An architectural technician has designs on winning a House of Assembly seat in crucial Hamilton East for the ruling United Bermuda Party.

But top golfer and businesswoman Madeleine Joell is aiming to bunker the plan and win the nomination for herself.

Award-winning architect technician Stephen West and golf champion Ms Joell have been polled in the seat -- seen by both parties as crucial to victory in this year's General Election -- alongside Sen. Angelita Fox.

Sen. Fox appears to be virtually a racing certainty for one of the nominations.

But the race for a second UBP candidate in the seat is more open -- although Ms Joell is thought to be a few strokes ahead.

The two nominees will eventually go up against the Progressive Labour Party team of Renee Webb and Derrick Burgess.

The UBP got a bloody nose in the constituency earlier this year when Bermuda Industrial Union chief Derrick Burgess followed his BIU predecessor, Ottiwell Simmons, into the House after a by-election.

Mr. Burgess -- put up by the party after sitting PLP MP the Rev. Trevor Woolridge quit following conviction and then a successful appeal in a court sex case -- trounced UBP man Francis Furbert.

The seat -- prone to swings in recent elections -- had a PLP clean sweep in 1993, unseating the only National Liberal Party MP Gilbert Darrell and Mr.

Furbert, who stood in place of sitting MP Haskins Davis.

At the February by-election, Mr. Burgess polled 701 votes to Mr. Furbert's 369 votes -- 65.5 percent to 34.5 percent.

The turnout, although high for a by-election at 1081 (65.5 percent) was well below the 82.5 percent of registered voters who turned out for the 1993 General Election.

And the PLP probably capitalised on the no-show by the NLP, as Mr. Darrell picked up more than 240 votes in 1993.

Direct comparision between the 1993 and 1998 results is difficult because of the two-seat constituencies in Bermuda.

But both PLP candidates in 1993 picked up a total of 48.8 percent of the vote, compared to 41.1 per cent for the two UBP hopefuls and ten percent for the NLP.

And boundary changes due to come into force for the next General Election, which will alter the makeup of Hamilton East and neighbouring Hamilton West, held by UBP Ministers Maxwell Burgess and Wayne Furbert, are also likely to play a part in the outcome in both constituencies.

The UBP have also yet to announce candidates in Warwick East -- another battle vital to the Government hopes of both parties.

Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards is certain to stand -- and indicators after polling appear to favour his wife Pauline as running mate over Sen. Larry Scott, who is already adopted as a candidate in Sandys North, a rock-solid PLP seat in the hands of Dennis Lister and PLP Deputy Leader and Finance spokesman Eugene Cox.

Joell West