Today may be the final opportunity for Bermuda cricketers to stake a claim for national selection in the upcoming Americas Cup.

All eyes will be on the XI chosen to represent Bermuda in the final of four limited-overs matches which Lloyd's Cricket Club is playing here.

National coach Mark Harper has termed the 11 a.m. game "very important" to the senior squad's preparation and is hoping his players can reach many, if not all, of the targets for which they are aiming.

"We've only had three games to prepare for this Americas Cup tournament which is a preliminary tournament for the World Cup. So tomorrow we will be hoping to go out there and play the way we would like to play," he said.

"Of course, as in every game, we have specific targets. We want to bat and bowl and field in a particular way.

"We'll be looking at the first 15 overs - depending on the conditions, how the pitch is playing and the opposition bowlers - and clearly we have a minimum target we would like to get for 15 overs, 20 overs, 25 overs and so on, right up to 50 overs. We will want to bat differently at various points of the game."

In the bowling, Bermuda will be seeking to restrict the visitors as much as possible and Harper would like his seamers and spinners to be more accurate than they were in Wednesday's day-night match versus Lloyd's. The hosts, despite winning by a handsome 177 runs, sent down too many wides, he noted.

Assessing that performance, Harper said the Bermudians were able to build an excellent total around Charlie Marshall's boundary-studded 98 not out and then defended it quite well. Still, there are areas which the Island can improve upon before the July 5 start of the regional Americas Cup here.

"It was important for us to have one of our top batsmen getting a big score. Charlie Marshall got 98 and we wanted to build partnerships as we went down the order and we got a couple of those.

"But, on the other hand, we could have probably got some more singles during the game; our running between the wickets could have been better. "We've got to try and rotate the strike more, play with softer hands so we can keep the scoreboard ticking if their bowling is pretty tight."

Members of the 18-man national squad, he added, are slowly but surely buying into what is expected of them and are trying to achieve the different components of the game plan each time they play.

As the final 14 are yet to be chosen for the Americas Cup, Harper said "a few places are still unsettled" and some of those in contention will be on show today.

"We'll see what they bring to the table," he said, adding that the bowlers and all-rounders would be under particular scrutiny.

National captain Clay Smith agreed Bermuda would be looking for a lot of positives from this fixture at the National Sports Centre.

"I'm hoping we can play well in all aspects of game, especially since it's probably our last game before the Americas Cup. We want to go into that tournament on a high."

As for his personal goals, the hard-hitting middle-order batsman said his aim was to excel over the next two weekends and enter the Cup competition with some good scores to his name.

"I've been busy grooming my youngsters down in St. David's but now the Americas Cup is coming closer I think it's time for me to step up to the plate and be counted," said Smith.

Meanwhile, a full slate of Premier and First Division matches are scheduled for tomorrow across the Island in the one-day competition, starting at noon.

In the top flight, St. George's host Western Stars at Wellington Oval while St. David's and Southampton Rangers do the same to Devonshire and Cleveland respectively. Bailey's Bay - battling on-field and internal turmoil - travel to Somerset to face Willow Cuts.

In the First Division, Somerset Bridge tackle Somerset at White Hill Field while Police host Warwick and Social Club take on PHC at Devonshire Rec. Leg Trappers face Flatts at St. John's Field.

Bermuda XI: Clay Smith (captain), Wendell White, Stephen Outerbridge, Saleem Mukuddem, Lionel Cann, Irvine Romaine, Jekon Edness, Dennis Archer, Kevin Hurdle, Justin Robinson and Dwayne Leverock.

Reserves: Dennico Hollis, Delyone Borden, David Gibbs and Phillip Burgess.