Bermuda skipper Irving Romaine believes batsmen Chris Douglas and Fiqre Crockwell have the potential to evolve into a formidable opening pair capable of dismantling any ICC Associate bowling attack.

Opening the batting against a President's XI in St.Vincent last week, the pair added 141 runs to lay the foundation for Bermuda's 100-run win at Arnos Vale.

It was a performance that received rave reviews from skipper Romaine.

"Chris and Fiqre really came good with that hundred-run partnership at the top which was good to see. They really batted well and came through for us at the top," said Romaine.

Crockwell led the way with a splendid knock of 91 before falling just nine runs short of a maiden century at this level, while Douglas, who stroked a memorable half-century against Chris Gayle's West Indies last August, carved an equally fine 64 in Bermuda's comfortable win.

Over the past few years the Bermuda selectors have experimented with several combinations at the top of the order that have been met with little success. But with the emergence of Douglas and Crockwell comes promise of better things to come.

"I think Chris and Fiqre definitely have potential and a good understanding with each other having played county cup (Eastern Counties) together for a number of years," Romaine continued. "It is certainly not foreign for them to be batting together and I think both players have definitely improved.

"Fiqre is now reaping the rewards from all the hard work he put on when we toured Argentina (last November) while Chris also has the talent. Once Chris stays mentally tuned in, he's a great player."

During last August's Tri-Series involving hosts Canada, Bermuda and the West Indies, Windies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan spoke highly of young Douglas after watching him stroke 53 against his team at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club.

"I thought he played very well and was very patient which is a good sign to see," said Sarwan. "I thought he picked the bowlers and waited on the right balls to hit where he knew he was strong. And hopefully he can go onto to do better things for Bermuda."

Meanwhile, another batsman who continues to come into his own is Stephen Outerbridge, Bermuda's most consistent batsman on tour of the Caribbean. The Bailey's Bay skipper amassed 276 runs in eight visits to the crease and averaged 34.5 with a high score of 68.

"Stephen has definitely been one of the most consistent batsmen and has had a great tour," Romaine noted.

Last week West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy told The Gazette: "Stephen works hard at his game. He's a talented cricketer and definitely has potential."

Outerbridge, however, will not take any part in this week's tour of Grenada as he is due to return to studies in the UK at the University of Wales Institute (UWIC) Cardiff. His UWIC classmate, wicketkeeper/batsman Jekon Edness, returned to the UK at the end of Bermuda's tour of St.Lucia to leave Crockwell to tend to duties behind the stumps in St.Vincent last week.

Bermuda presently boast an impressive 7-2 record in the Caribbean. Romaine, however, says he takes satisfaction seeing his team gel as a unit more than anything else.

"This tour isn't about winning or losing but more about the guys learning how to play the game like we need to in order to win games," he insisted. "But overall I think we have definitely improved and we are now looking to finish strong in Grenada.

"It has been a long tour for some, but we are doing well and have trained very hard."