Bermuda's hockey players will be looking to put the country on the map when they take on the best in the Caribbean this weekend.

Last season's league champions, Swallows from the women's division and the Chameleons from the men's are travelling to Barbados for the Caribbean Club Championships.

The Club Championships involve the winners of respective leagues in the region.

This is the first time that Bermuda has had teams taking part and they will be competing with the likes of others from Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica and Guyana to name but a few.

Justin Freisenbruch, who has been coaching the teams, said despite the fact that Bermuda had the disadvantage of playing on grass domestically while everyone else played on artificial pitches he was still predicting the teams would do well.

"I think we will fair alright," he said. "For a small hockey playing nation, in terms of numbers, we do actually have quite a few skilful players and certainly on the Chameleons' side a lot of guys who have played on astroturf hockey in the UK in the fairly recent past.

"Chameleons have also been on a couple of tours this year and played on astroturf so I think that will stand them in good stead."

The men will be further disadvantaged because there are more teams in their competition.

"I think the men would be ranked towards the bottom for the simple fact that the teams we are playing have a larger number of players to choose from and they do have regular astroturf exposure," Freisenbruch said.

The teams have been preparing long and for the tournament.

"Six months worth of training has gone it to this and as I say the men have been on two tours in that time," he said. "They have done a lot of work. The skills training that we have been doing has been done indoors rather than outdoors which has helped us hone our astroturf hockey skills, which are very, very different from the grass hockey skills which they are practising on a weekly basis."

What the teams lacked in facilities, they more than made up for in other areas, the coach said.

"Both teams have tremendous team spirit. In any team sport that is a tremendous advantage," he said. "Both teams also have a pretty clear gameplan of how they are going to play. I think we know that certain teams will have certain advantages over us in terms of probably speed and fitness but we are hoping our technical abilities and the cohesion of our teamwork will see us through."

Teams: Chameleons: Jonathan Dodd (captain), Mark Pettingill, Stuart Mackellar, Steve Moreton, Peter Illston, Chris de Putron, Neil Carroll, James Broadbent, Gerry De Vere, Peter Hughes, Rob Bicknell, John Hughes, Mark Stevens, Bill Spencer.

Swallows: Liz Osborne (captain), Jenny Burrell, Rebecca Pettingill, Jenny Macintosh, Cath Griffiths, Shelley Clement, Sam Adams, Kirstie Kelly, Sam de Putron, Trish Lorimer, Donna Nicholson, Gladys Pryce, Sarah Fenwick.