BERMUDA'S Davis Cup squad has been involved in trials this week to help decide which four players will travel with the team to Costa Rica in three months' time.

The preparations are taking place amid doubts over the availability of top player Jenson Bascome for the American Zone Group Four tournament.

Bascome is studying for a doctorate in physical therapy at Philadelphia's Temple University and the course's academic demands have left him uncertain of whether he can afford to spare the time to prepare properly and participate in the week-long tournament.

Another top player, James Collieson, has not been taking part in the trials as he is still recovering from a torn hamstring he suffered while playing rugby.

That rounded off an injury-ravaged 2003 for Collieson, who has been troubled by a broken foot and a fractured wrist. In addition, Collieson will have an operation next week for an injury to the left shoulder.

Selection of the foursome to represent the island in the World Cup of men's tennis will take place later this month after Bascome has declared his availability or otherwise.

As most of the candidates for a place are now based overseas, their return home for the Christmas break offered a rare chance for BLTA coaches to run the rule over them.

Teenager Gavin Manders has used the trials to stake his claim for a Davis Cup debut with a creditable 7-6, 7-6 victory over Bascome. Bascome has been playing little tennis lately, compared to Van der Meer Tennis Academy student Manders.

Steve Bean, the coach likely to be named Bermuda's non-playing Davis Cup captain, saw significance in the result, but said selection would not be based solely on trial results.

"Gavin has been showing a lot of promise, not only in the trials but in his performances in tournaments," Bean said. "I was actually looking for him to beat Jenson, because Jenson hasn't been playing much.

"I would say that Gavin is probably a better player at 16 or 17 than either Jenson or James was at that age, which bodes well for the future.

"But selection has to be based on factors over a period of time. And all because one player beats another in the trials, it does not mean they are necessarily a better player ? it's just tells you what's happening at that moment in time."

Bean is well aware of the importance to the team of both Bascome and Collieson, as the squad's two most experienced Davis Cup campaigners.

"If we lost Jenson and James it would be a very serious blow," Bean said. "Jenson is like a team leader and he would be hugely missed. But it is questionable whether he will be able to get the necessary time off school to play. The final decision is up to him. And James has injury problems and hopefully he will recover in time.

"James and Jenson are both experienced but they are both still young as well. If we had to replace them with youngsters, what we lost in experience we would not be gaining in youth."

Bascome said he hoped to be able to play, but education had to come first.

"I'm not playing as much tennis as I'd like to be, as my studies are taking up a lot of time," Bascome said. "At the moment I'm doing 35 hours of class time per week. It's very extensive and challenging, but I'm loving it ? it's what I want to do.

"At this moment I'm available for Davis Cup, but I'm not sure yet whether I'll be able to get the time off school to prepare for and play in an international tournament.

"If I can get the time, I have a lot of friends who play a high level of tennis, who can help me to prepare."

Collieson, 26, has endured something of a nightmare year as far as injuries are concerned. Next weekend, he will have an operation on his troublesome left shoulder and he is not yet completely recovered from a leg injury.

"I tore a hamstring playing rugby for Police," Collieson said. "I just wanted to try something different that would help me keep fit. It's nearly right again now and I want to try some hitting soon.

"It's always nice to be involved in Davis Cup. This is not like World Cup qualifying ? it is the World Cup, it's the real deal."

And when it came to the subject of the chances of promotion from Group IV, Collieson came out with some fighting talk.

"Group III should really be our level and that's what we should be aiming for," Collieson said. "After ten years of being involved at this level, I'm a veteran and have more experience than a lot of other guys.

"It's definitely a Bermudian attitude that we are just a little island and we're only there to participate. But those days are gone. There is no reason why we should not succeed."

Others playing in the trials are Jovan Whitter, Romar Douglas and Jacob Trott. Trott, 23, the only locally based player among those in contention, has caught the coaches' eye with some impressive displays in local tournaments.

Whitter is following in Bascome's footsteps by attending Temple University. And fellow teenager Douglas is another of the Bermuda contingent at Van Der Meer.

Veteran Ricky Mallory, who was drafted in to play doubles last year, is not slated to be involved this time. But Bean said if an emergency arose they would have no hesitation calling up the 38-year-old.

This year's Group IV tournament will take place in Costa Rica, the same host country as last year, on the hard courts of the Cariari Country Club in San Antonio de Bel?n from April 5 to 11.

The experimental innovations of previous years ? short sets, larger balls and no-ad scoring ? have all been dropped after the players responded unfavourably to them.

Last year Bermuda finished fourth out of six nations, but were still in contention for promotion on the last day, when they went down 2-1 to the US Virgin Islands.

According to Bean, they might well have gone up, had it not been for their late arrival in Costa Rica and consequent opening-day defeat to Barbados. This time they intend to allow themselves more time to prepare.

"Barbados was a team we had usually beaten in the past and I believe we lost that match because we had only one day to prepare," Bean said.

"We arrived on the Saturday and the first tie was on the Monday so we had one day to practise. It was a big adjustment ? so big that when they started playing the players couldn't even make a return of serve.

"This time we intend to get there on the Thursday to give ourselves at least three days to get the feel for the conditions."