Bermuda have come a long way since their humbling in Namibia this time last year.Today, against those same opponents in their final warm-up game before the World Cricket League Division Two qualifiers begin on Friday, they will get to see how far they still have to go.Already they have suffered a narrow eight-run loss at the hands of UAE, a game they felt they should have won, and then bounced back to beat Hong Kong by six wickets on Saturday.Twelve months ago Bermuda were in Namibia about to embark on a miserable ten days of cricket that saw them comfortably beaten by the hosts in both the Intercontinental Shield and two 50-over matches.The rest of the year has seen a steady improvement in terms of performance, if not always results, to the point that within the team competing, and winning is now expected and not hoped for.Several changes in personnel have taken place since last April, and as many as five of the side that play today weren’t involved 12 months ago.As a team that change in playing staff has been just as important as the change in attitude, and while some of the side are marked by the heavy losses in Namibia, skipper David Hemp said it would be different this time around.“There aren’t ‘scars’ if you like,” said Hemp. “One or two of us played (last year), but a lot of players haven’t played against them. One or two maybe played against them prior to that, irrespective of a result, then to now, progress has been made, it is slightly different.“Yes, we know what they are going to be like in terms of their approach and attitude towards the game, the way they play the game; they play it hard, they’re aggressive in terms of everything that they do, with the bat, the ball, in the field, and that’s the way they are by nature, we know all that.“I think a lot of our players will be new to that, haven’t seen it but really for where we are everyone should be going into the game with confidence in the team, which is important, but also in their own individual games.“I think the players expect now, not just to compete, and you talk about that but it’s about winning. We’re here to win games and that’s how you gauge yourself in terms of where you are.“At times, it can be a little bit ‘we’re not winning games therefore we’re not that good’. But if you’re losing by two or three runs then you can’t be far off, it’s one of those. Because you play these competitions every year or so, that’s your benchmark for where you stand.”Part of the reason for the improved confidence within the side is the solidity that has come from a core group of players being together for the past eight months.“I think the difference is, from last September, there has been a core of 14 or 15 players, that have pretty much been together,” said Hemp. “From a coach’s and players’ perspective it’s nice that you’ve got a group of players that you know, but also can understand your role within the team.“It’s always difficult when the team is chopping and changing and they’re playing different roles within the side, they’re bowling at different times, batting at different positions in the order.”Nowhere is that solidity more evident than in the batting order. Prior to Moore’s arrival and into the early days of his tenure, Hemp was the safety net, batting in the middle order to give some hope if the top order failed. Too often however, that meant that if Hemp failed, the team failed.This time though there will be more steel about a team that bats all the way down the order, and Hemp will be opening the batting, a role he has played fairly successfully over the past several months.“I’m happy doing that (opening), I don’t mind doing that,” said Hemp. “I like going straight in. For me, you’re looking for one of the top four to bat through, and I see it as a great opportunity to cash in early. Yes, you’ve got the new ball to deal with, but you’ve also got the opportunity to score some runs.”Hemp got 94 against Hong Kong on Saturday, and shared a century partnership with fellow opener Dion Stovell (70). The pair both punish the bad ball, and in Stovell, Hemp has someone who runs well between the wickets. With Lionel Cann and Irving Romaine restored to the middle order, that means Bermuda already look more formidable than they have done in the recent past.Today’s game is Bermuda’s third warm-up match following on from those against UAE and Hong Kong, and the team will have been in Dubai for two weeks training and acclimatising before the tournament finally starts.“I think it’s been excellent,” said Hemp. “The practice has been good, facilities are first rate, we’ve utilised those every day. In terms of the build-up it’s been good.“There was a narrow defeat which we were very disappointed with, which we felt we lost it, and they didn’t win it. And we had a good result against Hong Kong. But we’ve still got boxes to tick, which we are trying to do between now and Friday, and from then we’ll have things we’ll want to improve on game on game.“At the moment we’re happy with how things have been, how individuals have been, their approach, their commitment, their focus and their attitude. And that’s all we can do, and if we go into every game like that, then that’s all you can ask.”