Bermuda?s Davis Cup squad will head down to El Salvador next week, severely lacking in experience.

With James Collieson, Jensen Bascome and Gavin Manders all missing from the Americas Zone Group IV matches, Jovan Whitter and Romar Douglas will be the only players to have tasted Davis Cup action ? although Douglas has played just one doubles match.

There will also be debuts for David Thomas and Tony Thompson as the Island will send its youngest squad for some years ? and the first without the injured Collieson since 1996.

Collieson, the former Island number one, isn?t back to full fitness following an elbow injury sustained earlier in the year while Bascome misses out because he can?t the take the time off from his summer internship and Manders has a similar problem getting away from summer school.

This robs provisional captain Steve Bean of the backbone of his squad and makes a third promotion in 11 years for his team highly improbable.

Whitter, who has won two of his nine singles and doubles matches, returns for his fourth Davis Cup adventure after missing out on a place in the squad last year while Douglas continues in the team following his lone appearance during last year?s unsuccessful campaign in Costa Rica.

Thomas, meanwhile, will be hoping for a trouble-free international tour after suffering a bizarre injury during his last international sojourn.

Picked for last year?s Island Games trip to Gibraltar, the teenager scalded himself in the shower, suffered burns to his torso and barely made it onto the court.

This will be Thompson?s first major international event but the youngster will be encouraged by his showing in the season?s domestic opener where he took six games off eventual winner of the BLTA Open Andrew Bray, and also defeated third seed David Jenkins. Team-mate Thomas managed to win just one game against Bray in the tournament?s final.

Bermuda will take on Barbados, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Panama, St. Lucia and the US Virgin Islands over a week on the El Salvadorian clay with the top two teams gaining promotion to Group III.