in anticipation of a good showing at the Central American and Caribbean Games which is set to commence on Saturday.

It is hoped that months of intense training and instruction under the watchful gaze of coach Nigel Pichery will allow them to excel and possibly return with a medal.

"The preparation has been good, we've been to Montreal as well as having the (Bermuda) Hockey Festival,'' explained Pichery who will coach both teams.

"Physically everybody is fit as well as being mentally prepared, which is a good sign.

"Obviously we would want to win a medal and I think our chances are exceptional, but apart from that the association will be using this as exposure for the younger members of the squad and as a stepping stone towards the 1995 Pan Am Games.'' Pichery added that Bermuda is familiar with most of the opponents likely to be encountered on the United States colony and should more than hold their own.

He rated the Cubans as probably the toughest proposition for both genders.

Cuba were one of the top three teams during the 1990 CAC Games in Mexico -- the others were Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Noted also was the physical and fast game espoused by many of the Caribbean nations.

Bermuda's strength similarly lies with speed, but they differ in that they utilise more skill and finesse as opposed to brute force.

Weaknesses highlighted by Pichery were the locals tendency to not concentrate for the entire game and a lack of discipline when defending, though the coach said much work had recently been put into resolving such deficiencies.

English coach Chris Cox has been recruited to assist the men's side and his role will be that of aiding in both tactics and technique.

Set to captain the men is Ivor Hughes, while Joanne Wilson will lead the women.

Eight teams are scheduled to compete in the men's section, with countries split into two groups of four and performing under a round robin format where the top two in each group qualify for the semifinals.

Meanwhile, for the women all six teams participate in a single pool under a round robin format and has the top two facing each other at the end in a battle for gold and silver, while third and fourth place sides engage for rights to the bronze.

Men's squad: Ivor Hughes (captain), Jamal Burgess, David Curley, Kirk Edmunds, Manny Faria, Paul Farrington, Simon Farrington, Roger Lee, Carlos Lee, Stanley Lee, David Mocklow, Donald Moniz, Mark Ray, Wesley Scraders, Gordie Shaw, Simon Van De Weg.

Women's squad: Joanne Wilson (captain), Rosemarie Daniels, Stacy DeShields, Lisa DeSilva, Fiona Doe, Marcia Ford, Lyndell Furbert, Edna Matthews, Tracy McPhee, Andrea Parker, Maria Pichery, Ingrid Pitt, Rhonda Rawlins, Brenda Smith, Edna Mae Tuzo, Vicki Joseph.