WHEN Bermuda's junior tennis team were asked to sing their national song at the Caribbean Championships last week, they didn't exactly make a racket.

In fact they turned out to be the only team among the 15 competing nations who did not know the words to their anthem, said their coach Howard Cross.

Now Mr. Cross is suggesting that all children should recite their national song regularly at school so they can grow up familiar with it.

The 14-and-under tennis team of Ashley Brooks, Jasmine Quinn, David Thomas and Kristofer Frick excelled themselves on court, finishing third overall in the team competition, with Brooks winning the girls' singles title.

But Mr. Cross vowed that a little time would be set aside in the training schedule of next year's team to learn the song.

"It was really embarrassing," said Mr. Cross. "Each country had their flag put up and in previous years they've played the national anthems on audio tapes.

"This time they didn't have any tapes, so they asked the team from each country to sing their national song. I asked our kids, 'Do you know the words to the national song?' and each of them said, 'No'.

"Every other country knew their national song, but when it came to Bermuda, we didn't have a clue. I didn't know the words to the national song either. We tried to sing God Save The Queen. That's what I was brought up with. The kids didn't know the words to that either. I tried the best I could, but it was very embarrassing. The people from St. Vincent helped us out, because with their British past, they knew the anthem."

Though the British national anthem is often played as Bermuda's anthem at sporting events, This Island's Mine, has also been used.

The Seoul Olympic Games of 1988 was one of the first times the song, written by Bette Johns, was used at a major event.

An official from the Ministry of Education said she was aware that the national song was sung at assemblies in at least some schools.