All eyes will be on Nick Kyme when squash's Fast Forward Freight Club Championship gets underway today.

Kyme is the number one seed for the Island event thanks to his recent form in the U.S where he is studying in Hartford, Connecticut.

He has won 20 out of 22 games and has led Trinity College to the US five man team title as well as making it to the final four of the NCAA individual championship.

The 20-year-old from Pembroke also boasts three Caribbean junior titles and is the youngest ever player to represent his country at a world championship.

Defending champion and two-time winner, Tommy Sherratt, has been seeded three for the event at the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association base in Devonshire.

The good form of Ryan Bell sees Sherratt split from his rival Kyme in the seedings.

Bell lost convincingly in last year's final to Sherratt but has been improving recently and has had the upper hand on the champion.

Sherratt's form has not been his best but he is well capable of winning his third title and is considered a dark horse for the top honour.

The young Bermudian has represented the Island at the highest level, partnering Kyme at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, World Junior Championships and Caribbean Championships. He is also the only player in the draw to boast victories over both Kyme and Bell.

Chase Toogood is the number four seed for the event, which this year features almost 150 players -- a record for the championships.

He is a comparative newcomer to the sport, converting from tennis in his senior year at college.

The young American also attended Trinity College where he enjoyed a good playing record.

He has been neck and neck with Sherratt in the rankings and is well deserving of his seeding.

Harry Mackenzie, originally from Barbados, rounds out the top five.

The former Cambridge University player burst onto the local scene when he won the 1999 Shell Divisional Handicap Tournament from Mel Caines.

Meanwhile, Janine Keeble is seeking her fourth straight ladies title but could face stiff competition from newcomer Tessa Mackenzie.

Mackenzie is the number two seed and has represented Barbados at the Caribbean Championships as well as playing number one for the University of Southampton in England.

Number three seed Lynn Furtado is the one most likely to prevent a Keeble/Mackenzie match-up in the final.

Denise Kyme could also cause an upset from her ranking as fourth seed. She won the tournment five times between 1980 and 1986.