild card for the Bermuda Masters. Of playing doubles with Stout, Kyme said: "The court is wider by four feet ? it is fun playing doubles but it takes for ever!"

He is also hoping to do well at the Pan American Champions which is the lead up to the actual Pan American Games. "They (Pan Am Championships) are part of the qualifying route for the Pan Am Games. The last time we just missed out."

Kyme has played in the Commonwealth Games in both Malaysia and Manchester, England. "You always want to get ready for those big games," he said.

But over the next few months he will be working with his trainer in Bermuda, Karen Adams. "She's fantastic. She has been a great runner and I have been with her for a while. She knows what I need to do. She knows what she is talking about ? she knows what I am looking for and what I need to accomplish."

Kyme also does yoga. "I haven't been doing much of it lately but I will get back to it. Yoga really helps with my flexibility and mental clarity. It is a good way to start the day for me. I picked it up a couple of months after I went on the tour ? I realised I needed something extra."

In July and August Kyme will start mapping out his overseas tour schedule.

"The season starts in September and I will be going out on tour. I always tend to look at where there are a couple of tournaments which are close together ? it helps financially to do that, especially now with the dollar being so low."

Some of those places on tour will be in the Middle East where he has played before. Asked if he ever thinks about terrorism when going to the Middle East, Kyme said: "Well it does cross your mind. You do tend to stand out there but having said that the organisers really take care of you."

Being that squash doesn't have nearly the money in it compared to sports such as tennis it can make it a bit harder to stay on tour ? especially if you are trying to climb the world rankings as Kyme is.

"Economically it is tough. The guys who lose in the first round here will probably not break even ? they will make a slight loss. I am lucky here because I am home. But every time I travel I lose money. It is not a big money sport like tennis. And it is a shame because the amount of training, athleticism and strain that goes into squash is unbelievable. The money definitely doesn't equal the effort put in. In some way it is still an amateur game.

"Sponsorship is limited. But some countries have it better than others. For instance the British players have all that lottery support. In Bermuda (for the Masters) they have four coaches ? they can have coaching whenever they want and can go and play wherever they want to go."

Meanwhile Kyme doesn't get any official economic support. "I don't get anything from Government or the Bermuda Olympic Association as squash is not an Olympic sport," he said.

On court in Bermuda he does get some help from BSRA pro Patrick Foster as well as squash chief Ross Triffitt.

"When David Palmer is down here he is very supportive of me. He trains at such a high level it is awesome. Some things just rub off on you. When he is around I do start playing better. But when he is not here there is no one to push me."

And that is a familiar story for Kyme.

Looking at all the juniors coming up in the game now, the 24-year-old pro said: "I think it is great to see how many there are. I wish I had this many guys when I was coming along. I think they are incredibly lucky ? they are all growing up together and can push each other. I didn't really have that. I won the Under-16 championships when I was 11-years-old. I was constantly looking for older players to play."

As far as the juniors now looking up to him, Kyme said: "I suppose they do but it is really down to the coaches ? they are the people who have put in the effort with our juniors. They are the ones who put in all the work."

Of his experience playing against the world number one, Thierry Lincou, on Monday evening at the Bermuda Masters, Kyme said: "It was great. However during the first game and a half I wasn't seeing the ball very well ? I was feeling nervous. Towards the end of the second game I started settling down. I have known Thierry socially for a while. He is a very nice guy but I have never played him. He forces you to raise your game ? I don't think I could have played better than I did in the third game."