open their six-match tour of Bermuda.

They have been rated as one of the better one-day teams on the English county scene and have also been consistent enough in the championship to have finished in the top six in the last five years. Last year they finished fifth and the previous year were third.

"You'll see the lads in full flight,'' promised chief executive Bob Lark who will be arriving with the 13-player squad later today. "We're coming to show you that Derbyshire are a good side.'' The trip will serve as a build-up to the new English county season, which begins in May and Derbyshire will be treating the tour just as seriously as the Bermuda national team who visited Barbados recently. When they are not playing they will be in the nets so there will be little time for social activity.

"We'll be visiting some schools while we're there so it will be good for your youngsters,'' said Lark, prior to departing for London last night where the team spent the night before catching this morning's flight to Bermuda.

"On the days we're not playing we will be practising or training. They won't be playing that much golf. In the past two or three years we've not been able to practise on grass, which was detrimental to our early-season form.'' Added Lark: "We're treating this as pre-season development. It's better to do it somewhere warmer and dryer. We see this as a team building exercise for the coming season.'' The Derbyshire squad contains a nice blend of youth and experience, with Lark pointing to Chris Adams, Tim O'Gorman, Dominic Cork, wicket-keeper Karl Krikken and Frank Griffith as the youngsters to watch out for, along with the experienced captain Kim Barnett, John Morris, the vice-captain, Test player Devon Malcolm and Peter Bowler, joint top run-scorer in England last season with 2,044 runs.

"He was certainly very unlucky not to have been on one of the England tours,'' said Lark of opening batsman Bowler.

"Chris Adams is probably the most up-and-coming young batsmen we've got and one of the hardest-hitting batsmen in England. He hits the ball very hard.

Krikken is rated very highly in this country while Frankie Griffith is coming back from an operation on his back 18 months ago.'' Derbyshire, whose squad is an average age of 26 with the oldest player being 35 and the youngest 20, play their first match tomorrow when they take on the Bermuda national team at Somerset starting at 10 a.m. On Tuesday they meet the Bermuda Under-25 squad at Devonshire Rec. All the games are limited to 50 overs.

Both local squads will train this morning at St. David's at 9.30.

Bermuda national squad: Albert Steede (capt), Dennis Archer, Ricky Hill, Noel Gibbons, Jeff Richardson, Clevie Wade, Terry Burgess, anthony Edwards, Roger Trott, Del Hollis, Jermaine Outerbridge, Glenn Smith, Arnold Manders.

Under-25s: Glenn Smith (capt), Del Hollis, Jason Lewis, Jermaine Warner, Jermaine Outerbridge, Gladwin Edness, Cordell Gilbert, Clarkie trott, Diallo Sharrieff, Gary Williams, Leon Place, Devon Wade, Mark Ray.

CHRIS ADAMS -- Hard-hitting batsman.