TWO players from Tonbridge are hoping to star as the Great Britain baseball side begin their push for a place in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Nick Carter, 27, and 22-year-old Alex Malihoudis, who cut their teeth in the town's youth team, are in the GB squad to face Sweden in May. The pair first broke into the GB squad in 1996 and now play alongside each other for champion outfit Brighton Bucaneers in the Rawlings-sponsored British National League.

Malihoudis went to Judd School before heading to the USA to play baseball at college level.

He is a batter with a hefty average while Carter, a former pupil at Hayesbrook School, is one of the top pitchers in the country. He also played briefly in the USA, for Delta (California) College.

It is the first time for over 20 years that a top-ranked European squad will compete in the UK. The games are at Waltham Abbey in Essex on May 17-20. The Great Britain side are ranked 10th in Europe and will use this event to begin selecting the squad for the 2003 Olympic qualifying tournament.