short cuts. Lines, designs and braids.

It's where Africa meets Europe, and where Europe meets North America. All you have to do is walk down the streets of Hamilton and you will see them.

And if you are at Wellington Oval on Thursday and Friday for the Cup Match festivities you will see a lot more of them.

What are they? They are hairstyles, born of a more adventurous spirit, a renewal of African pride and the benefits of travel to foreign countries.

Barber shops and hair studios are bracing themselves for a busy couple of days as Bermudian men and women flock to their favourite stylists looking for that perfect cut to compliment their Cup Match outfits.

"Bermudians like to wait until the last minute to do things. We have a ticket system now because many guys will miss their turn and argue about who is next.

Fights even break out,'' admitted Danere Spence who, with his sister Gina and elder brother Kurvin, run Spence's Hair Designs on Ewing Street.

"Every holiday is busy but Cup Match is one of the busiest,'' he laughed.

"Guys today are like women. They want to look as fresh as possible. They are always in the mirror making sure things are just right.

"Nowadays there is much more style. No one wants the same style as everyone else. Guys want a haircut that is specialised.

"About six months to a year ago guys were asking for plain designs like lines, curves and zigzags. Some even asked for their name to be cut into their hair. It's a real challenge.

" Designs are a way of expressing who you are without the complicated formalities of an introduction. People want to be noticed. With these designs it is possible to tell someone your name without opening your mouth.'' His sister Gina agrees.

"People are now willing to be more adventurous and try new things. I get requests for more natural curls and short cuts and less for processed styles like perms.

"It's more Afrocentric. In the last two months the trend is towards Afrocentric styles. Darker skinned women are refusing to believe the myth that being light skinned and having long hair is the only type of beauty. They are starting to feel proud of their African-ness and they want to make a fashion statement.

"Black Entertainment Television has a lot of influence on the kinds of styles women ask for. Halle Berry (who played Eddie Murphy's love interest in the film Boomerang) has inspired many women. That style is still very popular.

"Cup Match is a busy time. Business booms before and after Cup Match. A lot of people come back to repair the damage done when they go swimming during the holiday.

"European influences are big too. I do a lot of bob cuts and blonde treatments and colouring. North American styles tend to be high and spiral shaped, while European styles are smooth and flat, like model Naomi Campbell.'' CARVING! -- Gordon Wade, 13, asked for a haircut with a difference. He wanted the word Hackle carved into his hair and he got it! THE WAVE -- The Pineapple wave is in! Cureka Caines, 19, shows off her new look.

CREATIVE -- Kurvin Spence shows what a little creativity can achieve. He took his half-'fro and turned it into the African Twist which is blending of the Afro and the dreadlocks worn by Rastafarians.

LIVING IN THE 1990s -- Stacy Seymour sits proudly sporting the half-'fro, the 1990s version of the Afro. The Afro was worn by black men and women in the 1970s as a statement of their cultural pride.