Teenage rugby player Stephen Davidge takes a huge step up in class this weekend when he turns out for Bermuda against the cream of the Caribbean.

The 18-year-old Saltus student will become only one of a handful of youth players ever to have represented the country at national level when he takes his bow at the Caribbean Sevens tournament in Jamaica.

The event is being staged in part to select a West Indies squad for the forthcoming Hong Kong Sevens tournament -- and some good performances from Davidge could even lead to him travelling to the Far East.

The youngster, who plays at either centre of fly-half, came to prominence during the recent Bermuda Sevens tournament staged at BAA Field.

"I was quite surprised. I played pretty well in the Sevens tournament but I didn't expect it,'' he said of his call-up. "I didn't even know there was a team going down.'' Davidge, who admitted to being excited but also a bit tentative about the prospect of playing at such a high level, said he had been approached at the end of the tournament.

"The day after the last day of the tournament, Pete Shillingford, the coach, called me and told me that I had been selected,'' he said. "Pete actually helped us with our games because we had a youth team in the Sevens tournament.

He just said I had pretty good speed for my size and had had some good games.'' Davidge, who plays for Police, said his turn of foot was probably his best asset.

"I'm pretty fast. I'm 6ft and for a 6ft person I think I'm pretty fast,'' he said.

The recent competition was the first time he had played Sevens.

"From playing in the tournament and then going back to playing 15s at a weekend it was a lot faster,'' he said. "You had to think a lot quicker.'' With Bermuda regarded as one of the main forces in Caribbean rugby, Davidge said he knew a good showing in Jamaica would be anticipated.

"So much is expected of us and with me being the youngest it's going to add a lot more pressure. I'm looking for myself to step it up a bit and try and help out the team the best I can,'' he said.

If an incentive were needed to do well then a chance to play against the likes of Australia, England and New Zealand in the most prestigious Sevens tournament in the world should act as an added spur.

"I've been told by some of the players in the team that if I was to do well I would have a chance to travel with the West Indies select team and go down to Hong Kong,'' Davidge said. "That is something I'm looking forward to trying to get on.'' Though he is the only youth player in the Bermuda squad, Davidge said he did not think it would be long before others joined him among the ranks.

"This is one of the best (youth) teams we have had,'' he said. "From what I was told, some of the other guys on my team were looked at as well. We do have a really good base that we are working on. Grant Tompkins, our coach, has really helped us out and given us opportunities to play in things like the Sevens tournament.

"That has been a lot of help and I have seen the improvement in a lot of the guys who were not as good when they first started and have got a lot better over time.'' Teen Davidge in national squad From Page 15 Bermuda, who are being sponsored by Gateway, will face the British Virgin Islands, Guyana and Jamaica B in one of three four-team pools at the event to be played on Saturday and Sunday at the Mona Stadium in Kingston.

Those joining Davidge in the squad, which trained for the last time last night, are captain Bobby Hurdle, Alvin Harvey, Heath Robinson, Nathan Browne, Anthony Cupidor, Jon Cassidy, Alex Rollin, Simon Hirtenstein and Dan McGavern.

Cupidor, Rollin and Hirtenstein will also be making their national tour debuts.