Scotland captain Fraser Watts refutes the suggestion that his team will merely be going through the motions when they go into Intercontinental Cup battle with Bermuda today.

Neither side can earn a place in the final, but the Carlton batsman insisted the showdown in Hamilton will not be a meaningless affair.

The Scots have opted to leave several front-line players at home, and Watts has challenged his young team to take their chance.

He said: "We were given a rude awakening when New Zealand hammered us in Aberdeen last week, but this is a whole new ball game.

"This is the closest we get to competing in Test match conditions and it is vital we get a win in terms of building for the future. The opportunity is there for some of the younger lads to stake a big claim.The ball is in their court."

Coach Peter Steindl added that the Bermudans were no soft touch. He said: "They completed a very comprehensive win against Canada last week and we will have to be on song to get the result we want. Like ourselves, they have a few new faces in their squad and I believe it is shaping up to be an extremely interesting contest."

It will, however, be the burly veteran Dwayne Leverock who Scotland will have to thwart in Hamilton. The 20-stone spinner emerged as a cult hero during last year's World Cup in the West Indies and his haul of ten wickets inspired the Bermudans to their success against Canada.

Fears were receding yesterday that the encounter in the island's capital could be all but wiped out by the first major storm of the hurricane season in the Caribbean. Hurricane Bertha was still due to sweep across – or near to Bermuda – today or tomorrow, but with reduced force.

Scotland manager Dick Auchinleck said: "There has been a lot of speculation about the weather for the rest of the week, but we have had no hard and fast advice so far. We will, of course, be monitoring the situation and seeking guidance from locals."

Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith added: "It would be ironic if, after the blustery and damp conditions which have affected the sport back home over the past few weeks, our game in a place like Bermuda is hit by the weather."

Scotland (from): Fraser Watts (Carlton, captain); Richie Berrington, Dewald Nel, Sean Weeraratna (all Greenock); Gordon Drummond (Watsonians); Gordon Goudie, Dougie Lockhart (West of Scotland); Majid Haq, Omer Hussain (both Ferguslie); Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh (Clydesdale); Neil McCallum; Colin Smith (Aberdeenshire, wicket-keeper).