to settle a score with an old friend.

Fully rested after an arduous trip to England, captain Wendell Smith and his team are looking for the victory that eluded them the last time they faced English opposition.

That was in February when the England `A' side with Steve Coverdale as tour manager completed a clean sweep of four wins at Somerset Cricket Club.

Yesterday Coverdale was the perfect host as he welcomed Bermuda to the County Ground, Nothampton, where he is chief executive.

Today, the Northamptonshire Second XI will attempt to continue his good run.

Coverdale was not looking to pick a winner as he chatted yesterday with Bermuda tour manager Reggie Pearman in an office overlooking the field, which the cricketers share with the hard-up Northampton FC.

Instead he spoke of the strength of the two sides who meet for a 55-overs match, the first of the tour. Northants are without a first-class game and will therefore field six players with first-team experience.

One opponent who should be known to more of the tourists is Richard Williams.

Currently battling back from injury, Williams aged 31, has scored 1,000 first-class runs in a season six times and has taken five wickets in an innings on nine occasions.

His highest score of 175 came against Leicestershire 12 years ago and his career also includes l18 centuries and 55 half-centuries.

Neil Stanley, 24, and Anthony Penberthy, 22, each have a first-class hundred to their names and 19-year-old Malachy Loye is a newcomer of real promise. He made his first-class debut only last year, was a recent captain of Young England and has been a first-team regular.

A leg-spinner with a high speed namesake, 21-year-old Andy Roberts completes the list of Northants players who will bring first-team experience into today's game, but they are not about to underestimate Bermuda.

Coverdale explained yesterday that he is under no illusions about the potential of the tourists. "Basically I think that now the Bermuda players are into their own season they will be a much better side than they showed in February,'' he said.

As the tourists put everything into yesterday's training session, Pearman said that the players spent all Saturday resting after a long trip, which included a two-hour delay at Newark, New Jersey, on the way to London where a coach was waiting for the two-hour drive to the Midlands.

He said each player is likely to make at least four appearances during the six-match tour. "There should be plenty of competition for places and we want to start by getting our own back on Steve for the four defeats his team handed out in Bermuda.'' Skipper Smith said morale is high because the tour takes in a number of first-class wickets. "It's great to be able to come and practise at a first-class ground with facilities to match and then to play on a wicket, which you know will be good,'' he said.

"Most of the players have experience of playing in England. They also remember what happened at home in February and they want to do better this time.'' Bermuda: Wendell Smith (capt), Ricky Hill, Arnold Manders, Noel Gibbons, Charlie Marshall, Clevie Wade, Darrin Lewis, Dean Minors, Kenny Phillips, Anthony Edwards, Terry Burgess.