Former Bermuda international and St. George?s Cup Match opening batsman Dexter Smith is off to his best ever start in the Castle Lager Surrey Championship in England.

As captain of Southern Railway & Kenley CC, Smith has hit three consecutive hundreds, the first (117) coming in the club?s final warm-up match, against Hayes, of the Kent League last month.

Poor weather meant that the left-hander had to wait two weeks for his first official action as matches at home to Limpsfield and away to Old Rutlishians were abandoned without a ball bowled.

But he put the time he spent in the nets to good use with a fine knock 105 in a losing cause away to Churt CC in the middle of May.

Churst, about 90 minutes? drive from Kenley, scored 215 for five in 51 overs after being sent in by Smith and dismissed the Bermuda-born player?s team for 187 in 47.5 overs.

The visiting side crumbled upon Smith?s dismissal at 151 for five, when he was run out attempting a second run to the bowler?s end.

Smith then celebrated his 43rd birthday recently with an unbeaten 106 at home to Chessington CC but, again, Southern Railway & Kenley were frustrated in their efforts for maximum points.

The home side amassed 234 for five in 44.5 overs but struggled to make the necessary inroads with their fancied seam attack and had to settle for a winning draw after Chessington closed on 225 for six in 56 overs.

With three teams to be promoted to the second division this season, Smith?s men can ill-afford to waste winning opportunities. They were joint 13th in the 19-team league, 22 points behind the early pacesetters going into their last encounter.

Smith, meanwhile, is on course to surpass his best season in England.

He made 660 runs at an average of 47 in 2001 but, although he has been the club?s leading scorer in two of his three seasons, his production had been in gradual decline, with a low of 485 (25.50 average) last season when he took over the captaincy.

Smith is one of two Bermudian veterans playing well in England, the other being Noel Gibbons who is player-coach of Atherstone Town in the Warwickshire Cricket League.