was still missing "that one explosive knock.'' And while the season finished without one, the stylish St. George's and Bermuda batsman has since produced two back-to-back half-centuries that were good enough to earn high praise from radio commentators in Guyana at the Shell/Sandals tournament.

In fact, Bermuda's entry into the Caribbean's main limited overs competition has been verging on the spectacular, the side impressing pundits with some outstanding fielding, batting and bowling in their first two matches in particular.

Smith, in particular, has shown tremendous maturity in his batting with knocks of 52 against the Windwards and then a dashing 69 the next day against a Barbados team containing past and present Test bowlers Otis Gibson and Patterson Thompson.

The 25-year-old Smith put his impressive scores down to the added responsibility of opening the innings -- something not unfamiliar to him -- and simply playing at a higher level.

"I'm a team person and whatever the team requires I will just go out and do my best,'' Smith stressed.

"I feel I have the ability to do it (open the innings). I've done it all my life with the exception of the last five years.

"I'm very pleased with my batting. Fortunately for us the Guyanese wickets are pretty slow and not very bouncy like the Barbados and Jamaica wickets.

"The pace hasn't been exceptionally fast and we've been able to deal with it quite easily. The ball doesn't move about too much so it's just a matter of getting behind it and hitting through the line of the ball.'' The team's strategy calls for one of the openers to bat patiently and lay the foundation for a big total.

Clay, Bermuda meet challenge "Over the first two games we've lost early wickets and that's made me concentrate that much harder as an opening batsman,'' said Smith, whose six against Guyana on Tuesday was his first failure.

"My responsibility is to bat at least 30 to 40 overs every game, so I've just been trying to do that.'' In the narrow two-run loss to the Windwards, it was the loss of both Clay and Glenn Smith that proved fatal as a middle order slump allowed their opponents back into a game they realised they were in danger of losing.

Clay was run out after a mix-up with Glenn's runner, Steede, and then Smith himself departed soon after as three wickets went down in the space of 12 runs.

"I thought that was the turnaround of the game,'' Smith conceded.

Some players have risen to the challenge of playing at a higher standard while others have struggled. In each match early wickets were lost before a third wicket stand involving Charlie Marshall repaired the early damage.

"I think with the top players you always wonder if given the opportunity to play would you be able to play up to their standards,'' Clay said.

"It's more or less that challenge that makes it so exciting and you either have to raise your level or you're going to struggle.'' If Bermuda can emerge from this tournament with some further outstanding performances then the dream of playing in the Red Stripe tournament may become a reality in the not too distant future.

"We are definitely competitive,'' Smith insisted. "If some of us had been given the chance to play as much cricket as these guys do... "Our main goal is to get some respect down here so that in the future we can apply to get into the Red Stripe competition. That would be a much bigger challenge for Bermuda, having to play three or four-day matches.

"That would be something different for everybody and I would be quite curious to see how we would make out. Obviously we would have to get a lot fitter.'' Smith admitted he should have gone on to get a century in the match against Barbados. But he would be happy with a couple of more 50s, which he hopes can lay the foundation for a Bermuda victory.

"Having had a start with two 50s I'm just looking to be really consistent,'' he added.

"I would say a reasonable target would be to score 50s in at least four of the six matches. That would be respectable and if I can go all the way and get a ton in one of them then I would be quite happy.'' CLAY SMITH -- Bermuda batsman has won many supporters at Shell/Sandals tournament in Guyana.