Bermuda?s tennis stars are expected to collect the first medals for their country in the Small Islands Games this year ? courtesy of a two-week headstart.

Rather than heading to Shetland with the 150 other competitors across 12 sports in the second week of July, the tennis team ? along with their basketball counterparts ? are jetting out on June 26 to an alternate venue.

A lack of facilities on the island group near Scotland means the ten racquet stars are heading instead to Gibraltar in search of golden glory.

The team, five men and five women, will compete in both a team event as well as singles, doubles and possibly mixed doubles, with every player in with a shout of a podium place.

?The aspiration in the community here is that Bermuda will be in with a good chance of winning medals and in keeping with that we have picked the strongest possible team according to our national rankings,? said Ross Hillen, president of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association.

?Training will begin soon for the event and we expect to be very competitive.?

The men?s team, consisting of James Collieson, Andy Bray, Gavin Manders, Jenson Bascome and teenager David Thomas, can expect to do very well, with the top-ranked players familiar with some of the opposition.

British-born Bray, allowed into the team because the Island Games rules allow those resident in a country for more than 12 months to participate, is particularly excited to play ? and take on some old friends.

?I went to University with a guy called Jeremy Cross who won the singles for Jersey for a few years ago,? said the 28-year-old accountant.

?He played one place above me in the university team and he is a decent player. It should be a good standard of tennis, I know a couple of the huys and so does does James, and I think we can do very well both as a team and as individuals.

?For me it is a great opportunity to compete. I have never played competitively abroad and I see it is a real challenge and an honour to compete for the Island I call home.

?When I first moved to this Island paradise with work, little did I realise that one day I would get a chance to compete for the insurance capital of the world in the sport I love.?

Another player who will be particularly keen to compete is Manders, who had to turn down a wildcard for the recent XL Capital Bermuda Open qualifiers.

Manders feels his game is developing strongly and his school has just moved into the top ten in America, with the youngster recording a 10-5 record in singles this campaign.

The ladies team for the event consists of Zarah DeSilva, pictured, Ashley Brooks, Morgan Lightbourne, Tara Lambert and Sasha Fisher while Davis Cup coach Steve Bean will be at the helm, assisted by Jerome Bradshaw.

Bradshaw, who umpired the Mikael Pernfors-Mats Wilander exhibition match last week at the XL, is working as an assistant coach but is also helping organise the event and will assist with officiating and running the draw ? all at the expense of the Island Games association.

The reserves for the team are Romar Douglas and Caitlin Gordon.

Bermuda?s Junior Davis Cup team struggled against second seeds El Salvador in their Group Three round-robin match in Guatemala yesterday.

Naim Azhar went down 6-3, 6-2 to Antonio Alfaro, Johnny Holland lost 6-0, 6-0 to Marcelo Arevalo while the doubles team were also beaten love and love.