With next week?s Americas Cup tournament fast approaching, Bermuda skipper Clay Smith reckons his team are capable of winning the biennial six-country regional competition.

Canada, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Argentina and defending champions USA will all compete in a round robin format on local clay next week, with the top three countries advancing through to next year?s ICC World Cup qualifiers in Ireland.

Bermuda placed fourth during the last Americas Cup tournament in Argentina in 2002, winning just one match against Bahamas while suffering losses against Cayman Islands, Canada and eventual champions USA.

But Smith insists it will be different this time around.

?You can only work with what you have and I am very confident because this is one of the best teams Bermuda could have selected without a doubt. The team has everything a skipper could ask for in a one-day team,? said Smith.

?I am very pleased with the team because we have a lot of match-winners. Whenever you have a national team playing against quality opposition you always want to have as many all-rounders and match-winners in your team as possible.

?If you look at the make-up of the team we have at least seven or eight players who can single handedly win a game. And it?s good to have that many match-winners in your one-day team. I think this team is really strong and one that Bermuda can be very proud of and it is our job, our responsibility and our hope to go out there and do Bermuda proud and not only advance to the next phase of qualifiers . . . but actually stake a strong claim to win the tournament.?

The national team skipper, who hit top stride last week by hammering an unbeaten 154 in league play, said the squad had tremendous ?depth? and possessed ?quality? players.

?We have an excellent and well balanced team. Our team is very well balanced with solid batsmen right down to number nine and the option of using seven bowlers. So the team has good seamers with a few quality spinners and swing bowlers,? he explained.

?But no matter what team you pick, there is always responsibility placed on certain players. Glenn (Blakeney), Charlie (Marshall) and myself, in particular, have been scoring runs over the last couple of weeks and the expectations are that we should be able to carry this team to the next level.

?Of course, people are going to look to us to score the bulk of the runs, but we also have other players in the team very much capable of scoring runs and performing at a high level. And we are looking to those players to make major contributions towards our success.?

While Smith, Blakeney, Marshall, Dennis Archer, Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock, Lionel Cann and Saleem Mukuddem are all seasoned campaigners, the skipper has confidence in some of the squad?s less experienced players about to journey in some unfamiliar terrain.

?We have some quality young players in the team . . . players such as OJ Pitcher, Delyone Borden, Stephen Outerbridge and Mackie Crane. These are players who have come on in leaps and bounds over the last two years and I am expecting great things from them,? the skipper added.

Playing in familiar settings would also have its advantages, said Smith.

?I think the local crowd is going to have a positive effect on our players because a lot of our players do well playing on home soil in Bermuda.

?I am looking to the crowd to motivate our players to play at an even higher level. It?s good that we are playing at home because we know what the atmosphere is like and how the ball moves in the air and how the wickets generally tend to play.?

Smith is also pleased the furore which erupted over St.George?s wicketkeeper Jason Anderson is now a thing of the past.

Earlier this week national team players threatened to boycott next week?s tournament after learning Anderson, who has been in superb form of late, had been omitted from the final team.

Anderson has so far scored 267 runs in league and cup play, including three half-centuries, in nine visits to the crease. posting an average of 29.6 runs per innings. He has also been tidy behind the stumps, gloving nine catches and executing three stumpings.

In comparison, Jekon Edness, who will keep for Bermuda next week, has scored 21 runs in six innings at an average of 3.5 per innings with four catches and one stumping to his credit.

?I think Jason (Anderson) is an excellent wicketkeeper and has a lot to offer Bermuda in the future,? said Smith.

?Hopefully he doesn?t lose interest because I can see him blossoming into an even better player in years to come for Bermuda. And I encourage him to keep striving.?

Bailey?s Bay stalwart Clarkie Trott was also overlooked for selection, despite being originally included in national coach Mark Harper?s squad.

But with those issues now a ?thing of the past?, Smith encouraged his fellow countrymen to stay ?focused? on the task at hand.

?It?s now all systems go. It?s a big task in front of us and in order for us to be successful we must clear our minds, stay focused on what we have to do and remain as positive as we possibly can in the build-up to next week?s tournament.?

Meanwhile, turning to this weekend?s schedule, all clubs will be jockeying for play-off spots over the next two days as Bermuda Cricket Board?s Two-Day League reaches the end of the round-robin phase.

The play-offs for the league competition will be staged on August 7 and 8 at venues yet to be determined.

In this weekend?s big match, Bailey?s Bay host St.George?s at Sea Breeze Oval while St.David?s face a tricky away fixture against fast-improving Devonshire at Devonshire Recreation Club without player-coach Smith who has decided to rest ahead of next week?s Americas Championship.

Elsewhere, Western Stars host unpredictable Willow Cuts at St.John?s Field while Cleveland take on Southampton at Wellington Oval.

In First Division play, Social Club are set to take their high-flying act to Southampton Oval where they will meet Warwick, Flatts host Police at Lord?s while Somerset and neighbours Somerset Bridge lock horns for the second week in succession at Somerset Cricket Club. In the remaining fixture, PHC and Legtrappers are poised to do battle at White Hill Field.

All matches begin at 11 a.m.