It is not often that Bermuda go into an international series of any kind as overwhelming favourites, but that will certainly be the case this morning when the national team take on Guernsey in the first of three successive matches.

After beating Lloyds Cricket Club by four runs at Beckenham on Thursday, Bermuda touched down in the Channel Islands yesterday afternoon in decidedly good spirits ? with the mood improved further by the mercifully warm and sunny weather which greeted their arrival, not to mention the jaw-dropping views from their quaint seaside hotel on the island?s west coast.

With today?s opponents currently languishing in the International Cricket Council?s European second division along with cricketing nonentities such as Germany and Gibraltar, and Bermuda having beaten them reasonably comfortably in a friendly game last summer, most would agree that anything other than a three-nil series win to the visitors would be something of a surprise.

But coach Gus Logie sought to play down the pressure of expectation yesterday, arguing that he would rather see three batsmen score hundreds over the next few days than win every match ? a performance first, results later line he has consistently adopted in the past before practice matches.

?I would not be disappointed if we do not win every match,? he insisted.

?All I am interested in is seeing us improve in all aspects of the game. As long as that happens, at this stage the results are just a bonus.

?I want to see the guys scoring more hundreds, I want to see better and more disciplined bowling, I want to see better fielding and running between the wickets. If this happens, I?ll be happy and perhaps the results will take care of themselves.?

Though the squad decided to take the afternoon off after a morning of travel and did not venture to the nearby King George V ground which is to be the venue for all three fixtures, news of Guernsey?s 600-run thriller against a visiting MCC side on Thursday provided a clear indication that the wicket there is something of a featherbed.

?Set 305 to win against a touring side apparently made up of good English club players, a Guernsey XI reached an impressive 297 for eight in reply.

?It did not take us long to hear about that game,? Logie said.

?We will obviously wait and assess the conditions for ourselves in the morning, but all indications are that the pitch is a very good one and there might be an opportunity over the three matches for some big scores to be posted, both on an individual and a team basis.?

But even on a similarly docile surface against Lloyds, Logie admitted that Bermuda?s batsmen had lacked self-belief after failing to make the most of a solid 83-run start from OJ Pitcher and Treadwell Gibbons jr, finishing on 218 rather than the requisite 250-plus.

?We?ve talked about how that innings panned out and I think what it came down to was a lack of confidence,? Logie said.

?There was a perfect opportunity in that game to up the tempo in the middle phase of the innings, but perhaps because they are not all that accustomed to coming in behind good starts, the middle order seemed a bit hesitant and we lost momentum.

?That shows that even on good pitches you cannot expect the runs to just come, you?ve got to bat well and be positive ? and by that I do not mean just trying to hit boundaries.

?As far as Guernsey are concerned though, we know they are a decent side having played against them before and they should have a few players capable of taking the game to us. We certainly cannot afford to relax against them.?

Bermuda will delay announcing their starting eleven for the first match until one hour before the start of play today, though Logie was prepared to confirm that with no injuries currently affecting any member of the squad, the intention was to give all 15 players a chance to impress in one or more of the three games.

Meanwhile, with Guernsey gunning for promotion from Europe?s division two at a major regional tournament this August in Scotland, the hosts will be looking to get the most out of the upcoming games and Guernsey Cricket Association chairman David Piesing said yesterday they were hoping to cause an upset.

?The guys will be really up for the games against Bermuda because they realise how important they are in terms of our preparation for the tournament in August,? he said.

?There are a few guys selected who have been on the fringes of the first team up to now, but if they perform well they just might find themselves in the thick of things later on.

?In terms of the future development of cricket in Guernsey, promotion into the first division is crucial and playing the likes of Bermuda will only help us improve.

?From what I understand there are one or two little niggles knocking about and we will see who reports fit in the morning.

?But I?m expecting us to field pretty much a full strength side and there will be plenty of players looking to put on a good show.?

Guernsey are coached on a part-time basis by former England and Leicestershire all-rounder Jack Birkenshaw and will boast former Hampshire seamer Lee Savident and England under-19 batsman Jeremy Frith among their ranks.