include a survivor from when the teams last met -- 15 years ago.

Midfielder and skipper Lionel Haven, who doubles up as general secretary of the Bahamas Football Association, remembered little of the game at the National Stadium.

"We lost 3-0, but I thought it was an evenly contested match,'' said Haven.

That year, 1984, was the last time Bahamas played competitive international football and Haven admitted he and his team-mates did not expect much in the way of success on their return to the world stage.

"We are happy just to be here. For us it's about re-establishing our football programme and having a good time,'' he added.

Another survivor from the last time the countries met is Bahamas team manager Dick Wilson, an Englishman who played professionally for Southampton and Cambridge United in the early Sixties before moving to the Caribbean 32 years ago.

Yesterday, Wilson and his players visited the National Sports Centre, venue for tonight's match, and all were impressed.

"The surface is excellent and we're not used to playing on pitches that good,'' said Wilson. "Our boys were a bit in awe of it.'' The Bahamas had to qualify for this week's qualifying tournament and did so with a 3-0 win against the Turks and Caicos Islands and a goalless draw against the US Virgin Islands.

Before Bermuda start their campaign, the tournament will open with Cuba playing the Cayman Islands at 7.00 p.m.

Most of the Cuban players who flew in yesterday morning have spent recent months training and playing with clubs in Germany. Their technical director William Bennett-Barracks said they were preparing to sign en masse for Third Division Bonn Sporting Club in the summer.

Speaking through an interpreter, Bennett-Barracks added that his side's last friendly match had also been in Germany, a 3-2 win against Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The coach added: "We are confident, but we think the teams are even and the tournament will be very competitive.'' Cuba will be strongly fancied to beat the Caymans, whose preparations were not helped by a gruelling, 13-hour journey to Bermuda via Miami and Atlanta on Monday.

Players and officials from all four participating countries were welcomed to Bermuda by sports minister Dennis Lister and representatives from the Bermuda Football Association at a reception at the Hamilton Princess last night.