BERMUDA writes a new chapter in its sporting history next week as a 100-plus squad represents the country for the first time in the Island Games.

And as team leader Jon Beard noted earlier this week there can be no excuse for failure.

Unlike the major Games such as the Olympics, Commonwealth, Pan-Am and even CAC, Bermuda will be competing on an even playing field.

Nobody will be able to argue, as they have in the past, that tiny Bermuda shouldn't expect to return with a share of the medals purely because of our size.

The fact is we'll never get a better opportunity to excel at a recognised sporting festival.

While the Island Games are limited to islands with a population of less than 100,000, many of those entered are smaller in terms of population, far less sophisticated and have far inferior facilities and sporting programmes than found here.

Some of those islands people in Bermuda will never had heard of . . . Aland, Froya, Gotland, Hitra, Saaremea and Ynys Mon to name but a few. Others such as hosts Guernsey, Jersey, Greenland, the Caymans and Gibraltar will, in sporting terms, be more respected

But the fact that Bermuda's sportsmen and women - particularly our cyclists, swimmers and triathletes - regularly take part in bigger and much more prestigious international festivals should stand them in good stead.

That doesn't mean that our athletes are going to pack the podium in every event, but at the very least they should be competitive and should be in contention for medals in most sports.

If they can't compete successfully in Guernsey, they're going to find it very hard to compete on the international stage anywhere.

That's also not to say Bermuda's debut performance at the Games should be dismissed as a waste of time or an exercise in futility.

Although standards won't be anywhere near as demanding as those our athletes can expect at this summer's Pan-Am Games in the Dominican Republic, they will perhaps match that of a Caribbean regional event.

Small islands the world over have produced many individual stars - Bermuda itself having boasted more than most - and as such there will no doubt be a number of impressive performances.

Hopefully, in cycling, swimming and triathlon we can make a statement.

In archery, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, table tennis and volleyball, expectations might be slightly lower, although none of the opposition will be exactly world beaters.

Had Bermuda entered in the remainder of the sports - athletics, football, golf, shooting and tennis - then we could have realistically aimed at topping the medal table.

With the squad we've sent, that's unlikely to happen. But results nonetheless should be interesting, if only to prove that pound for pound we're as good if not better than any other small island in the world.

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UNGRATEFUL or simply forgetful?

That's a question executives at Belco might be asking of the cricket fraternity after a mere two representatives turned up at their offices this week to accept cheques as part of the utility company's sponsorship of the recently concluded Belco Cup.

Southampton Rangers skipper Janeiro Tucker collected $1,000 on behalf of the winning team and the final's man-of-the-match, Eugene Foggo of St. George's, also had the courtesy to show his appreciation for a $250 award.

But there was no sign of the skippers or any other players from St. George's, Western Stars and St. David's, all of whom were to receive cheques and all of whom, reportedly, had confirmed their attendance. Nor, for that matter and perhaps more significantly, was a representative from Bermuda Cricket Board in attendance.

Camel recently yanked their sponsorship from the same cup competition, not altogether happy with the way the event had been run.

Belco generously stepped in.

But who could blame them if next year they decide to extend that generosity elsewhere?