I REMEMBER very clearly the first time I ever saw Albert Steede bat. Fresh from a succession of winter nets as a schoolboy in England, I returned home for the Easter holidays as a cocky 17-year old and managed to wangle myself an invitation to pre-season training at Western Stars before going back for the English summer.

Arriving fashionably late at St. John's Field for my first taste of local cricket, I was immediately struck by the ramshackle pavilion, the bumpy, scrub-infested outfield and the crude slab of mud in the middle which allegedly constituted a wicket. Having begun my cricketing education on the lush green expanses of English cricket fields and played on some of the most picturesque grounds imaginable, to say I was shocked ? not to mention a little down-hearted ? would be something of an understatement.

Crossing the ground to where a collection of people were practising in what appeared to be net ? though I had never seen anything quite like it before ? I tentatively introduced myself to Arnold Manders and the rest of the gang. All were very welcoming and pleasant, if a little suspicious of my professed Bermudian credentials given an entrenched public school accent and a shockingly pasty exterior.

The scene before me was one of chaos.

The net on offer was nothing other than a slab of rectangular raised concrete covered in a ripped green carpet. Each side of the net, weeds at least three-feet high invaded the playing surface while broken bottles, used tyres and the occasional condom packet were strewn around the surrounding area. A line of track-suited bowlers were running up to deliver from a variety of different locations, with no indication given as to where 22 yards from the bat exactly was. The only vague clue was a three-foot by three-foot square hole about a foot deep where there front feet were landing and then disappearing from view.

Commencing a rather lackadaisical warm-up and stretching routine, I watched as a man slowly donned his pads and fought his way through the weeds to the far end of the net. Tapping his bat confidently on the ground, he soon looked up to see Dwayne Leverock twirling the ball menacingly from hand to hand before sloping in to bowl.

Delivered from wide with a hint of spin, the ball dipped and landed on what would have been a good length ? had it not been met on the half volley by the advancing batsman, who dispatched it with ferocious power over the bowler's head and almost onto the road at the far side of the ground.

The batsman smiled cheekily. Sluggo glared.

Invited to purvey my first spell of medium paced trundle, I promptly made my excuses and commenced another couple of leisurely laps of the ground to watch the carnage from a safe distance. A bit of a challenge is all well and good, but I am certainly not a masochist.

Having played my fair share of adult club cricket in England by that time, I was already familiar with the increased weight of stroke in comparison to schoolboy cricket. And to be honest I'd been on the end of some fearsome batterings from burly club players who had made a career out of bludgeoning the offerings of green teenage bowlers to all parts.

But what stood out about Steede from the outset, was his outstandingly natural eye for a ball and above all, the timing.

The latter, regrettably is not something you can learn or develop through hours of dedicated practice. It is God-given. David Gower had it. The likes of Australia's Damian Martyn and England's Michael Vaughn have it. It is the ability to look as though you are hardly applying any weight to your shots while still managing to generate considerable power strike.

Steede has it ? of that there can be no question. And after a long, distinguished career in local cricket, first with Devonshire Rec and lately with Stars, during which time many a reasonable attack has been put to the sword by the Saltus schoolmaster, he has returned to the international fold for one final bow.

Not that he gave us any clues. Throughout last summer, Steede was adamant he was playing his final season, with family and work commitments beginning to stack up.

Yet as he admitted this week, while he has left few challenges unconquered in Bermuda's decidedly sheltered cricketing world, his and Bermuda's failure to reach the World Cup since his involvement began is something which gnaws away at him still.

It was the tantalising opportunity of attempting to help Bermuda realise this frustrated dream that persuaded Steede to submerge himself in the frosty waters of international cricket once more ? not to mention the enthusiastic prodding of one or two interested parties.

"It was my wife who first persuaded me to give it one last go, and it was she who ultimately signed the permission slip," he joked.

"Clay (Smith) was another and also quite a few fans came up to me and urged me to get on board. So a combination of the three is what did it and when I looked at it and saw it was only a five or six month commitment, I couldn't think of a reason not to."

But surely, if Bermuda were to claim one of the five qualifying spots in Ireland and a place therefore in the West Indies 2007, the pull of a World Cup would be too hard to resist for a man of Steede's ambition?

Not so apparently.

"I know for a fact that after we qualify, I will not be around for the World Cup," he said. "That would involve another two years playing cricket and while I do enjoy it, I simply will not have the time to devote to it. Right now, I'm just happy to be part of the national squad and hopefully I can play a big part in helping the country realise a dream."

But with an average of a little over 26 from 21 matches in the ICC Trophy, including three fifties, it would be fair to say that Steede, along with plenty of other talented local players, has not done himself justice in this competition. He is a far better player than that average implies, although there are some who argue he is susceptible to higher quality bowling because of a lack of positive foot movement ? terrific eye aside.

Whatever your view, Steede is convinced he has evolved into a better player over the years and is ready to prove his worth in Ireland. Bizarrely, given his naturally aggressive style, Steede revealed that adopting the anchor role at the top of the innings this summer has been under consideration by those charged with devising a game-plan.

And while OJ Pitcher, who is sure to open with Steede, would on the face of it appear to be the more obvious candidate for that role, with Steede looking to get on with it in the first 15 overs with the fielding restrictions in place, the man himself says he is perfectly happy to adapt to whatever is required of him.

"It seems they may be looking for me to bat as many overs as I can and keep rotating the strike," he said.

"Personally I'd rather play my natural game and leave the anchoring to OJ or someone else. But if that is what they want from me then it's what I'll try and do, as at the end of the day it is what the team needs which counts above all."

Casting his eye over the 14 selected to go, Steede pronounced himself pleased with the team on offer, pointing to the depth in the batting and variety of bowling options as the squad's main strengths.

He admitted, however, that the lack of warm-up games before the tournament was of some concern, though he is hopeful the team will gel quickly during its brief tour of England before the action proper gets underway on July 1.

"The squad overall has great balance and while there are always a few grumbles when people get left out, there cannot be too many complaints about the final 14," he said.

"And although we will be underdogs in Ireland, I think if we get it right we'll be the team some of the stronger sides will hate to play against. People have said we bat deep, but I think our bowling attack will be effective on the slow wickets in Ireland which tend to produce movement. Saleem Mukuddem and (Dennis) Archer should enjoy bowling on those wickets, while if Kevin Hurdle is on, he should be difficult to handle. I'm also very impressed with Ryan Steede who seems to be getting better all the time."

On a personal note, Steede said his hamstring which has been giving him some gyp so far this year is now well on the mend, and he expects to be back playing within the next week or two.

He has also been working hard in the nets in the meantime, concentrating on trying to manipulate the ball into imaginary gaps in the field so as to avoid what West Indian Test great Michael Holding has referred to as the "block, block, slog mentality" so prevalent in Bermuda.

"In local cricket, there are always two bad balls an over on offer," Steede said.

"The problem we've had in the past at a higher level is that there are fewer bad balls around and our batting has been restricted and we've not known how to adapt. So I've been working on opening the blade of the bat and trying to think about how to work good balls away for runs without hitting the ball in the air or taking unnecessary risks. It's going to be a big challenge and I'm looking forward to it."

On a concluding note, Steede was at pains to ask the country to get behind the team with only a few weeks to go before the big event, urging committed, positive togetherness.

"We desperately need the support of the fans and the media and everyone else," he said.

"With that support behind them, the boys will train that much harder. If we really do have the country behind us, we just might pull through."