Since appearing at the 2007 World Cup, Bermuda's cricket has slipped backwards. They failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, lost their ODI status and are now joint bottom of ICC World Cricket League Division 2.

They are preparing for the start of the qualifying campaign in UAE for the 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka but face a tough task as only two teams will win a place in the main tournament.

Janeiro Tucker has come out of retirement after quitting international cricket in 2009 due to a persistent knee injury. “I’m out at training and seeing how it goes,” Tucker told the Bermuda Sun. “I’m seeing if I can get into better shape and see how it goes from there. Overall my knee is about 85-90%.”

“I’m going to train and if the coach (David Moore) is satisfied with what I’m doing in training and how I’m progressing then it will be up to the coach’s discretion,” said Tucker. “I’m going to do what I can, and if it works out, I’ll be there. There’s no guarantee I’ll make the squad. I have to put in the work just like everybody else.”

'Ask golfers if they can putt on bumpy greens, they wouldn’t putt so bloody good then would they' © Royal Gazette

Geoffrey Boycott has said Bermuda needs a complete overhaul of its sporting structure if cricket on the island is to improve.

Visiting for a golf tournament, he said the existing government policy on banning imports of soil left Bermuda’s cricketers suffering on below-par pitches.

“The soil you have is a reddish soil that crumbles too easily. I’ve already spoken to the Minister for Sport . The BCB needs to get them on board to let them bring in a different soil. You need to get a better type of soil that binds because the 22 yards we play on is everything. It's everything, it dictates what the ball does, how it reacts, it dictates the make-up of the team, do you bat first, bat second, are people going to be able to apply their skill or not.

“Ask golfers if they can putt on bumpy greens, they wouldn’t putt so bloody good then would they. Ask those snooker players, who have snooker tables that are spirit level perfect, ask them if they could pot the ball on a bumpy table.

“It’s the same with cricket, it’s grass it’s not artificial, there is a great skill, a great knowledge, that goes into preparing really good pitches that give everybody, batsman and bowler, a fair chance to express their skills.”

Read the full story in the Royal Gazette

MCC are embarking on an end of season tour to Bermuda tomorrow, which will include a series of Twenty20 matches and 50-over cricket against the Bermudian national side, alongside a 50-over clash against a President’s XI. The MCC players will also deliver a special coaching session for local schools, in addition to playing in a Twenty20 triangular tournament with Bermuda ‘A’ and the Bermuda U19s team, during the 15-day tour.

Former Scotland captain, Craig Wright, will lead a strong MCC squad, which comprises several players with first-class cricket experience, along with other MCC Members from across the country. Unicorns duo Chris Thompson and Chris Benham will be looking to set a high playing standard, while Oxford MCC Universities graduate, Josh Knappett, will don the gloves behind the stumps, and MCC Young Cricketers’ captain, Paul Muchall, will fill the allrounder position.

Also included in MCC’s 16-man touring party is former England and Yorkshire CCC batsman, Geoffrey Boycott, and MCC’s Chairman of Cricket, Mike Griffith. Griffith will look after managerial duties while Boycott, who is a member of MCC’s World Cricket Committee, will play an ambassadorial role for the Club. He will offer advice and a wealth of experience to the Bermuda Cricket Board, which has been an Associate Member of the ICC since 1966.

The MCC players will need to ensure that they are firing on all cylinders for the three Twenty20 fixtures against the Bermudian national side, following the island’s strong performance in the ICC Americas T20 Division One Championship in Toronto in July. With comfortable victories against Argentina, Suriname and the Cayman Islands in this competition, Bermuda will be looking to test their skills against tougher opposition as they work towards the ICC World T20 Global Qualifier in Dubai next year.

MCC Ambassador, Geoffrey Boycott, said: “I’m very much looking forward to the tour. I have fond memories from when I last toured the Island with Yorkshire in 1964, and I’m sure that this group of MCC players will enjoy themselves. It is a wonderful place to play cricket.

“During the 60s and 70s the standard of cricket in Bermuda was very strong – they were one of the best Associate Nations in the world. In more recent times however things appear to have gone downhill, and other sides such as Canada, Ireland and Kenya have bypassed them on the world stage. Through my ambassadorial position I intend to ask questions to try and find out why this has happened, and offer my experience and encouragement to help reignite their ambition to play at the highest level once again.

“MCC plays a significant role in assisting with the development of world cricket – look at what the Club has already achieved in supporting the progression of the game in Afghanistan. I hope that this tour will act as a similar kick-start for the Bermudan players and the Bermuda Cricket Board.”

Commenting on the tour MCC’s Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, said: “Cricket has a long and diverse history in Bermuda, and I am delighted that MCC has the opportunity to assist with the ongoing development of the sport on the Island. We are sending an experienced squad, which we hope will provide challenging opposition for the talented Bermudian players in preparation for the World T20 qualifying event next year. The Bermuda Cricket Board is doing an excellent job at promoting cricket as a national sport, and it is particularly heartening to see that MCC’s Spirit of Cricket message is included within the core values underpinning the work that they do.”

MCC teams have previously toured Bermuda twice in the past 24 years, most recently in 2001. The 2011 visit will be the final overseas outing for the club this season, following tours to Namibia, Hong Kong and Greece earlier in the year.

Southampton Rangers president Randy Raynor has denied making the “unilateral decision” to exclude his club from this year’s Western Counties competition.

It is alleged the former fast bowler, who currently serves as vice-president of the Western Counties Cricket Association (WCCA), ordered his players to boycott the series in protest of his association’s decision to play matches at Somerset Cricket Club.

Raynor insists the venue change is “unconstitutional” but has dismissed claims he personally ordered his players not to play in this year’s Western Counties.

He said: “Rangers club met and decided not to play under the grounds of the wrongful venue change.”

WCCA affiliates voted in favour of staging the series at Somerset during a quorum held earlier this year, something ex-Rangers player and president John Tucker has no qualms about.

Even though Somerset is not affiliated with the association, Tucker claims the WCCA are still within their right to stage matches at their venue.

He said: “Randy said we are not playing because they changed the constitution to allow the match to be played at Somerset Cricket Club. But I played in Western Counties matches at Somerset on two occasions before.

“My first time in county I played at Somerset Cricket Club.

“Whoever won the cup could take the game wherever they wanted to go within the Western Counties boundaries. And in those days we played at Somerset Cricket Club.”

According to the WCCA’s constitution and bye-laws “under certain circumstances the central committee may consider other venues for playing purposes” at their own discretion.

Tucker said Rangers’ boycott has ruffled feathers at the club and he insists the team should’ve played – sentiments he is certain would’ve been echoed by competition co-founder and mentor Sheridan Raynor.

The legendary all-rounder remains hospitalized after suffering a stroke last December.

Tucker said: “As one of the founders of the Western Counties Sheridan would have wanted the players to play and would’ve been very upset that they didn’t.

“I am very disappointed that Rangers are boycotting the Western Counties final.

“Lots of Rangers’ members wanted the team to play in the Western Counties and they are very upset that they are not. A lot of them are saying this whole thing is ridiculous.

“Randy Raynor is the president of Rangers and vice-president of the Western Counties therefore he has enough influence to encourage Rangers to play.

“It’s a disgrace. It doesn’t make things right to boycott and there are a lot of people who are very upset about the decision.”

Colin Thompson

This article first appeared in the Bermuda Sun

The Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) has handed batsman Deunte Darrell a six-month ban from international cricket and placed him on probation until October 2011 for misconduct on a tour of Barbados.

A disciplinary committee punished Darrell for breaching the board's code of conduct while representing Bermuda Under-19s at this summer's Sir Garry Sobers Tournament during which he is said to have broken curfew and the BCB's non-drinking policy.

According to the Bermuda Sun, Darrell's parents intend to appeal against the suspension which has deprived Bermuda's Under-19s, currently preparing for February’s Under-19 World Cup qualifiers in the United States, of one of their leading players.

Bermuda Under-19 coach, Andre Manders, said Darrell's services would be missed but is confident other players can fill the void.

"It's not good to lose a batsman of Deunte's calibre, but we have to just try and move along and hopefully the other guys will step it up in his absence," he said.

Darrell, 17, was voted most valuable player in this year's Cup Match, the island's premier domestic two-day fixture, for his first-innings knock of 72 for Somerset against St. George's.

Florida will host the Under-19 Americas Championships from February 3-8 where
Bermuda face regional rivals US, Canada, Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Argentina, with the top two teams progressing to the global qualifiers in Ireland next July. Six teams then advance to the 2012 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Argentina.

Bermuda made their Under-19 World Cup debut in Malaysia in 2007 and Manders backed his side to qualify again. "I think we have a realistic chance of qualifying. A lot of these boys have lots of experience playing Premier Division cricket, while five of them [Damali Bell, Christian Burgess, Kamau Leverock, Joshua Gilbert and Kevon Fubler] are also training with the senior national team."

Bermuda have been hit by the shock retirement of batsman Chris Douglas after an apparent falling out with the national coach David Moore according to the Royal Gazette newspaper.

Douglas, a 21-year-old left hander, reportedly told Moore on Friday that he was leaving the international game and the newspaper suggests there had been signs of a clash between him and the coach for some time.

Moore, an Australian who was a former coach of West Indies, had a strong fitness ethic which Douglas doesn't appear to have accepted as part of the game. Douglas's departure is a blow for Bermuda who are set to tour Dubai at the end of the year followed by World Cricket League Division 2 in April. The WCL event has grown in importance because the top two teams will take part in the expanded eight-team ICC Intercontinental Cup next year.

However, it isn't the first time Douglas has struggled to adapt to the demands of professional sport. Earlier this year he was left out of Bermuda's squad to play in the ICC America's tournament only to appear in club cricket three days later.

Douglas showed his potential two years ago when he hit 53 against West Indies in King City during the Scotiabank Series - an attack featuring Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell - having made 69 on his debut against Canada.

Despite unfounded scaremongering among some sections of the media, the ICC has announced details of the sixth staging of the Intercontinental Cup, running from May 2011 through to December 2012.

As expected, Zimbabwe will not field a side – its participation in the just-completed tournament was of mixed benefit, finishing in farce when they forfeited their final match against Scotland.

The promotion from the World Cricket League into the Intercontinental Cup is a welcome move, allowing a chance for any team to rise through the ranks as Afghanistan have done with such great success.

The one casualty is the Intercontinental Shield, but few outside holders Namibia will mourn its demise. Such was the event’s profile, it is unlikely if most people even knew of its existence.

Cricket Canada and Bermuda Cricket Board have agreed to cancel the last two games of the Cricket Canada Summer Festival between Canada and Bermuda.

Bermuda will leave Toronto on Thursday in advance of Hurricane Igor reaching the island.

Reggie Pearman, the BCB president, said: "Due to the threat of Hurricane Igor the Bermuda Cricket Board has cancelled the remainder of the Canada tour to ensure that the squad can return to Bermuda to be with their family prior to the weekend. We are sorry to miss the games but family matters take priority when a storm of this significance and proximity threatens the island."

Dwayne Leverock, the burly left-arm spinner that flew to fame during the 2007 World Cup, has come out of international retirement to join Bermuda's squad for the Intercontinental Shield game against UAE next month.

Leverock, 38, became an one of the few positive icons from a maligned tournament in the Caribbean when he hurled his generous frame at slip to take a stunning one-handed catch and dismiss Indian batsman Robin Uthappa.

After Bermuda failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup in Asia during qualifiers in South Africa last year, Leverock announced his international retirement but stayed within the game by captaining club side Southampton Rangers. Now he is a surprise inclusion in the 25-strong squad that Bermuda national coach David Moore says he wants to form the basis of his team for the next year.

"He's made himself available," said Moore. "He approached me about being involved. He told me that he was interested in being part of the programme and that's where we are at the moment. We'll just see how he goes, how he trains, and so on, but it's good to have him back in the squad, although the competition is quite stiff from the likes of Rodney Trott and Joshua Gilbert."

The squad will be trimmed to 15 players for the four-day Intercontinental Shield match against UAE which starts on July 5.

Cayman Islands thrashed Bahamas by 111 runs at the Southampton Rangers Cricket Club Ground in Bermuda after Bahamas put up another disappointing batting display. Chasing 272 to win, Bahamas were bowled out for 160 with no batsman making more than 30.

With extras and captain Gregory Taylor being the joint highest scorers at 28 runs apiece, Bahamas were never in the game. Cayman Islands offspinner Kevin Bazil took figures of 4 for 26 and was ably supported by fellow offspinner Alessandro Morris, who took 3 for 41.

Earlier, Cayman Islands were boosted by three half-centuries on a damp wicket from opener Ramon Sealy, Ryan Bovell and Ronald Ebanks to set a challenging total of 271. Player of the Match Sealy hit 11 boundaries during his 65 from 74 deliveries. Bovell and Ebanks then added 62 runs for the fifth wicket before Bovell fell for 52 from 56 deliveries. Despite a late collapse, Ebanks finished the innings unbeaten on 51 off only 39 balls with six boundaries and three sixes.

Bermuda crushed Argentina by a huge margin of 166 runs after Argentina folded for 116 chasing a stiff target of 283 at the Sea Breeze Oval.

On another cool day interspersed with showers, Argentina opening bowler Gary Savage scythed through the Bermuda top order to leave them struggling at 33 for 4. They recovered through a match-turning partnership of 186 between Janeiro Tucker and Irving Romaine. Tucker, back after announcing his retirement following Bermuda's failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup and also recovering from knee surgery, smashed an astonishing 15 sixes on way to 136 from only 97 deliveries. Romaine made 77 off 86 balls, hitting seven sixes as Bermuda posted a daunting 282 for 6.

Like Bermuda, Argentina also lost their top order cheaply with Jordan DeSilva taking 3 for 12 off eight overs. Unlike Bermuda, though, Argentina never recovered from 26 for 4 as Jim West destroyed any hopes of a revival with 4 for 11 from five overs. As many as seven batsmen fell before they reached 10 as Argentina were dismissed in the 36th over.

It was USA's turn to face the rampaging Rizwan Cheema after Cayman Islands the day before. Cheema made short work of USA's total of 189, hammering an unbeaten century to lead Canada to a nine-wicket win with 11 overs to spare.

Cheema went after opening bowler Adrian Gordon - who had taken 4 for 38 against Argentina - smashing him for 42 runs off only four overs. At the other end, Cheema's opening partner Trevin Bastiampillai was in another world as he took 73 deliveries to make 27, but with Cheema in such a mood, he just had to ensure Canada didn't lose wickets upfront. Cheema hit ten fours and five sixes, finishing on an unbeaten 114.

Earlier, Calvert Hooper claimed 3 for 41 as USA were reduced to 65 for 5 and then 113 for 7. Rashard Marshall and Timroy Allen combined for a 68 run stand as USA sought to pass 200. However, both fell with the score on 181 to ensure that they finished well short of that mark.

USA hammered Argentina by 119 runs in their Division One match of the ICC World Cricket League Americas Region in Bermuda. Twin centuries by Orlando Baker and Aditya Thyagarajan propelled USA to a mammoth 347 for 6 in 50 overs at the St George's Cricket Club. Coming in after a mini collapse left USA at 91 for 4, Thyagarajan's century was the more brutal of the two, his 159 runs coming from only 119 deliveries, with 21 boundaries and three sixes. Opener Baker was the last batsman to be dismissed after scoring 113 from 108 deliveries, sharing a 213-run partnership with Thyagarajan.

An asking-rate touching nearly seven an over was always going to prove tough for
Argentina and they lost wickets regularly to finish on 228 for 9. In a chase where they needed batsmen to stay longer at the crease, Argentina's best stand was 75 runs for the fourth wicket between Gary Savage and Grant Dugmore. Adrian Gordon took 4 for 38 in eight overs for USA, a spell which included the wickets of the Argentina openers.

Bermuda brushed aside Bahamas by seven wickets with more than 20 overs to spare after Bahamas were dismissed for 128 batting first at the National Stadium in Hamilton. Player of the match Kevin Tucker took figures of 8-3-9-3 as five Bahamas batsmen failed to score. But for No. 8 Narendra Ekanayake's unbeaten 52, Bahamas would not have crossed 100, after being 19 for 5 at one stage. Ekanayake was supported by Dwight Weakley, who was the only other batsman to reach double figures, making 28 and sharing a 42-run seventh wicket stand. The state of the Bahamas innings could be gauged from the way opener Hamilton Gilliard scratched around for 57 deliveries for only 6 runs. The Bermuda batsmen didn't face any trouble in knocking off the small target, reaching it in just 28.1 overs, with only opener Fiqre Crockwell failing to make runs.

Canada completed a comfortable eight-wicket win against Cayman Islands, chasing the target of 133 with 20 overs to spare at St David's Cricket Club. In a game that was shortened to 41 overs, Cayman Islands were guilty of poor running between the wickets. Four batsmen were run out in an uninspiring batting performance, in which only one batsman crossed 20, as Cayman Islands were restricted to 132 for 9. Canada fast bowler Khurram Chohan wrecked the top order with 3 for 18 from eight overs. Though Cayman Islands captain Saheed Mohamed made 51, he lacked support from his team-mates, and the innings never recovered after Chohan had reduced them to 27 for 4.

Canada captain Rizwan Cheema seemed to be in Twenty20 mode as he smashed an unbeaten 79 from only 57 deliveries, finishing the chase in only 20.1 overs. He did justice to his reputation for big hitting, clobbering a staggering seven sixes and as many boundaries.

The Americas Division One tournament starts in Bermuda on Friday, with four of the six countries going into the event possibly with one eye on upcoming World Cricket League (WCL) commitments.

Canada are taking part in the WCL Division One tournament in early July in the Netherlands, while Argentina, Cayman Islands and United States are playing in WCL Division Four in Italy, possibly in August.

Canada have rested captain Ashish Bagai and its Australasian-based contingent from the competition in Bermuda. Bagai is expected to play in Division Four although whether John Davison and Ian Billcliff will make that trip is as yet unknown.

The Cayman Islands have rested their premier batsman, Pearson Best, for this tournament, but coach Theo Cuffy told Cricinfo he will play in WCL Division Four.

There are six changes from the United States squad which won Division Five in Nepal in January. Four of the squad - wicketkeeper Azhar Mehdi and medium-pacers Imtiaz Moazzam, Adrian Gordon and Mohammad Khan - are making their debuts while offspinning allrounder Mohammad Ghous and batsman Azurdeen Mohammed played in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. Steve Massiah is again the captain of a USA squad which, as is typical, has no American-born players.

Argentina has a new coach in former Northamptonshire player, Toby Bailey, following the return of Hamish Barton to New Zealand. Match fitness may not be a huge issue for Argentina, this tournament coming not long after the close of their domestic season although the team has not played together as a unit since WCL Division Three in January 2009.

Aside from playing in front of home crowds, the other feature for Bermuda will be the first hit-out under new coach, Australian David Moore, who is thought to be something of a disciplinarian. The captain is the vastly experienced David Hemp.

Bahamas return to Division One and are looking to consolidate their place in the top flight of cricket in the region. For the first time, a three-day Twenty20 event has been added.

Bermuda will be hosting the 2010 ICC Americas Regional Division One Championship. The competition will begin on May 28 and will be followed by a Twenty20 tournament in June.

The Division One Championship will comprise six teams: Bermuda, USA, Canada, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Bahamas. The Bermuda Cricket Board has also signed an agreement with Fresh TV to provide live coverage for a game each day.

The board’s vice-president Allan Richardson said: "The BCB is delighted to secure the rights to host the ICC Americas Regional Division 1 Championship. It has been a challenge securing the tournament within ICC budget and it is thanks to many of our local providers who have helped us to make this happen. Bringing international cricket to Bermuda is a priority to showcase our local talent and to generate enthusiasm for our National Sport for all ages.

"We are extremely pleased to be pursuing a TV strategy with Fresh TV to enhance and promote the game of cricket for everyone in Bermuda. Coverage of this event provides a unique opportunity to reach the entire community by giving them the choice of coming to the game to support their team or to follow the action on TV."

Namibia 583 for 8 dec (Steenkamp 206, van Schoor 157) beat Bermuda 214 (Hemp 52, Verwey 5-46) and 184 (Hemp 65, Klazinga 5-45) by an innings and 185 runs.

Scorecard

Raymond van Schoor and Ewaid Steenkamp's 374-run opening partnership helped Namibia complete a crushing innings victory over Bermuda in the Intercontinental Shield match in Windhoek.

Namibia take the full 20 points on offer and move second in the table, nine points behind Uganda after winning a match they dominated from the off. Bermuda were bowled out for 214 after winning the toss and opting to bat first with captain David Hemp, the former Warwickshire batsman, the only man to put up any fight. He scrapped his way to 52, but wickets kept tumbling around him as Bermuda collapsed from 173 for 3. Tobias Verwey was the pick of the bowlers, collecting 5-46, his maiden five wicket haul.

What looked a below-par total turned out to be barely credible as van Schoor and Steenkamp set about building Namibia's response. Without taking undue risk the pair marched relentlessly past the Bermuda total, with both openers making centuries on their way to a record stand in Intercontinental Shield cricket. It was Steenkamp's first hundred at first-class level and he cashed in, converting to 206. The partnership finally ended when van Schoor fell to Foggo for 157. The pair had added 374 in 84.5 overs and had almost made the match a formality for Namibia.

Craig Williams, the Namibia captain, made the most of the damaged morale, punishing all the bowlers on his way to a 74-ball 110 not out. In total he hit nine fours and three sixes, sharing a 76-run stand with Verwey to push the score to 583 before declaring 369 ahead.

It was a mountain Bermuda were unlikely to climb and when they lost their openers in quick succession to leave them 25 for 2, there looked no route back. Once again Hemp provided the only resilience, making the most of his first-class experience that stretches back to 1991, to score his second battling half-century of the match, ending with 65 off 86 balls. Louis Klazinga chipped his way through the Bermuda line-up to collect 5 for 45 and deliver his side their first win of the tournament.

Bermuda have announced their 14-man squad for the tour to South Africa and Namibia, which takes place from March 23 to April 12.

The tour includes a week-long High Performance training camp at the University of Pretoria prior to the team’s departure for Namibia, where they will play a four-day Intercontinental Shield game against the hosts from April 2 to 5. Then follow two limited-overs games, on April 7 and 8, and a Twenty20 match on April 10 before the team return home.

"The team selection was based on attendance, ability and availability,” explained Lionel Thomas, the chairman of the selection committee. “We know it is not our strongest team due to withdrawals for personal reasons from some players and school commitments, but we are cautiously optimistic that the team selected will equip themselves admirably."

"I am pleased to be able to confirm that David Moore has received his work permit and hopes to be able to join the team for the tour,” added Reginald Pearman, the BCB president. “I know the boys have been putting their all into training and I am confident they will do their best."

Bermuda squad: David Hemp (Capt), Stephen Outerbridge, Jekon Edness, Stefan Kelly, Irving Romaine, Rodney Trott, Fiqre Crockwell, Chris Foggo, Jordan DeSilva, Justin Pitcher, Malachi Jones, Shannon Rayner, Ryan Steede, Jim West

Standbys: Regino Smith, Kevin Tucker, David Lovell, Joshua Gilbert

The ICC has announced the remaining fixtures in the inaugural Intercontinental Shield, the second tier first-class competition for Associates.

The one remaining match this year sees Namibia host UAE from December 8, and then UAE have a home tie against Uganda starting on January 20. In April Namibia take on Bermuda, in June Bermuda host UAE and next September Uganda are at home to Namibia in the final round-robin match. The final will be played in Dubai between November 25 and 28, 2010.

However, there is little at stake as the ICC has decided that there will be no promotion between the Intercontinental Shield and the senior Intercontinental Cup.

Uganda opener Roger Mukasa's maiden century gave the visitors their second successive win over Bermuda in Hamilton.

A hurricane threat over the weekend forced the home board to cancel the two scheduled 50-over games and convert the Twenty20 to be played on Monday into a 50-over affair - the last national fixture for coach Gus Logie, whose contract with Bermuda will run out shortly.

Click here for the full report.

David Hemp has been named Bermuda captain for this month's series against Uganda. He was widely expected to take over from Irving Romaine, who led the side during the dismal campaign in the World Cup qualifiers in April. Steven Outerbridge, 26, was made vice-captain of the 13-man squad announced on Sunday.

Full story here

The summer season of Associate cricket continues to take shape with various announcements about games being arranged.

Afghanistan's first foray into mainstream competition starts in the rather unlikely setting of Mutare where they take on Zimbabwe in a four-day Intercontinental Cup tie starting on August 16. From there the Afghans head to Europe where they meet Netherlands in the same competition starting on August 24 and follow that with their first two stand-alone ODIs on August 30 and September 1.

Kenya, meanwhile, head to Toronto where their Intercontinental Cup tie against Canada starts on August 7 and is followed by three ODIs on August 12, 14 and 16.

On August 17 Scotland's game with Ireland starts, and that is followed by an ODI weekend as two matches are held on August 22 and 23 ahead of Ireland's ODI against England on August 27 and Scotland's against Australia on August 28.

In the new Intercontinental Shield, Bermuda host Uganda in a four-day match starting on August 17 and the two then play a brace of one-day games on August 22 and 23 with a one-off Twenty20 clash on August 24

The Bermuda Cricket Board have received 12 applicants for the post of national coach, ahead of Gus Logie's departure in September.

Logie announced in April he would not be renewing his contract with the board, following his side's desperately disappointing performance in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, where Bermuda lost their international standing as an ODI nation.

Read the full story here

Bermuda's already poor international reputation took another hit at the weekend with reports that several domestic matches were blighted by scenes of ill-discipline. The Royal Gazette reported that two first division games finished early while another was marred by unpleasant scenes.

The worst scenes came in a match between Leg Trappers and Western Stars when a disputed catch triggered a series of rows which culminated in a changing room allegedly being trashed. Trouble flared when a batsman refused to walk, leading to a confrontation with fielders which continued despite attempts by umpires to intervene. Eventually, the players left the field and that is when equipment was damaged.

The game between Devonshire and Willow Cuts was also abandoned after a family row at the ground which led to a fight between two related Devonshire players. Again, the umpires scrapped the match in the interests of players' safety.

In another fixture between Southampton Rangers and Social Club, a group of Rangers' players are believed to have pressured an umpire into changing a run-out decision after he was surrounded by angry fielders. The newspaper reported that a Social Club player "showed his contempt for the decision by walking on to the field without proper attire, removing the bails and pulling the stumps out of the ground".

It’s not been a good year or two for Bermudan cricket, with poor on-field performances and lurid off-field tales dogging the side. Hopes that the only way was up after the recent failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup were dashed with news that fast bowler George O’Brien had been charged with using a Taser stun-gun against what local papers described as a “love rival”.

O’Brien pleased not guilty when he appeared in court, his lawyer claiming the incident was related to “matters of the heart”. The magistrate was duly unimpressed and expressed concern that O’Brien actually owned a Taser in the first place. He will stand trial in August.

O’Brien has a chequered record. In 2005 he was handed a two-year suspended ban after reportedly punching an opponent during Bermuda's Cup Match, the biggest game of the year. In 2006 he was dropped from the national side after he missed a number of training sessions and failed to impress at the ones he did attend. That led to him being excluded from the 2007 World Cup squad, and days after being left out he broke his leg playing football.

Over the last couple of years Cricinfo has carried a number of articles criticising the approach of a number of the Bermuda players. These have been endorsed publicly by individuals within the country’s cricket fraternity and privately by many across the Associate world.

One of those criticisms has been the refusal of many involved to acknowledge their own responsibilities. An article by Clay Smith in the Royal Gazette sums that attitude up perfectly.

At the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, Bermuda not only failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, they also lost their ODI status. So who’s fault was that? Well, according to Smith, the blame lies with the ICC and Cricinfo.

The ICC? Well, Smith argues that the entire process of selecting teams for ODIs and the Intercontinental Cup was devised to ensure that Bermuda did not meet the grade. The fact they finished ninth is immaterial. “In my opinion the new system was set up to make sure that we as a small country did not qualify again,” he claimed. The reality is that the process now is more transparent than ever. Bermuda failed to qualify because they were not good enough on the field.

And Cricinfo? Well, Smith insists that “Cricinfo have been awaiting our demise”. If he cares to read what has been written, Bermuda were seen as a breath of fresh air when they qualified for the 2007 World Cup. However, the on-field performances have been poor. More importantly, off the field, some of the activities have been nothing short of appalling for a team hoping to sit at cricket’s top table. We reported what we saw and did so honestly.

For the record, Bermuda have some excellent youngsters. If they can be brought on without adopting the attitude of some of their seniors, if the country’s infrastructure can be made robust, if the board can be purged of deadwood and populated by enthusiastic and forward-looking people, Bermuda can bounce back.

But until the likes of Smith sit back and admit to the real reasons Bermuda failed so badly in South Africa – and before – then nothing will change. Too many people are looking to blame anyone other than themselves. To accuse the ICC and the media of a conspiracy is daft. The reasons are there for all to see – just look in the mirror.

	© Getty Images

“I can always hold my head up and know that I gave Bemuda everything I have,” Leverock said after the win over Uganda which secured Bermuda ninth place in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. “I'm speechless right now. I shed a few tears early this morning and late on after the game when we won. It's hard for me. This is what I love to do. It's all in my heart, but this is the right time."

"There comes a time in your career when you need to take a step back. You've given all you can and your body sometimes tells you, with the aches and pains after games, that it is time to slow down. Even though my heart is still in it, the body says slow down.

"It is time to take a backseat especially with the youngsters coming through. I want to try to give them an opportunity to play and maybe I can spend some more time with my daughter. I haven't seen her as much as I would have liked to over the last four or five years."

Although the unlikeliest looking sportsman, his bulk has often overshadowed his undoubted ability with the ball and he has repeatedly been Bermuda’s most consistent bowler in both limited-over and first-class cricket. He will, inevitably, be best remembered for his diving slip catch against India at the 2007 World Cup and the remarkable and earth-shattering victory sprint which followed.

“It has meant so much to me to have people recognize me for who I am as an athlete,” he told the Bermuda Sun. "Some people say it is just your size but people look past that, you know. Walking through airports people recognise you, going through different countries people recognise you and talk about the World Cup and my achievements in the Intercontinental. I always have time for youngsters. It's a nice feeling to sign autographs and give them advice on their cricket."

He is not likely to be lost to the game altogether as he has plans to go into coaching and is aiming to get the necessary qualifications to help the next generation come through.
"I know the level that I've been playing at and I know some of these youngsters can get to that level. It’s very important for me to help this programme go further. I was given the opportunity, now it is time for others to get their chance."

In 32 ODIs he took 34 wickets at 33.02 with an economy rate of 4.00, and in 15 first-class outings he captured 71 wickets at 26.47.

As the dust settles on the ICC World Cup Qualifiers – aside from Sunday’s rather pointless play-offs – we highlight what each team comes away from South Africa with.

Qualification for the 2011 World Cup
Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands

ODI status for four years
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

Intercontinental Cup 2009-10
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 1
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

ICC World Cricket League Division 2
Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 3
Denmark, Oman

ICC High Performance Programme grant funding 2009 and 2010
Afghanistan, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, Uganda

Kevin Hurdle and Delyone Borden are the surprise absentees from Bermuda's squad to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa next month.

Borden has been punished for refusing to play after a pay dispute on a recent Caribbean tour, while Hurdles has failed to recover from a groin injury.

Irving Romaine, who led the side to the 2007 World Cup, is retained as captain, and the former Glamorgan batsman David Hemp is his vice-captain.

Squad Irving Romaine (capt), David Hemp (vice-capt), Chris Douglas, Fiqre Crockwell, Lionel Cann, Stephen Outerbridge, Jekon Edness, Janiero Tucker, Stefan Kelly, Kyle Hodsoll, George O'Brien, Glenn Blakeney, Dwayne Leverock, Rodney Trott, Tamauri Tucker.

Adrian Robson has been following Bermuda's progress during their warm-up tour of West Indies. The results, he says, are encouraging.

But a side almost unrecognisable from that which competed in the World Cup in Trinidad in 2007 has suddenly grown in stature.

What has been most encouraging in the last few weeks is the improvement in so many areas, notably the top order.

For years Logie has struggled to find an opening partnership, to build a foundation which would allow the rest of the batsmen to get into a comfort zone and play their normal game. Too often the middle order have been forced to play off the back foot, playing with caution just to ensure some kind of respectable total.

Now with the likes of Chris Douglas, Stephen Outerbridge, Fiqre Crockwell, even the swashbuckling Lionel Cann, all relishing the prospect of dismantling the opponents' bowling attack, the rest of the bats are being given a chance to play with more freedom.

The Royal Gazette has the full piece.

St Lucia’s club champions South Castries beat Bermuda a 50-run defeat in a one-day practice match at Beausejour Stadium.

Twenty-three year-old Xavier Gabriel top-scored with 59 as South Castries scored 234 in 46.1 overs and then restricted Bermuda to 184 in 43.5 overs. Gabriel also took four wickets.

It was the first match on a four-leg Caribbean tour for Bermuda, who are preparing for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in April.

Bermuda are currently in Trinidad on a tour, in preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa. But for Lionel Cann, their batsman, the trip has felt more like a boot camp.

e always link up with a guy called Jeremiah, who does fitness training for the army, when we're down in Trinidad. When the boys hear his name we know we're in for a tough time. He's brutal.

The week started on Saturday with a seven-mile hike to the top of a mountain near Port of Spain.

It was a team building exercise with the army fitness instructors and they had us doing push-ups and sit-ups on the way up.

The idea was that everybody helped each other get to the top. It was a four-and-a-half hour trek and I think everybody was busted by the time we got back to the cricket academy in Couva.

Sunday we were in the nets early. Everybody got a hit and then we split into groups and switched between the nets and the weight room.

The Bermuda Sun has his diary.

Colin Croft, the former West Indies fast bowler, has offered his services as a bowling coach to Bermuda.

According to the Royal Gazette, Croft asked the newspaper to pass on his details to the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB)'s vice president, Allen Richardson. "This guy should be coaching England or the West Indies!" Richardson told The Gazette. "His resume is impressive, but at the moment I don't know what the Board's plans are."

The bulk of Bermuda's squad have been handed professional full-time contracts by the board as the team begins to prepare for the World Cup Qualifiers.

Kevin Hurdle, the fast bowler still recovering from injury, makes the 19-man squad as does George O'Brien, and there are no major surprises. Gus Logie, the Bermuda coach, will be gathering the players together over the next few weeks as their training regime intensifies, and Logie is determined to right the wrongs of 2008.

The full story is at Cricinfo.

There was a soggy end to the tour of Argentina by Bermuda’s development side, but a 12-run victory over an Argentina President’s XI at the Hurlingham Club was enough to ensure they won the Baimax Cup by three games to one.

Heavy rain meant there was never really any hope of play starting in the fifth game at the Belgrano Athletic Club but the series was decided the day before as fifties from Irving Romaine and Glenn Blakeney sealed the win despite Argentina posting 269 for 9, their best score of the rubber.

The BCB announced that the Executive Committee for 2008-09 would be made up of:

1st Vice President: Mr. Allen Richardson (until 2009) 2nd Vice President: Mr. Lloyd Fray (4 year position) Assistant Treasurer/Secretary: Mr. McNeil McGowan (4 year position) Club Representative: Mr. Calvin Waldron (1 year position) Club Representative: Mr. James Pace (1 year position) Club Representative: Ms. Terry-Lynn Paynter (1 year position).

The baord announced that Glenn Blakeney was the latest player to join the BCB's High Performance Programme (HPP). He will join Irving Romaine, Rodney Trott, Tamauri Tucker, Kyle Hodsoll, Oronde Bascome and Christopher Douglas who recently returned from a seven-week start at the Cricket Academy in Brisbane, Australia.

Results went according to the script on the second day of the ICC Americas Division 1 tournament as USA, Bermuda and Canada registered comfortable victories

At Brian Piccolo Park another fine innings from Hamish Barton steered Argentina to a respectable 200 for 9 against USA, but that was put into perspective by Sushil Nadkarni, who struck his second century in two days. Nadkarni hit 109 off 116 balls as USA cantered home with 12 overs to spare. Argentina's day didn't improve when Barton picked up an ankle injury and he is in doubt for the next match against Cayman Islands.

"We played well against determined opposition and did the job we set out to do," Imran Khan, the USA manager, said. "While our batting - and especially Sushil - is looking good, we have work to do on being more disciplined in the field, and especially not gifting the opposition with bowling extras."

Canada had a less stressful match than yesterday, when they almost slipped up against Argentina, easing to a 206-run victory against Cayman Islands. At Central Broward Regional Park, they racked up an impressive 298 for 9. Opener Sandeep Jyoti top-scored with a stylish 88 off 129 balls, while further half-centuries came from Zubin Surkari and Qaiser Ali.

Cayman Islands' chase began poorly when they lost a wicket first ball and the innings never recovered, eventually folding for 92 in under 33 overs. Khurram Chohan took 3 for 34 and Zahid Hussain claimed 3 for 11

"We set ourselves goals today and I believe we achieved almost all of them," Canada captain, Umar Bhatti, said. "The team performed tremendously well today, all three departments were up to scratch, and it was a huge improvement from yesterday."

On the main stadium field at Central Broward Regional Park, Bermuda were predictably too strong for Suriname and notched a commanding 224-run win. Lionel Cann's 97-ball 101 led Bermuda to 290 for 3 and he was helped by Stephen Outerbridge's 62, plus a half century from captain Irving Romaine.

In reply, left-arm spinner Delyone Borden proved too much the Suriname batsmen, taking 6 for 17 from his 10 overs as the minnows were bundled out for 66, having been skittled for 60 in their opening match.

Bermuda's coach, Gus Logie, was pleased with how his team are progressing. "Today was all about building on yesterday's effort, and we did that strongly," he said. "It was also good to continue building confidence for the tough games ahead. We are constantly looking for self-improvement and today we got that, also our attitude and approach towards the game was very business-like, which was important."

Although matches between any of the six leading Associates are officially classified as full ODIs and included in career and team records, the ICC has ruled that the game between Bermuda and Canada during the ICC Americas Division 1 event in Florida starting on November 24 will not be counted as such.

The reason for the decision is that the venue has not been approved by the ICC to stage full ODIs, although it is hoped that an inspection in the near future could enable it to become the USA's first accredited international ground.

The flag at Somerset Cricket Club in Bermuda is flying at half-mast this week in honour of tge late all-rounder, Winton (Timmy) Edwards, whose "legacy will live on forever through his extraordinary exploits in Cup Match". Edwards died earlier this week following a bout with illness, aged 79.

The left-arm fast bowler and right-handed opening batsman represented Somerset in Cup Match between 1948 and 1962 and is best remembered for his unbeaten 170 achieved in the West End in 1950 that surpassed the previous highest individual score in the classic set by team-mate Lloyd Simmons (146) the year before at the newly opened Somerset Cricket Club ground.

The Royal Gazette has the story in full.

The ICC Americas Division One tournament will be staged in Florida from November 24 to December 1, with the new Broward County stadium hosting some of the matches.

Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Suriname and USA will take part.

In the last competition in 2006 in Canada, Bermuda beat USA in the final.

The Americas Region Division I is now confirmed to take place in Florida, November 24
December 1. Five matches will be played in the new stadium built for cricket in Broward County.
–
Six countries, Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Suriname and the USA will
compete for the title. For Suriname, an affiliate, it will be their first appearance in Division I. The team earned the right to compete having won Division 2.

A little more than a week after the postponement of the Champions Trophy, Cricinfo can reveal that the ICC will have to either move or postpone its next high-profile event, the World Cup Qualifiers.

The tournament, which involves the leading Associates, is due to be staged in the UAE next April, with the top four countries winning a place at the 2011 World Cup. The event will also be used to establish which six Associates will be granted one-day status for the next four years.

Read the full story here and leave your comments below.

Bermuda are their worst enemies, and unless they drastically alter their approach to the game, their future at the highest level appears limited at best. That is the damning verdict of their West Indian coach, Gus Logie, as Bermuda were swept aside in the tri-series against Canada and West Indies.

Click here to read the full story, and leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Bermuda are to host Namibia for their next Intercontinental Cup fixture on September 3 at their National Sports Centre (NSC). Click here for the full story.

Canada have won the Under-15 Americas Cricket Championship in Bermuda after completing the tournament with an unbeaten record.

Canada were run closest by Bermuda who reduced them to 85 for 6 chasing 168 in their penultimate match, but an unbeaten 44 from Bryan Henry ensured they squeezed home with three balls in hand.

“Grassroots development through talent identification and development programs instituted in the winter of 2007-2008, helped put together a strong team which has taken Canada to this pinnacle and promises to be an indicator of things to come for Canadian cricket,” Atul Ahuja, Cricket Canada’s chief executive, told Cricinfo.

“Cricket Canada has a stated goal to win the Under-19 World Cup that Canada will host in 2012. Many players that were part of the winning team today could well be part of that squad. Programs are being put in place to develop this talent pool to help Canada achieve this goal.”

The World Twenty20 Qualifers get underway at Belfast tomorrow. Have a read of our preview of this important event.

The ICC has announced a revised schedule for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast next month.

The tournament, involving the six leading Associate teams - Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland - will now take place from August 2 to 5, with a fourth day included to allow room for a third and fourth-place play-off.

Click here for the full story

Scotland will have little time to prepare for their Intercontinental Cup clash with Canada after they were stranded in Bermuda by the after-effects of Hurricane Bertha.

The storm had been expected to disrupt their game with Bermuda but as it happened the match was unaffected. But it hit the region afterwards, leaving the Scottish players stranded in their hotel rooms.

“The airport in Hamilton was shut down and the squad were unable to make their connection to Toronto,” Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith said. “The guys were confined to their rooms all day to escape the worst of the wind and heavy rain.

"We were given the option of delaying the start of the Canada match by 24 hours, but we decided against that because of the tight schedule next week when the lads go to Belfast for the European Championships."

Scotland will have less than a day to acclimitise to conditions which are far removed from those experienced in Bermuda as the match in Toronto starts on July 16.

Fraser Watts has denied Bermuda with a courageous 93 on the first day of Scotland's Intercontinental Cup match at Hamilton. Click here for the report.

Bermuda’s executive director, Neil Speight, has been elected to the ICC's executive board for a two-year term. The board is responsible for managing the affairs of the ICC, with the prime aim of advancing the objectives of the ICC.

The board is made up of a representative of each Full Member country and three representatives elected by the Associate Members - Samir Inamder (Kenya), Imran Khwaja (Singapore), and Neil Speight (Bermuda).

Speight said: "It is a great responsibility and humbling honour to be elected to the Executive Board. It is not often that in one day a person gets 38 new bosses, but today I join Samir and Imran irepresenting the 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate countries on the Executive Board.

“I believe that this elevation is in part a reflection of the esteem that Bermuda is now held in world cricket. We participated at the World Cup, the Under-19s got to the World Cup, the ladies qualified for the World Cup qualifier and the BCB were just awarded the Global Best Overall Development Program.

“I feel the honour for this appointment should be placed at the grounds of the men that have brought Bermuda cricket to where it is today - Alma Champ Hunt, Edward P Bailey, Hon. Elvin G James and Reginald Pearman. These men are the true leaders and visionaries in our sport and I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work with the three of them."

This news first appeared in the ICC Americas Newsflash

Samir Inamdar, the chairman of Cricket Kenya, was elected as the chairman of the Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC at the annual conference in Dubai.

Inamdar, who was already one of the three representatives of the non Test-playing countries on the ICC executive board, replaces H.H. Tunku Imran who stood down because of his commitments with the IOC.

Inamdar, who polled 26 votes, is joined on the ICC executive board, by Imran Khwaja (Singapore, 22 votes) and Neil Speight (Bermuda, 21). Rene van Iashort from the Netherlands received 18 votes while Israel’s Stanley Pearman, who was a sitting representative, finished bottom of the pile with 16 votes.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Although the ICC draws considerable flak on many fronts, it is quietly committed to promoting the game in as many countries as possible, and it does that by means of a myriad of competitions and initiatives. Most do not warrant much media attention, but they are there and they work.

Until now, the gripe of the smaller countries, and especially those bubbling just underneath the top flight, has been about the inequality of the way in which the game is financed. That was never more apparent than when it came to earnings from last year's World Cup.

Ireland got a flat fee of US$125,000 a year for four years for taking part, and on top of that they received another $50,000 for reaching the Super Eights. However, because of the extra costs involved in their progression, not least because their players are not professional cricketers and their absences from their full-time jobs had to be underwritten, Ireland's success actually left the board out of pocket.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, turned up, tied with Ireland and never threatened to progress after being thumped by Pakistan and West Indies. For those three matches, Zimbabwe Cricket received US$11 million, their share of the pot as a Full Member.

The top six Associates receive no more than US$500,000 a year - some substantially less - to fund their entire operations. Out of that they have to pay all their cricketing and administration costs. Only those with a low cost of living, such as Kenya, can hope to maintain a professional squad on that kind of money.

The gulf between the haves and have-nots is further widened by the limited sums Associates can earn from sponsorship and media contracts. Zimbabwe can exploit home series against, say, India to carve out lucrative TV deals worth millions, and on the back of that, attract shirt- and other corporate sponsorship. As highlighted by Scotland's failure to secure any TV deal for their forthcoming ODI against England, the Associates struggle to get such income streams.

The new deals will provide a substantial increase for Associates, especially for the countries who are pressing for space at the top table. Until now the share has been roughly equal, rewarding Netherlands and Kenya on par with Thailand and Fiji. The new system will see more demarcation between the top Associates and the rest.

The leading ten could earn as much as US$1.5 million a year from 2009. There will then be an onus on them to professionalise their administrations, but several of them are already well down that route. They will also be more accountable - the ICC does not want a repeat of the mess that came following a spike in Kenya's funding earlier in the decade.

The second-string Associates will also get more - around US$160,000 as a base figure - but then again the demands on them are less. Even Affiliates will receive US$15,000, with the opportunity for more should they make a good enough case. There will also be more cash in the pot for participating and hosting competitions.

There have never been more opportunities for development outside the Full Member countries, but there remain some nagging worries.

The main one is how to bridge the gap between semi and full-blown professionalism. Almost all the Associates rely on dedicated amateurs, both on and off the field. As the number of ICC competitions has increased - and they have to be welcomed - the pressure has begun to tell. Scotland and Ireland particularly have already found players cannot meet all their commitments, and even the increased income will not allow them to employ a full-time squad.

"So much of putting players on full-time retainers depends on how many fixtures we can command," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, said. "At the moment, all we can promise the squad in 2009 is a World Cup qualifying campaign, eight FP Trophy matches, an England game, and probably some Intercontinental Cup matches. Of course, we hope to have more, but can't be sure at the moment.

"Our top players are already plying their trade in county cricket, while others have full-time jobs which they may not wish to give up. The actual number of players that the coach will want to put on a full-time contract, or else the number that even want to have one, may not be that many."

The other quandary is how to get them fixtures. Kenya, widely regarded as the leading Associate, have found it almost impossible to get Full Member countries to visit or host them. As a result they invariably play other Associates. Good for the win-loss ratio, not so clever in providing the kind of experience that no amount of money can buy.

These issues will need to be addressed, but for now the future has never looked so promising beyond the Test world.

Changing rooms littered by used syringes; poor behaviour from players and a lack of respect. Those are just three of the criticisms that umpires have reported during Bermuda's domestic season this year. The Royal Gazette reports on all the grizzly details:

Umpires have also reported continued poor time-keeping when it comes to the toss, meaning games often start and finish late, and there has also been a failure by many clubs to provide replacement balls.

The situation has got so bad that the BCB are now considering what sanctions they can take against the worst offenders.

"We will be writing to the clubs to remind them of the standards of behaviour that we expect in the game," said vice president Allen Richardson.

"If that doesn't work then we will publicly name and shame the clubs involved, telling the public exactly what has gone on.

Ireland will host the inaugural World Twenty20 Qualifiers between August 2 and 4, with the top six Associates vying for the two places available to them in next year's ICC World Twenty20 in England.

Click here for more and the itinerary.

Lionel Cann has revealed in his Bermuda Sun column that Bermuda has a serious problem.

If we could stop people smoking weed we would have triple the amount of players available. If you can't give up marijuana to play for your country and reach the pinnacle of your sport then you have a serious, serious problem.

Click here to read the full column.

Michael Young, Australia's fielding coach, is spending time with Bermuda and Canada to lend his extensive experience to the two Associate countries. But, in an in-depth interview for The Royal Gazette, he reveals how he doesn't think he could work with amateurs on a full-time basis.

"Justin Langer was not the most talented player, but he was committed to perfect practice, and that's one of the things I have talked to these guys about.

"Practice doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect. And those are the things that they need to understand. There needs to be an accountability, every job is the same. You can do it half-arsed, and you're going to get half-arsed results. Or you can do the extra and try to get more, that's how you get to the other levels."

Getting the extra has been problematic in recent weeks, and while Young is happy to contribute some of his time, he doubts he could do it on a regualr basis.

"These guys all have jobs, so the mentality is different, there is a different approach," he said. "I don't know how long I could do this (working with teams such as Bermuda). I'll be honest, I don't know how long I could do it because I believe in commitment and it would be hard for me to work with amateur players."

Read the full story at the Royal Gazette.

Rodney Trott and Tamauri Tucker are the first two players to be selected for Bermuda's new high performance development programme, primarily aimed at some of the younger players in the national squad.

The first stage of the programme will run from April to September, after which, the Board will consider renewing their contracts. The BCB is actively considering offering additional contracts to players as recommended by the national coach.

The Bermuda Sun has the full story

Bermuda will host their first international match in four years when they play Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup after the National Sports Centre ground received ICC approval.

Click here for the full story.

Eleven women players from Argentina, Bermuda and Canada will depart for Trinidad this month as part of an ICC Americas development programme. The academy will take place at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre in Trinidad and Tobago from May 18-29. The program will be run by Ann Browne-John – the ICC Women’s Committee Representative, former West Indies Captain and Level 2 WICB Coach – who is assisted by former international players and qualified coaches Stephanie Power and Jasmine Sammy. The girls will have 10 days of intensive training, education, game situations and will be trying out for the WICB tournament to be held in Jamaica in July.

Bermuda could be set to stage their first major international match, proving the ICC decides that pitches at the National Sports Centre have improved sufficiently since an inspection last year.

Click here for the full story.

Bermuda's unpopular two-day cricket league has been scrapped. Instead the season will kick off with a new Twenty20 tournament, which will culminate with a Stanford-style final under lights at the National Centre.

In a sign of the changing times that are sweeping the sport globally, Bermuda has embraced the popular no-holds barred format as the cricket board attempts to inject some excitement into the domestic season. The longer format will not disappear completely, with a two-division Open Cricket league established, following the basic format of the County Cup competitions.

The 50-over league remains unchanged and will get a low-key kick-off this weekend with two First Division matches involving Bermuda's Under-18 squad. Each team will play each other twice in the 14-game domestic league. The BELCO Cup will go ahead as normal but there will be no limited-overs knockout competitions.

Allen Richardson, who headed up a task force with the job of consulting the public and reorganizing the structure of the domestic leagues said the new Twenty20 competition was an important part of the process. "We want to bring the fans out and make it a family atmosphere and we also need to start putting together a squad that will go to Ireland for the 20-20 World Cup qualifier in August. This competition will gauge who will get into that squad."

He said the BCB was working on bringing in a big screen to show action replays and would be holding the semi-finals and final under floodlights at the national centre. He said the board had wanted to maintain a two-day competition but the enthusiasm for the longer format was just not there. "It's not the ideal situation when you have four-day international matches to prepare for. We do see a need for the longer version of the game but we didn't get any support for the two-day league. Players weren't turning up. It was a real shambles to be honest."

He said he hoped the open format, a single innings competition to a maximum 120 overs, would at least give players a taste of the longer game.

Gus Logie, the Bermuda coach, says he knows "what the problems are, now we are interested in finding solutions" to his side's constant bickering and sniping, and their consistently poor form on the field.

In an extensive interview with the Royal Gazette Logie bluntly accepts that a change is mindset will be vital if Bermuda are ever to seriously challenge the upper echelons of cricket's established order. But he also offers an explanation to their continually poor results.

Click here to read the full story

Hot on the heels of their new Twenty20 competition, Bermuda have launched a new tournament: Five-Five.

The six-a-side tournament is modelled on the famous Hong Kong sixes and will feature eight teams - St. David's, St. George's, Flatt's, Bailey's Bay, Cleveland, PHC, Devonshire Rec and Social Club.

There will be two groups of four competing in a round robin format, semi-finals and a final all played in a single day - April 19.

"This is the ultimate in entertainment," said Cann who hopes to make the tournament an annual event, with every team in Bermuda ultimately involved.

But he said it was starting off on a small scale, with a handful of sponsors including Barritts and Esso Tigermart.

"I want to build it up gradually. You couldn't have a better facility than the home of cricket at St. David's and it's going to be a real entertaining day.

"It's non-stop cricket from 9am until 6pm at night."

The Bermuda Sun has the full story.

The Bermuda Cricket Board is to launch a new Twenty20 competition, with the island divided into four zones consisting of four teams each. The winners in each area will then proceed into semi-finals.

"We're looking to start the Twenty20 on April 26, with the semi-finals on May 4, and final and plate final on May 10," BCB vice-president Allen Richardson told the Royal Gazette.

Greg Maybury, a promising 14-year-old swing bowler, has become the second young Bermuda player to enrol at Oakham School near Peterborough in England, and is to further his cricketing career by attending a University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE).

"I am really looking for to this challenge," Maybury told The Royal Gazette. "They [Oakham] have great coaches with good philosophies and excellent facilities. I can only get better in the sport as well as in academics, so there is no better place to do these two than in England."

Click here for the full story.

The Bermuda Cricket Board are holding trials for Bermuda's first women's Under-16 and Under-12 squads this Sunday. The teams will train regularly under the guidance of qualified coaches and compete in the BCB youth leagues.

The programme for the day has been designed by Gus Logie, the national coach, and Bermuda's Cricket Development Director, Arnold Manders.

Trials will take place at Berkeley Institute Field. The Under-12s will try out from 10am - 12pm and the Under-16s from 1-3pm.

Some of Bermuda's most talented young cricketers will compete for an Americas XI in a mini World Cup to be held in the West Indies next month. Click here to read the story in full.

As widely expected, the ICC executive board approved proposals to reduce the number of Associates participating at the 2011 World Cup from six to four.

This was done, so the ICC claimed, to reduce the length of an event which many considered to be too bloated in 2007 from 47 days to 38.

The ICC's 10 Full Members automatically qualify and they will be joined by the top four teams from next years World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai. As thing stands, this means that Ireland have to qualify for a tournament they reached the Super Sixes at last time, while Zimbabwe, who are below them in the official ICC One-Day Rankings, do not.

Alternative proposals, including one which would have involved a pre-qualifying tournament featuring the top six Associates as well as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, were earlier rejected by the ICC's chief executives committee.

Associate Member Bermuda picked up two prizes in the ICC Development Program Annual awards, making them the winners in this year’s competition. They were awarded the Best Overall Cricket Development Program and the Photo of the year titled “It’s a Catch”.

A happy Reginald Pearman, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said: “I am excited and proud that Bermuda cricket has won these distinguished awards, which confirm that we are making progress in the right direction when it comes to our strategic goals. I am particularly pleased with the growth in our junior membership and the fact that our women’s team participated in the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Stellenbosch and our youngsters appeared in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia makes me even more proud.”

Jos Heggleman won the Volunteer of the Year Award for his outstanding contribution to the game in the Netherlands, while the Hong Kong Cricket Association won the Best Cricket Promotion and Marketing Award for the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

Cricket Indonesia’s Tetrapak U-19 Development Program was declared the Best Junior Cricket Initiative program. Deutscher Cricket Bund did well in the Global Awards, picking up the Best Women’s Cricket Initiative prize for their U-19 Women’s Tournament in Oldenburg, Germany. The best Spirit of Cricket Initiative in Partnership with UNAIDS was won by the Mozambique Cricket Federation’s National Commission for School Cricket.

John Wright of Ireland and Laurie Pieters of Namibia won Lifetime Service Awards for their long and dedicated service to cricket development not only in their home countries, but also internationally, given both have served on several ICC committees.

Wright, the honorary secretary of the Irish Cricket Union for 10 years until stepping down this year, said: “I am extremely delighted to receive this award. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in cricket and I must admit that it is very pleasing to be acknowledged and honoured for your services. It’s been a privilege to be part of the ICC Development Program and I wish it best of luck in the future”

Ray Mali, the ICC president, who served as one of the four global judges alongside former ICC presidents Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Gray and MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw, said: “This whole process has shown once again the outstanding work being done in the development of cricket around the world. It was immensely difficult to select the winners but those lucky enough to be chosen reflect the contributions they have made to our wonderful worldwide sport. Everyone involved, winners and those not chosen, deserve immense credit for their efforts.”
Best Overall Cricket Development Program Bermuda Cricket Board

Best Women's Cricket Initiative Oldenburg U-19 Women’s Tournament (Germany)

Best Junior Cricket Initiative Tetrapak U-19 Development program (Indonesia)

Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award – Hong Kong Cricket Sixes (Hong Kong)

Best Spirit of Cricket Award in Partnership with UNAIDS – National Commission for School Cricket (Mozambique)

Photo of the Year Award “It’s a Catch” (Bermuda)

Volunteer of the Year Jos Heggleman (The Netherlands)

Lifetime Service Award John Wright (Ireland) and Laurie Pieters (Namibia)

Each Global award category is allocated US$2000 of equipment to be received by the winning national cricket body.

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

As revealed by Cricinfo last month, the 2011 World Cup will be shortened and the main victims of the change will be the Associate countries who will have their numbers cut from six to four.

"It is a move we both feared and expected and it's not great news for the Associates," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "Neither is it a great vote of confidence in the ICC's own High Performance Programme.

Click here to tell us what you think of this? Is it the start of the gradual elimination of smaller countries from the World Cup or a necessary and welcome move?

Bermuda's women carved an unwanted niche in the international record books with one of the most abject performances in the game's history. In their opening match of the World Cup Qualifiers at Stellenbosch University, they were bowled out for 13 and then South Africa took only four balls to sweep to a ten-wicket win.

Read the full report at Cricinfo.

Three of Bermuda's squad who should have appeared in their side's Stanford 20/20 campaign are facing lengthy bans after failing a drugs test.

"If any athlete has tested positive with us we then send a portion of the specimen to the government lab for confirmation," Cathy Belvedere, a spokesman for the Bermuda Council for Drug Free Sports, told The Royal Gazette newspaper. "And if it is confirmed positive they then get a one year infraction.

"They can apply for the domestic application whereas they won't be able to represent Bermuda during that year but can go back to playing gymnastics, football, cricket or whatever sport they are involved in," Belvedere added. "They would also have to agree to some counselling, but that's only if there's a positive find."

Although the identity of the players is not yet known, it was confirmed that two of the trio represented Somerset - one of Bermuda's domestic teams - while the other is "a prominent member" of St George's, the domestic champions.

"All of the players [in the national team] were tested, but unfortunately not everyone cleared the process which has policies in place that all national bodies must adhere to.," Reggie Pearman, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said. "All of the players knew what was required of them and what the consequences were."

McLaren Smith, the Bermuda allrounder, has been drafted in as Lamar Richardson's replacement for next month's Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.

Smith's late call-up means he will represent Bermuda at both the Under-19 World Cup as well as the Stanford 20/20 tournament in Antigua with the senior squad.

"McLaren will be coming from the Twenty20 tournament, where he will be on national team duty, so he won't be going to India with us," Andre Manders, the Bermuda Under-19 coach, said. "He's a tall medium-fast bowler and batsman. He was already in the [Stanford 20/20] squad and we didn't want to take him out. I guess he's quite lucky as he will be going on both trips, but we know he's up to the task."

Richardson was ruled out of the World Cup last week after breaking his wrist in training, joining Stefan Kelly on the sidelines, though Kelly's omission is due to his school commitments.

	'Obviously the catch was one of my highlights and the two wickets I took against England' © Getty Images

Dwayne Leverock has won Bermuda's Male Sports Personality of the Year award for the second year running.

The Bermuda Sun has interviewed him, including:

Has 2007 been a particularly memorable year for you?

It has been a memorable year. Obviously there was the World Cup, but also travelling with the national team since then has been an eye opener. A lot of people do recognize me now, which surprised me. I noticed it most coming through Heathrow on our tour of Europe. English people, Indians, Sri Lankans, anyone who knew cricket seemed to recognize me.

Quite a few came up and asked for a picture or an autograph, which is a nice feeling.

What were your personal highlights?

Obviously the catch was one of my highlights and the two wickets I took against England. To be bowling to players of the calibre of Flintoff, Pietersen and Collingwood and to get figures of that nature was eye opening.

Read more at their site.

Bermuda are to have an open forum for members of the public to offer their thoughts on the state of cricket in the country. In addition, the board are proposing a domestic Twenty20 league.

The Board's beleaguered Two-Day and 50-over Leagues will also be key topics for discussion as local cricket's governing body continue their efforts to encourage fans to come out in throngs in support of local cricket. BCB technical committee chairman Allen Richardson, national coach Gus Logie, top umpire Roger Dill, national team skipper Irving Romaine and former national team skippers Gladstone (Sad) Brown and Clay Smith will all be present to facilitate the meeting.

Read the full story at The Royal Gazette.

Tony Cozier is, rightly, one of the most respected journalists in the game. His work to cover and promote cricket in the Caribbean has been unstinting for almost four decades. And yet even the best writers have off days, and his attack on the way that the ICC funds the Intercontinental Cup, the first-class competition for the Associates, is one of those.

Cozier's outburst in his Caribbean-syndicated column at the weekend in effect concluded that rather than waste money on Associate tournaments it would be better spent on aiding West Indies, a “well-established member with a great tradition presently fallen on hard times”.

Cozier attacked the ICC for doling out "heaven knows how much cash every year" to run the Intercontinental Cup. The overall annual cost of the tournament is actually around $400,000 on top of which the participants contribute another $120,000 between them. For that, the leading eight Associate countries get to play in a prestigious (for them) competition, to meet a variety of opponents across the world and to improve.

Yes, it has its faults and there are mismatches, but the same could be said for any competition or series involving the Full Members. When was the last time Bangladesh or Zimbabwe or, dare it be said, West Indies played in a gripping contest as opposed to occasional one-off successes. As seen at the World Cup, the gulf between the have and have-nots on the field may be large but it is nothing like as vast as the chasm between their respective funding.

The leading Associates survive on grants of under half a million dollars a year; some, such as Kenya and Scotland, earn more through winning tournaments such as the World Cricket League which entitles them to ICC World Twenty20 participation money. The Full Members receive twenty times more. Zimbabwe, for example, coined in almost $11 million from the World Cup, and yet they struggle to hold their own with several Associates. What is more, the Full Members almost all have bloated payrolls; the Associates rely almost entirely on goodwill of hard-working administrators who often end up digging deep into their own pockets to keep things ticking over.

What Cozier seems to overlook is that the ICC should not be about looking after the big boys and forget the rest, although as the major boards become more money-obsessed by the month it may go that way. It has a responsibility to nurture and support the game in areas away from the traditional bedrocks. That is done through a myriad of tournaments, coaching clinics and advice. The total sum spent on Associates is under 25% of the ICC's overall budget. To scrap that would be akin to pulling up the drawbridge, hoping that the game survives among the existing ten Full Members, and hang the rest. No other sport would consider such a short-sighted policy, and neither should cricket.

Then there is the additional income that Full Members can earn through the very fact they play each other so often. Sponsorship and TV deals bring in tens of millions on top of the ICC funding. Although the WICB has never revealed the value of the original deal with Digicel, it is believed to be worth more than $20 million for five years. The England board's four-year TV deal with BSkyB was worth in excess of $400 million, the Indian board's own deals even more. They should be awash with cash.

Associates cannot attract funding worth even 5% of that as they play precious few big matches, a fact not helped by the continuing reluctance of most Full Members to play them. The big boys prefer to pack their schedules with ever longer one-day series against the same old - more lucrative - opposition. Television and sponsorship deals for Associates, if they ever get them, are for peanuts.

Cozier also argues that the Intercontinental Cup is not worthwhile as sides cannot always field their full sides as players cannot get time off work. It is a problem, and one everyone is aware of. But that ignores the fact that the bulk of players are prepared to make remarkable sacrifices to represent their countries. With more funding, and not with less, those players can be rewarded for their cricket skills and so availability will improve. As an aside, it is worth remembering West Indies couldn't find 15 players to represent their A team in Zimbabwe last July.

To argue that the woes of the West Indies could be cured by diverting cash from Associates to the Caribbean simply doesn't add up. Those who have witnessed the antics of a succession of West Indies boards might counter that to pour money into the region would be akin to chucking it onto a bonfire. In the last decade the WICB has run up debts running into tens of millions of dollars. It has failed to handle sponsors or players remotely adequately and needed the income from a (poorly run) World Cup to bail it out. That the game in the Caribbean is in need of help is beyond question. But it is in even more need of some broad-minded and competent leadership. Julian Hunte, the new WICB chairman, might be such a man but he has a daunting job ahead of him.

This is not a call for more money to be poured into Associate cricket, but there has to be some kind of reality check before those looking to establish and build the game are asked to tighten their belts even more because a Full Member is down to its last few dozen administrators.

Tony Cozier, the veteran Caribbean journalist and broadcaster, has launched a scathing attack on the way the ICC funds global cricket outside the Test-playing countries.

Writing in his column which is syndicated throughout the Caribbean, Cozier was angry at the way that established regions, such as West Indies, were not allocated more money instead of so much being spent by the ICC on Associate competitions.

“Certainly there is no ICC venture more illogical or costly than the one dubbed the Inter-Continental Cup,” he wrote. “It is an annual tournament, described by the ICC as its ‘flagship first-class competition’, comprising round-robin, four-day matches between its second tier members, those one below Test status. These are countries where the game has always been based on amateur, weekend, one-day club cricket. They play no four-day domestic matches and almost certainly never will.

“Yet the ICC doles out heaven knows how much cash every year to fly them, and their own entourage of officials, across the world and to house and feed them at venues as scattered as Aberdeen, Dublin, Namibia, Toronto, Sharjah and Windhoek.

“Canada were unable to raise their strongest team for the African tour because many of their best players simply could not get time off from their jobs. The same problem affects others, rendering the tournament even less relevant.”

The ICC maintains that the competition enables players from Associate countries to gain more experience in the longer form of the game.

Bermuda have lost again, this time by 138 runs at the hands of UAE. Read the bulletin and, in the same piece, offer your thoughts on what went wrong.

Kenya inflicted yet another thumping defeat on Bermuda, this time by eight wickets. Bermuda have won just a single match - against Uganda at the start of their tour of Kenya - and now travel to Sharjah to face UAE in another Intercontinental Cup match.

Where has their tour gone wrong? Leave your comments on their performance below.

Bermuda batsman Lionel Cann has been sent home from the tour of Africa and the Middle East after the Bermuda Cricket Board chose to increase his suspension for showing dissent when he was given out lbw against Kenya on Saturday.

Cann took his time leaving the crease after being given out for a golden duck then hit a trash can with his bat as he left the field. The ICC has already dealt with the offence - handing him a two-match suspension from one-day-internationals after finding him guilty of showing "serious dissent at an umpire's decision". That ruling had meant Cann would have been eligible for the two four-day Intercontinental Cup games against Kenya and the UAE.

But the BCB announced that they had upped his suspension. In a short statement the executive voard announced its decision that Cann should play no further part in the tour and revealed it was making arrangements for him to fly home as soon as possible.

Click here for the full story.

	Trinidad and Tobago's explosive talent, Amanda Samaroo © ICC

Canada’s women have given their country some joy, with victory in the first ICC Americas Women’s Championship, held in Canada. They overhauled Bermuda by five wickets in the deciding victory.

Bermuda, though, have the consolation of a place at the World Cup qualifiers in Lahore in November. Argentina sank to three defeats in three, but will take some positives – and have two players competing for a place in the ICC Americas XI who take on Trinidad & Tobago Under-17 on Friday.

T&T have been the outstanding side of this tournament – their latest victory a huge victory against Argentina – but they were not eligible for the title. Nevertheless, it has been excellent experience for them. And they appear to have a rising star in their ranks – the batsman Amanda Samaroo, whose highlight was a superb unbeaten 128, off only 125 balls.

Click here for more.

	Ramon Sealy receives his Man of the Tournament award © Getty Images

After being asked to bat on a bright sunny day in Toronto, Bermuda got off to a solid start before Kevin James (3 for 23) and Arsalan Qadir (3 for 24) began to make inroads. From 35 without loss, Bermuda slumped to 57 for 4, and it was a fifth-wicket partnership of 46 between Khiry Furbert, the wicketkeeper, and Malachi Jones (33 from 49) which began their recovery.

The real rescue hero though was Stefan Kelly, the allrounder, who ended unbeaten on 52 from 55, adding a crucial 79 for the seventh wicket with Furbert. With Canada boasting a powerful batting lineup, 195 was most gettable. Ruvindu Gunasekera began in sublime fashion with 31 off 42 balls, including five fours, and he was given good support by Chris Manohar (40 off 70), with whom he put on 55 in 13 overs.

Canada and Bermuda lived up to their pre-tournament favourites' tag by scoring convincing victories in their Americas Under-19 Qualifiers in Toronto on Tuesday. Canada beat Argentina by nine wickets while Bermuda won their second match in a row by beating Cayman Islands by seven wickets.

Click here for the full report ...

Bermuda and the Cayman Islands notched victories on the opening day of the Americas Under-19 Qualifiers, as Bermuda eased past the Bahamas by 195 runs while the Cayman Islands powered to a ten-wicket win over Argentina.

Click here for the full report ...

Canada face a stiff challenge from Bermuda in their bid to return to the Under-19 World Cup when the five-team round-robin Americas U-19 Qualifier begins at Mapleleaf CC, King City in Toronto on Monday (August 13).

Argentina, Caymans Islands and debutants Bahamas are the other teams taking part in the week-long competition. The winner will join the ICC’s 10 Full Members, hosts Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Ireland (who recently qualified from the East-Asia Pacific and European Regions respectively) at the 16-team U-19 World Cup to be played in Malaysia next February. Canada missed the 2006 event in Sri Lanka but participated in the 2002 and 2004 tournaments.

Familiar home conditions, an improving infrastructure and more international exposure helps Canada to start as firm favourites and coach Courtney Gonsalves is optimistic that his players are ready for the event. “All the players attended the elite programme we started last October in which we set up talent hunt and training camps throughout Canada,” he said. “Our goal is to qualify for next year’s U-19 World Cup and I am sure that the combination of this elite programme along with exposure in the premier division will help us achieve our target.”

However, Canada are likely to be tested by Bermuda who have been bolstered by the inclusion of allrounders Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly, who played in the recent full World Cup, while the youngsters' captain Rodney Trott narrowly missed the event. The trio will rejoin the senior Bermuda team for the match against Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup after completing the Toronto assignment.

Bermuda coach Arnold Manders believes his team’s hopes of earning a finals berth are better than ever. “I think our chances of winning are greater than previous years because we have played more matches as a team and the players are confident in their individual roles.”

Bermuda prepared for the tournament by playing eight domestic 50-overs-a-side competition matches between May and June besides participating in the Sir Garfield Sobers Cricket Tournament in Barbados which was also used as a training camp for the Americas U-19 Qualifier.

“We have worked tirelessly on the team concept, and the individual discipline of the players have really improved. Our team this year is mentally stronger [than previously] and combined with the intense training the players received from the coaches, this should result in a good team combination. The players have the knowledge and now they need to produce.”

For Argentina, it will be their first appearance in this event as an ICC Associate Member. They have previously struggled at the junior level but it would be dangerous to discount them, particularly after the senior team’s heroics in Darwin in June where they earned promotion to the World Cricket League Division 2 by qualifying for the final of the Division 3 tournament.

Middle-order batsman Pedro Bruno, left-arm seam bowler Santiago Irigoyen and allrounders Ignacio Redruello and Tomas Birnie were part of that successful campaign in Darwin, but instead of making big predictions, coach Hamish Barton has set his sights on winning at least once in Toronto. “Basically our main goal is to win one game. We feel this is a realistic goal for the Argentine team considering the team’s past performances and the stage of its development.”

Barton said the sport is still in the embryonic stage in Argentina and the team has prepared as best it can in the tough winter season. “The players are very much in the development stage and we are aiming to do the basics right and achieve our specific goals for each skill area, the experience and exposure to international cricket.

“The team has prepared as best it could as it is winter in Argentina at the moment and training has been extremely difficult at times. But the team has trained well and the development of the players over the last three months has been very pleasing.”

Caymans Islands have always been very competitive at youth level and nobody is expecting them to be far behind this time. Captain Ramon Sealy, along with top-order batsman Darren Cato and bowler Kervin Ebanks, have played in the Caymans Islands domestic Division 1 tournament for the last two years.

Sealy sees batting as his team’s strength. “I think the team has a good chance of winning because we have a strong batting line-up which is not only capable of setting high totals but chasing them as well.”

Bahamas are the only Affiliate Member in the group and are fielding a team for the first time. The senior team will participate in next year’s ICC World Cricket League Division 5 to be played in Jersey in May.

Bahamas captain Gregory Taylor hopes that the Americas U-19 Qualifier will help his country’s bid towards earning ICC’s Associate Membership. He said: “We hope to achieve recognition as an Affiliate power house and to show the ICC and the world that we are ready to become an Associate Member of the ICC. Two years ago we did not have a full U-19 team, but we worked hard under the guidance of coach John Welch to achieve this. Jonathan Barry, Jeremy Jesubatham, Rodrick Mitchel and I came up in the U-15 program from 2001 and have played a lot of cricket with the seniors.”

The United States of America, who took part in their first U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006 are missing this time as the USA Cricket Association is currently suspended as an ICC Member.

Argentina Juan Tomas Birnie (capt), Alejo Tissera, Augusto Mustafa, Facundo Duggan, Hernan Fennell, Horacio Esperon, Ignacio Fermani, Ignacio Redruello, Juan Pablo Bordacahar, Pablo Siracusa, Pedro Bruno, Ramiro Rodriguez Delgado, Santiago Iritxity Irigoyen, Santiago Paez Nicoletti.

Bahamas Gregory Taylor (capt), Adrian Dean, Ambry Moss, Anwar Sawyer, Corie Frazer, Franz Taylor, Fritz Stubbs, Jeremy Jesubatham, Jermaine Adderley, Jonathan Barry, LaSalle Thompson, Marc Taylor, Rodrick Mitchel, Rudolph Fox.

Bermuda Rodney Trott (capt), Christopher Douglas, Dennico Hollis, Greg Maybury, Hodsoll Kyle, Jordan De Silva, Khiry Furbert, Lamar Richardson, Malachi Jones, Marico Bassett, Stefan Kelly, Steven Bremar Jr, Tamauri Tucker, Terryne Fray.

Canada Abishek Krisnamoorthy (capt), Chris Monohar (vice-captain), Arsalan Qadir, Asif Manjra, Hasan Raza Zaidi, Jaskeerat Singh Kalon, Kevin James, Khushal Gangopadhyay, Majid Usman, Pratik Patel, Riayzkhan Pathan, Rustum Bhatti, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Usman Iqubal.

Cayman Islands Ramon Sealy (capt), Corey Cato, Dale Parker, Darado Thompson, Darren Cato, Earl Hart, Kervin Ebanks, Patrick McConvey, Robert Hewitt, Sacha DeAlwis, Shane Cato, Vincent Ebanks, Zachary McLaughlin.

Bermuda's confidence has been hit by the absence of their leading batsman, David Hemp © Getty Images

Their squad is severely depleted and inexperienced and they have just been humiliated in two warm-up one-dayers against Denmark. But according to Gus Logie, the Bermuda coach, his side are embarking on a new era with confidence.

Logie's men take on Netherlands in their Intercontinental Cup match on Monday with only four surviving players from their disastrous World Cup campaign in the Caribbean earlier this year: Irvine Romaine, Stephen Outerbridge, Dwayne Leverock, the crowds' favourite, and Lionel Cann.

"Some of the younger players have an opportunity to prove themselves and I am looking forward to seeing them progress more than anything else," Logie said. "It is always important to start on a winning note. We have to be realistic of the situation. We are looking forward to seeing some good individual performances and trust that it will be enough to benefit the whole team.

"To emulate any past achievements, we need a similar commitment level of the players and a good start in the competition."

Jekon Edness takes over the wicket-keeping duties from Dean Minors, and a number of youngsters such as Jacobi Robinson, Arthur Pitcher and Ryan Steede are also set to feature.

In stark contrast, the Netherlands are almost at full strength after the return of the captain Jeroen Smits, Bas Zuiderent, Edgar Schiferli and Adeel Raja. The quartet missed the trip to Aberdeen last week where they lost to Scotland by an innings and 59 runs.

"I know Bermuda is missing some good players and I feel sorry for them but when we step on the field, I want my team to be ruthless and play as hard as it can," Paul-Jan Bakker, Netherlands' coach, said. "No disrespect to Bermuda but if we produce a clinical performance and win comprehensively, it will do a world of good to our confidence for the next game against Ireland. It [the game against Ireland] will be a very important match for our progress in the competition because Ireland is certainly one of the top sides in the tournament.

"It is good for the balance of the team that the four players are back. It gives the team a fresher look and, most importantly, it gives us the firepower and aggression we missed in Aberdeen last week."

Denmark 114 for 5 (Klokker 43, Leverock 2-19) beat Bermuda 113 (Hansen 7-13) by five wickets

Bermuda's problems continued to grow as they started their European tour with a five-wicket loss to Denmark at Brondby's Svanholm Park.

Although Bermuda were missing several players because of business commitments while others in the World Cup squad had retired, a side ranked as one of the leading Associates should still have been too good for the Danes.

Bermuda won the toss and batted, but they had no answer to the medium pace of Thomas Hansen who was almost unplayable. The first four overs were maidens and the batsmen appeared unable to cope with the swinging ball.

As had been so apparent at the World Cup, few had the technique or the patience and Bermuda slid to 39 for 7, with Hansen returning remarkable figures of 7 for 13 from his ten overs. Lionel Cann engineered a recovery of sorts with 35, which included three sixes, but by then the innings was in tatters and they did well to post 113.

Denmark lost two early wickets but Freddie Klokker and Max Overgaard steered them to 79 for 2 with a third-wicket stand of 42. Although Dwayne Leverock removed Klokker for 43 and Overgaard followed soon after, the middle order held their nerve and fittingly it was Hansen who hit the winning runs.

James Whittaker

Bermuda's national coach Gus Logie has a threadbare squad of just 12 players at his disposal as Bermuda prepares to begin the post World Cup era against Denmark.

Practically everyone that travelled to Europe this week is guaranteed a game over the next few weeks with Bermuda's thin resources stretched to the limit. Just four of the World Cup squad - skipper Irving Romaine, new vice-captain Stephen Outerbridge, big hitter Lionel Cann and spinner Dwayne Leverock - boarded the plane on Monday night with a host of new faces being asked to fill the enormous void left by the likes of Janeiro Tucker, Clay Smith, OJ Pitcher and Kevin Hurdle.

The middle order - Bermuda's strength over the past few years - has been completely decimated. As well as Tucker, Smith and Pitcher there will be no David Hemp, no Dean Minors and no Kwame Tucker. A squad of up and coming youngsters and international novices will take their place.

Ironically most of the youngsters - the likes of Edness, Robinson and Arthur Pitcher - have played for Bermuda before. It is club veterans like Roderick Masters, Dwight Basden and James Celestine who will be making their international debuts on this tour.

Coach Logie admitted the team was in a rebuilding stage and said the tour would be a test of how quickly the new boys could adapt to the enormous jump in class from domestic cricket. "Any time you go out to play you play to win, but we also have to be realistic and realize that this is a rebuilding stage. We are looking at development of our younger players and exposure for certain players to a higher level of cricket. It's about understanding what it takes to play at that level."

The opening games against Denmark are not full one-day-internationals because the Danes did not qualify for the World Cup and ODI status. But Logie expects them, along with Holland and Ireland who Bermuda face later in the tour, to be among their biggest rivals for re-qualification at the ICC Trophy 2009 in Malaysia.

"We played them a few years ago and narrowly beat them, but they have grown in stature and the game has taken off a bit in Denmark. Many of their players have exposure to the English county cricket set up. They, Holland and Ireland are going to be three of our arch rivals in 2009 and we need to learn as much from this tour as we possibly can."

There will be new roles for some of the players on this tour with Lionel Cann, traditionally used as a late-order finisher, likely to be asked to become the mainstay of the batting line-up along with Romaine. "We don't have the same depth in the middle order anymore and the chances are Lionel will be asked to bat higher up and play a more integral role. Players like Lionel and the captain Irving Romaine will need to play a central role."

The return of seamer George O'Brien gives the bowling attack an injection of pace and aggression while Jacobi Robinson, Arthur Pitcher and Ryan Steede will play a supporting role. Dwayne Leverock will again be the centre-piece of Bermuda's bowling attack with his economical left-arm spin.

Logie said the new boys had shown commitment in practice. Now it was time to see what they could do on the big stage. "This is an opportunity to assess certain players and see how they gel as a team. We can practice as much as we want but you have to think that those things we did in training can be done in game situations."

Preparation for the tour has been far from ideal with Azeem Pticher, Kevin Hurdle and Maurice Lowe all pulling out for work and personal reasons and Greg Maybury being called-up to the Under-19 qualifiers. The search for available replacements saw Robinson and Basden called up. But further back-up was not available.

"We have a lot of players playing the game but for whatever reason not everybody is in line for selection for the national team."

He added that the passion for the game shown at Cup Match was not so evident when it came to the national team. "Players can want to train, want to play with passion at the local level. If that can be transferred to the national team they can reap just as good rewards."

One fillip for Logie will be the arrival of three stars from Bermuda's Under-19 team ahead of the game against Ireland. Seamers Stefan Kelly and Malachi Jones and spinner Rodney Trott will jet in from Canada after representing the U-19s in the World Cup qualifiers. "These are the guys we are looking at to carry the flag in the near future. We want to wish them all the best in Canada where we trust they will qualify for the World Cup."

Reproduced with permission of the Bermuda Sun

Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitch consultant, has slammed those who argue against importing soil to try to improve the poor quality of the pitches at the National Sports Centre.

Atkinson is of the opinion that the only way the surface can be raised to a standard to allow full ODIs to be played is for soil to be brought in from overseas, but that idea has been attacked by the United Bermuda Party and local farmers, who maintain the government would be recklessly endangering the environment if they allowed such a plan.

"If you want pitches that last longer than a day and are capable of hosting international games in the future, then importing high-quality soil is the only answer and all the controversy being stirred up at the moment seems like a bunch of political claptrap to me," Atkinson, who has been reviewing the square at the venue since 2004, told The Royal Gazette.

"The square at the Sports Centre is good enough for club cricket, but when you're talking about ODIs or longer games then I'm afraid it's a no-go."

Click here for the full story

Bermuda are set to announce a new squad in the next 10 days, as well as a new director of cricket, as they try to rebuild following their disastrous performance in the World Cup.

The team are set for a long tour in August, with games scheduled against Denmark, Ireland and Netherlands. However, since the World Cup their coach, Gus Logie, has made no secret of his disappointment at his senior players' apathy; several have failed to turn up to training sessions, raising questions about their commitment, and a greater concern of how to rebuild their team.

"I've said it before but the turn-out at training from many of the players who were involved in the World Cup has been pretty poor," Logie told The Royal Gazette. "They are obviously no longer under contract with the Board and are free to do as they choose, and a lot of them have said that they want to spend more time with their families.

"Even still their attendance overall has been a little bit disappointing, but on the plus side the attendance from many players who didn't make it into the World Cup squad has been very good and there are a core group of players showing up every week who have been working very hard and are knocking on the door for selection."

In addition to the squad announcement, Neil Speight - Bermuda's chief executive who is currently in London for the ICC's annual meeting - is expected to reveal at the end of this week who is to take up the position of director of cricket development.

A very rare high for Bermuda at the World Cup © Getty Images

A year or so ago, Bermudan cricket looked to be heading for great things. Despite the restrictions of a tiny population, the game, which has strong roots on the island, was thriving.

On the strength of the country qualifying for the 2007 World Cup, the government agreed to donate US$11 million to the Bermuda Cricket Board over five years. On top of that the BCB received more than US$250,000 from its participation in the Stanford 20-20, and then there were ICC grants totalling more than US$200,000 a year. Bermuda 's direct rivals, the other five Associates which qualified for the World Cup, only had ICC funding and local sponsorships to build on. It should have given them a huge advantage.

But the ink had hardly dried on the government's investment than things started to go wrong. The national side spluttered, wobbled and then fell apart, and by the end of 2006 there were too many stories regarding their lack of fitness and dubious approach to matches to ignore. They played three games in Mombasa in November and several independent eyewitnesses raised concerns about many aspects of their performances.

Gus Logie, the coach, who played 52 Tests for West Indies when they were at their peak, started to sound increasingly frustrated. In December, Richard Done, the ICC's High erformance Manager, also expressed his concerns over the players' fitness in public.

Despite all the financial advantages and the boost to the game's profile that came from the World Cup, there is every reason to argue that things now are worse than they were 12 months ago

Since then, things have continued to slide. Last week it emerged that almost no players had deemed it necessary for them to attend training sessions which resumed at the start of May. And a new two-day league introduced by the BCB has started amid chaos. Two sides have already pulled out, a third only fielded seven players and another match was scrapped because the pitch had not been prepared.

A fortnight ago an exasperated Done reported that the country could not stage any full ODIs because the square at the National Sports Centre was not fit to be considered for such matches. In the year since he first inspected, nothing had changed. At that time Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitch expert, said the pitches were "only suitable for growing carrots".

So despite all the financial advantages and the boost to the game's profile that came from the World Cup, there is every reason to argue that things now are worse than they were 12 months ago.

Time is against the board. In 2009, Bermuda has to re-qualify for its current status and also battle for a place at the 2011 World Cup, and there are some sides out there who are already snapping at their heels. Failure to secure both goals will quite possibly be the end of the dream for Bermuda, and it is hard to see any way back if they do slip.

Things can still be turned round. The board and selectors need to come down hard on those players who will not toe the line - and indiscipline, at club and national level, has been a constant issue - and if that means those who want to play are picked, and not necessarily the best players, so be it. A clear message has to be sent out that the players are expected to behave as conscientiously as those from other Associates.

The BCB has to invest time and money in getting pitches sorted, and establishing a workable club structure. It was apparent from some time ago that the two-day competition was unsustainable.

There is also encouragement to be had among the up-and-coming players. Participation in the Under-10 league has more than doubled since the World Cup. The Under-19s have impressed with their commitment and ability. James Whittaker of the Bermuda Sun said that anyone who had watched them play "has found it refreshing to see a team in Bermuda colours looking fit and sharp in the field".

What cannot be allowed is another year of stagnation and a strategy of hoping everything will come good. It won't. In a professional world, it's time for some professionalism.

Bermuda's Royal Gazette has reported that the indiscipline of the national team, which was of concern for some time before the World Cup, has grown worse in the two months.

In the four weeks since training restarted for the national side, only three players - Irving Romaine, Kevin Hurdle and Lionel Cann - have bothered to attend, with another, Dwayne Leverock, absent because he is recovering from a tonsillectomy. A further three players - Dean Minors Saleem Mukuddem and Clay Smith - have retired.

Click here for full story

As preparations for a World Cup go, this is one of the more unusual ones - entering an Under-16 boys' league. But that's what Bermuda women have done, as they aim to succeed in the qualifying tournament in Pakistan this November.

The Bermuda board has entered the side into a men's evening league alongside the national under-16 boys' league ahead of the qualifiers for the 2009 World Cup in Australia. There are two spots up for grabs among eight teams, including South Africa and Pakistan.

The move comes following a recommendation from Ann Browne-John, the former West Indies women coach, who suggested that the women needed to compete regularly.

The Bermuda coach, Allan Douglas, told The Bermuda Sun: "This is just what we have been looking for. Cricket for women is very new to Bermuda and so this will give us the opportunity to show the public that we are serious and play serious cricket." Douglas co-ordinates two practice sessions a week, as well as one gym visit.

One of the rising stars of Bermuda is 15-year-old Reuna Richardson. A spirited allrounder, she had this warning for the boys: "They'd better watch out because I think we can show them up. I think they will be surprised."

But she knows that qualification in Pakistan will not come easily. "I think about it a lot. I'm a bit nervous. I think it's going to be hard. We are going to have to do a lot of work between now and then to get better."

Bermuda could lose its ODI status if it can't get their main ground up to international standard. Richard Done, the ICC's head of development, has been on the island this week and says he's seen very little improvement since his last visit.

Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitch expert, described Bermuda's soil as "only suitable for growing carrots" © AFP

The main concern surrounds the quality of the soil which was last year described by Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitch expert, as "only suitable for growing carrots". His solution is to import better quality foreign soil, an idea supported by Bermuda's sports minister, Randy Horton, but roundly condemned by the acting Environment Minister, John Barritt who called it a "reckless" proposal.

"The United Bermuda Party disagrees in the strongest possible terms with Sports Minister Randy Horton's plan to change long-standing regulations against the
importation of soil," he said on Sunday. "Most Bermudians understand the dangers of introducing alien species to this country. The cedar blight that hit our shores in the late 1940s was caused by an imported scale insect that dramatically and speedily altered the look of the island, killing off forests of our national tree."

Tests conducted on soils from different parts of the island have shown that local clay is not good enough to produce wickets of international class. The problem isn't new, either: the issue was first raised during the Americas Championship in 2004 when teams complained of the quite chronic uneven bounce of the square. Barritt is insistent that whatever measure are taken must be in the interest not only of the sport, but the environment.

"Like everyone else, I would love to have the cricket pitch at the National
Sports Centre to be of the highest quality, but we do not think the
government needs to endanger the flora and fauna of Bermuda to do so," he
said. "The danger is too great, and our posture on this issue must be firm, with
absolutely no exceptions. In this age of mass transportation, we have to be
doubly vigilant to the threat from lethal species.

"The minister's out-of-the-blue proposal is reckless in its intent, and
quite frightening considering the potential consequences for the country."

We've long known of the poor state of Bermuda's pitches, and the situation doesn't appear to be improving.

There is light at the end of this soily tunnel, though: Randy Horton, the Bermuda's Sports Minister, is attempting to push through a proposal to allow all groundsmen in the country to import the type of soil "deemed by experts as necessary to prepare a first-class wicket," as reported in today's Royal Gazette:

The problem of perfecting a first-class wicket at the NSC has been with us for more than three years. We’re no closer to finding a solution than we were before qualifying for the World Cup.

Why the debate continues to drag on, and why it’s taking so long to find an answer that will please everyone, nobody seems able to explain. It really shouldn’t be that difficult, or even controversial.

But at this point, the last thing cricket needs is another drawn-out public feud over what’s best, when the future of the sport hinges crucially on our ability to host international matches.

Even if Horton gets his way, he’s suggested this summer might still be too soon to complete a new square and have it ready for incoming tours.

It seems only the national team’s appearance at the recent World Cup, when their lack of international experience was so cruelly exposed to millions of TV viewers around the globe, proved sufficient to ignite some kind of action on an issue that nobody appeared willing to tackle throughout the entire build-up to the tournament.

Since 2003, we’ve known what was required. We’ve had experts from overseas tell us exactly what was wrong with the current pitch and how the problem could be rectified.

The crux of the piece revolves around Bermuda's inability to host an international. And on that basis, it looks like they'll be waiting a little while longer too.

The fixtures for the first half of the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup have been released by the ICC.

The tournament undergoes a change of format once again, with the group stages scrapped and a round-robin system introduced. This will mean that the eight participants play seven matches after the two-year span of the competition.

The event kicks off on June 28 when Canada, who meet Ireland in the final of the 2006-07 tournament at Leicester between May 22 and 25, meet Netherlands in Toronto.

Scotland play back-to-back matches against Ireland and Netherlands at the start of August, while Bermuda will be in Europe to take on the same opponents at the end of the month.

The schedule shows that Bermuda are the busiest country in 2007 with four matches, all away from home. In addition to their European trip, they play Kenya in Nairobi at the start of November and from there go straight to the meet UAE.

Namibia, on the other hand, have only one game inked in, while Kenya have two.

Martin Williamson has written an article which highlights the pressures players for Associate countries face as they compete with the budgets of the Full Members.

In expanding the game, the ICC has, rightly, offered more matches to the Associates. On top of any ODIs they can persuade Full Member countries to give them, as well as tournaments they arrange among themselves, they participate in the Intercontinental Cup, the World Cricket League and the four-yearly ICC Trophy. But that expansion has not taken into account that the players remain amateur.

The flaw in the ICC's plan is that the increased demands have not been backed by additional funding. In the year ending April 30, 2007, Scotland were scheduled to play 46 days of cricket (including warm-ups for tournaments) as a national side; the numbers for the other Associates are similar - Bermuda 45, Canada 43, Ireland 42, Kenya 37, Netherlands 24. That does include time spent preparing, travelling and acclimatising.

The direct funding they receive for that from the ICC amounts to US$215,000, of which $125,000 is not actually handed over to the boards but is retained by the ICC and used to offset other costs, such as paying for coaches and hosting training camps. Compare that with the lowest-ranked Full Member, Zimbabwe, who will receive around US$10 million with no requirement to account for how it is spent. In the same period, they had 37 days cricket scheduled. That really puts into perspective Ireland's achievement in Jamaica.

The 2007 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was published this week, and in it Tony Munro takes a look at life beyond the Test world.

Four new countries – Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Tonga and Swaziland – are included in this year’s Cricket Round the World section. This takes the total of countries, regions and territories featured since the feature began in Wisden 1993 to 107.

	Going easy on the minnows? © Getty Images

Robert Craddock, writing in The Australian, thinks he knows why.

It is understood commentators have been told by Global Cricket Corp producers that it frowns on them denigrating the minnows. However, it is deemed acceptable for commentators to call an event a mismatch but not to say some of the nations do not deserve to be in the tournament.

Some commentators who agree with the directive and feel the minnows are a necessary part of global expansion are happy to abide by it. Others, who feel the tournament has been devalued by their presence, would rather speak their mind.

And Craddock concluded by saying that some of the players themselves are aware of the real picture.

The widespread feeling that the minnows are enjoying every moment of their matches against the big boys is wide of the mark. Several Dutch players privately conceded they feel embarrassed by their team's efforts.

Keep your eyes and ears open and see if what you are watching tallies with what you are being told.

Bermuda will be subject to arguably the most fiercely enforced Code of Conduct ever imposed on a national team over the next month, as reported by today's Royal Gazette:

A curfew of 11 p.m. the night before a game and midnight for all other days is set to be strictly enforced.

Any player who breaks the curfew will automatically be banned for two One-Day Internationals and receive a hefty fine of $1,000.

Any player who breaks the curfew for a second time will be sent home immediately.

Any player not found in the hotel room to which they have been assigned by the team manager will be fined $1,000.

Any player who misses a training session without the coach’s express permission will be fined $200, while a second missed session will result in a $500 fine and a one-match ban.

Late attendance at any training session will be punished by a $50 fine for each offence

On previous tours, the players were subjected to a Code of Conduct, but it is understood that any disciplinary issues were usually only dealt with after the team had returned to the Island.

On-the-spot fines of up to $1,000 are certainly unprecedented, but Board president Reggie Pearman insisted yesterday that they had both a duty and a right to insist on the highest standards of behaviour.

Ryan Steede, who was never considered for inclusion in Bermuda’s World Cup squad because of medical reports which indicated he was unfit to compete at that level, has insisted he never received a “fair” opportunity to prove himself fit for team selection.

But Gus Logie, the coach, said the decision was made in the best interests of the team and Bermuda’s World Cup cause. “We have medical reports that suggest that he is not 100% fit ... and we go by the medical reports. So we are well aware of his injury and we are just not going to take the risks. It’s as simple as that.”

Steede alleged on Monday he had never been assessed or tested to determine whether or not he was fit enough to be selected for the World Cup.

More in the Royal Gazette

Scotland have underlined their position at the top of the ICC Associate ODI rankings after good performances in the World Cricket League in Nairobi. Kenya, who beat Scotland in the final, are not included as they are part of the main rankings until 2009.

Scotland beta Netherlands, Canada and Ireland in the tournament, giving them a 69% win rate against other Associates, well clear of Netherlands in second place. Ireland ate third after a disappointing event, Canada are fourth and Bermuda fifth.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.

But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?

In last year's Wisden Almanack, Matthew Engel raised this very issue. "Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played by expatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing that cricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm comments by civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not one shred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs on the streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!"

Take Canada. Of the squad in Nairobi at the moment, only three were born in the country, and two of those are over 35. Of the rest, five come from the Caribbean, four from India and each from Pakistan and Uganda. Whereas other Associates have a smattering of expats, Canada are utterly reliant on them.

Engel's comment attracted fierce criticism from those who either argued that England had more than their share of "imports" or that the game only spread in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Caribbean through expats playing it in the first place.

The worry in some countries is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants

The worry in some countries - and again I come back to Canada - is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants. Canada's cricket heritage is rich but there is little sign that it has been built on. This is best underlined by the selection of former West Indies international Anderson Cummins. Forty years old and without a major match to his name since 1995-96, he made his debut in Mombasa last week. What message does that send out about the strength in depth of cricket in Canada?

It's not just Canada. Look at the USA, whose 2004 Champions Trophy side was a collection of ageing expats whose performances verged on the disgraceful. And the UAE, which is almost entirely dependant on its ex-pat workforce to keep the game alive.

Cricket's expansion should not be about filling teams with expats and expecting the locals to get excited about it. The only way cricket can gain a foothold in emerging countries is by actually getting the indigenous population to embrace the game, and two excellent examples where this is happening are Nepal and Uganda.

Anderson Cummins of Barbados, West Inbies ... and now Canada © Eddie Norfolk

Cricket is in trouble in its traditional homes in Africa - Zimbabwe are hell-bent on destruction and South Africa seems to be falling out of love with the game. So efforts should be made in Uganda . And in Asia, which everyone accepts is the game's stronghold, a side like Nepal should really be given the leg up. It's about targeting rather than a scattergun approach.

In fairness to the ICC, they have a tough time and a lot of countries scrambling for a share of the spoils. It's about weeding out the weak and really looking to grow the game in areas where it has the best chance of taking root. It's an almost impossible ask. Look at the repeated failure of American Football to crack Europe ... and if football itself still battles for acceptance outside expats and schools in the USA, then the size of the ICC's task becomes clear.

Of course expats have a key role to play in expansion. But if the game is basically played by them, is it the game spreading or is it more about diehards clinging to the traditions of their homelands? In the UK there are baseball and American football sides, but they are almost all expat Americans and so few would seriously claim the games have taken hold. However, basketball and ice hockey are widely played by locals, boosted by some imported players and expats, and, crucially, the national side can stand on its own two feet. That's the difference.

Time is running out for Bermuda’s under-fire players to prove to the national selectors that they are the men to take the side into the World Cup.

Back-to-back defeats in warm-up matches in Trinidad has added to deepening concerns following a poor tour of Africa at the end of last year, but Irving Romaine, their captain, remains upbeat … in public at least.

“It’s all up to us because we have the talent and can match our opponents talent-wise … it’s just that they are more disciplined than we are at the moment. But if we can get control of our discipline and play to our full ability then we should win because we do go into games definitely looking to win.”

Read the full interview in The Royal Gazette

Bermuda's very soggy tour of Trinidad finally got under way yesterday...but they crashed to a 47-run defeat to a local club side, W Connection Wanderers.

Batting first at the Gilbert Park Ground, Wanderers scored 243 for 9 in their 50 overs with Jason Samuel top-scoring with 68. Clifton Hall (43) and Kenroy Williams (41) - the former Barbados youth captain - also contributing useful knocks. Dwayne Leverock took 3 for 46.

Clay Smith, the opening batsman, made 37 for Bermuda - and David Hemp 35 - but their innings fell away in the middle order, losing their last three batsmen for ducks.

Martin Williamson looks at what message is being sent to the Associates by the ICC deciding to appoint Darrell Hair to officiate in their tournament ... and do the ICC even know where they stand.

So Darrell Hair has been appointed to stand in the triangular one-day series in Mombasa next week, the first time he will don the white coat since that gloomy Sunday afternoon at The Oval in August when his world turned on its head.

The announcement - which caught the ICC on the hop as it only intended to release the news on Sunday - caused, inevitably, a flurry of media comment. Some were surprised that Hair was still an umpire, so intense was the criticism of him between the Oval Test and the ICC's decision to bar him from standing in major matches which followed in November.

There are two sides to this. The first is that this is actually a really good move. Hair, for all his stubbornness, was, up to four months ago, one of the top officials in the game, a fact underlined by the ICC's own internal rankings which placed him second only to Simon Taufel. There is no doubt that in Kenya his presence will benefit sides who will for the first time play in a game with such a senior official.

Hair himself will receive a warm welcome. Mombasa Sports Club, which is the home ground of Samir Inamdar, Cricket Kenya's chairman, is a delightful venue and the people there go out of their way to make all visitors feel at home. A few overseas reporters may make their way to the coastal town, but by and large he should enjoy his trip.

But there have to be questions asked of senior ICC officials as to what has changed in the last two months? In November, Percy Sonn, the ICC's president who has a habit of speaking before necessarily thinking, said that the ICC executive board had "come to the conclusion that they've lost confidence in Mr Hair". While Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has always said he hoped to find a way to keep Hair in the game, he too admitted that the decision was right. Most of those close to the decision-making process left Dubai believing that Hair would not stand in any international match again.

As an umpire, Hair clearly is good enough. So why can he stand here and not in more important matches?
If Hair was not deemed fit by the ICC to umpire then - and the key here is that nobody questioned his decision-making ability - what has changed? The ICC have spent today vociferously stressing that the ban was for Full Member matches only. But surely, either he is fit or he is not.

Perhaps even they don't actually know what they agreed or the best way forward. When Sonn was asked at the November meeting to clarify details regarding Hair's future, he refused, and when pressed snapped at reporters: "You are free to leave if you want. We are not giving any more details." Perhaps Percy was not exactly on message, or perhaps he was as confused as the rest of us.

The Mombasa tournament involves three of the six leading Associates, all of whom will be playing in the World Cup. These are among the best of the rest, and the matches are accorded full ODI status by the ICC. In effect, there is a danger that people will interpret this as the ICC saying that they have no faith in Hair but that the Associates aren't really that important.

This is a unique situation. The ICC could argue with any other official - including Hair's two colleagues also standing in Mombasa - that they were not quite good enough to make the transition from this level to the Elite. But that's not an issue or an excuse here. As an umpire, Hair clearly is good enough. So why can he stand here and not in more important matches? As with every aspect of this sorry episode, the ICC has failed to be clear or transparent in its handling and once more we can expect more smokescreens and sidestepping.

And so, while the Associates ponder just how important they are to the ICC, Hair, who arrives in Mombasa on Monday, is left yet again to face the media on his own. It's something he has become used to in recent months.

Larry Gomes, the former West Indies batsman, has been helping Bermuda train for the forthcoming World Cricket League.

"Larry is there to help with the technical areas and give feedback on cricket specifics and let them know the demands of playing at the top level.

"He's Trinidadian, he knows the conditions, he knows what is required mentally to succeed. We also have Tony Gray, Bernard Julien and Raphick Jumadeen to work with the bowlers.

"It's a chance for all of them to make the most of this opportunity to learn from these guys.

"They have a wealth of experience to pass on. We will be getting information from everyone."

Middle-order batsman Lionel Cann said yesterday that it had been useful to work with Gomes, who he said had analysed all the batsmen and given them pointers on how to improve.

The Bermuda Sun has the full story.

Ryan Steede, the medium-pacer and Kwame Tucker, the wicketkeeper, are the two notable omissions of Bermuda's squad for the World Cricket League to be held in Kenya later this month.

Read the full story.

Bermuda are currently in Trinidad for a week’s training ahead of the World Cricket League, but they’ve been severely hampered by torrential rain over the last few days. Both their matches on Wednesday and Thursday were washed out, and today they’re off to the Frank Worrell Cricket Development Centre in Balmain, until Monday, for practice sessions.

They have back-to-back one-dayers against a Connection Wanderers side on Tuesday and Wednesday at Gilbert Park and Inshan Ali Park respectively. Bermuda return home from Trinidad on January 19.

Lionel Cann, the Bermuda allrounder, is writing for The Bermuda Sun. In his column he says: "Since [Bermuda] qualified for the World Cup in 2005, my life has changed. I became an instant celebrity, along with my teammates. Everybody in our whole circle wants to be a part of that success".

And in spite of widespread criticism of the team's fitness, Cann insists has has "to watch what I eat when I'm out because people will question what I'm eating".

As I train in Trinidad, there is a lot of excitement with World Cup places up for grabs, I can see the extra sacrifice that the players have made.

Things are going quite well for us. From my observation all the team is working very hard on their fitness and it appears the team is on a high with the World Cricket League ahead.
I feel like the team is trying to forget the negatives and focus on the positives.

I am very excited about the addition of the potential of the young players. They're striving forward and working hard to gain experience and improve their game as they are looking forward to 2009 and the next ICC Trophy.

Cann is with the Bermuda squad for a week's training in Trinidad.

Bermuda are in Trinidad to prepare for the World Cricket League which gets underway at the end of this month. Three club sides - Clico Preysal (who won all five of their matches on a tour to Bermuda last September), Wanderers Cricket Club and Clarke Road United have all been lined up.

“Trinidad really is a good fit for us,” Logie said of his homeland yesterday.

“It’s obviously where we are going to be playing our World Cup matches so it’s important we give the players as much time as possible to get used to the conditions there. And we’ve got everything we need in terms of practice facilities and support.

“Traditionally we’ve always done quite well after a training camp down there and with the World Cricket League tournament coming up at the end of January (in Nairobi, Kenya), we saw it as a perfect opportunity to get the guys away from everything again and prepare thoroughly.

“We always try and play some practice matches while we’re down there and we’re going to play three teams who we’ve come up against before, who’ve got some good players and who are steeped in the art of swing and spin.

“It’s just the sort of challenge we need ahead of Kenya.”

Read more at the Royal Gazette, and leave your thoughts on Bermuda's preparations below.

Dwayne Leverock, Bermuda’s supersized spinner, and Teresa Perozzi - the boxer who defended her world title twice while running a business and raising her son - are the Bermuda Sun's sports personalities of the year for 2006.

Both have faced public and media scrutiny away from the sports arena, but have proved their critics wrong where it counts - on the pitch and in the ring. Leverock's battle with his weight and Perozzi's ability to juggle work, family and intense periods of training have endeared them to the public.

Bermuda have delayed naming their squad for the World Cup, citing " a number of factors" leading to the board waiting until February 11, just before the ICC's deadline, to name the final 15.

The local media had been expecting the announcement, but instead they got a 19-man training squad, which will be reduced to 15 in January when Bermuda take part in the World Cricket League in Kenya.

The only thing that was confirmed was that Irving Romaine will captain the Bermuda team , replacing Clay Smith, who had been in charge since 2003 but whose tenure has been blighted by a string of injuries. "It's been an honour to captain my country and I cannot deny that it's something I enjoyed doing immensely," Smith said."But it's also an honour just to represent your country and from my perspective, I have always tried to put the interests of the team before my own. The selectors have made a decision which they feel is in the best interests of the team and I am happy to fulfill whatever role is required of me."

Bermuda have been under fire after some poor performances in 2006, and Gus Logie, the coach, did address one are of concern, the side's mental toughness. "One of the problems I have is we learn lessons and then we go back," he told the island's Royal Gazette. "That, for me, is most frustrating. Guys know 'if I have a late night then I might not perform as well as I want to'. Then why take the risk?

"That's where the professionalism comes in. Players understand more and more of what is required of them, but whether or not they are prepared to make that extra sacrifice comes down to the individuals. You must have the mind to win and the will to succeed."

Logie also stressed that nobody had been ruled in or out of consideration and that players could still "pick themselves" with their performances over the next few weeks. "Their own performances, their attitudes to what we are about and their own approaches, that's what is going to help them get into the squad. We are giving players help right now, getting people to talk to them about the psychological side of it and more individuals must take the opportunity to discuss things with people like that.

"There is a fear of failure, obviously, and I understand that in a small society like ours that people are always going to be in your face telling you different things and sometimes what people say to you affects you in different ways, negatively or positively. We need players to understand that they have to deal with that, that's part and parcel of the whole process of being a professional."

Clarence Parfitt, the former Bermuda batsman, has said his country needs to undergo a radical “shake-up” before next January’s World Cricket League in Kenya.

“I think half the team should go because they’re not strong enough mentally and physically to play cricket at this level consistently where you have to be mentally tough,” the legendary figure argued.

“There are a few boys in there that are pulling their weight, but I think the rest of them are just going through the motions. And it just doesn’t look good and they should be feeling embarrassed because if I was in that squad I would be.”

Read the full report at the Royal Gazette

Bermuda's recent performances have been the subject of some intense media criticism in the wake of a poor African tour where they were whitewashed by Kenya and also beaten by Netherlands and Canada. Now Richard Done, the ICC's High Performance Manager, has questioned the side's fitness levels.

"It's generally application of what they've already got," Done told the Royal Gazette in Bermuda. "There's some talented players there. But I think they don't always give themselves the best opportunity to get their minds right and their bodies right to perform on the field.

"Fitness is critical, not just at this level playing one-day internationals, but also playing the longer version of the game," he continued. "You just can't get by without it in the modern game. West Indies, through the 1980s and Australia through the 1990s and the early part of this decade have been outstanding, and I think without doubt they've been the fittest sides in world cricket, and the most athletic and most physical sides playing the game. Of course, they've had great skill levels as well."

Gus Logie, the former West Indian batsman and current coach of Bermuda, expressed concern over the margin of defeats; Canada and Holland won by nine and seven wickets recently. "In the field, we were the slowest team in the competition," he said. "A lot of excuses can be given. People talk about playing for their places in the World Cup, but if that's the way they're going to play for their places well, I'm sorry, their places will be up for grabs."

Logie was happy with the presence of David Hemp, the Glamorgan captain, who was recently recruited after he completed a 100-day residency period that allowed him to play for Bermuda. Hemp, 34, was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, but his family returned to Swansea soon after his birth. In a drawn four-day Intercontinental Cup against Holland in South Africa, he smashed an unbeaten 247 in Bermuda's total of 620, and broke the previous mark of 220 set by Kenya's Steve Tikolo.

"Having Hemp here has been a big plus," said Logie. "The players have been able to watch and appreciate how, as a professional, he prepares and his dedication to getting the best out of himself."

	David Hemp is bowled by Henry Osinde during another Bermudan defeat ... this time by Canada © ICC

A year ago, Bermuda cricket was on a high and expectations were high - possibly unrealistically so, but there was a general expectation that the country was about to be elevated from the middle of the also-runs of the ICC Associates to the brink of the top flight. And yet, despite a massive financial investment by the government, less than three months before the jamboree in the Caribbean kicks off, the side is in turmoil are facing possible humiliation.

The results in Africa confirmed what many suspected by few wanted to believe. Bermuda, for all the enthusiasm and passion, are simply not good enough to hold their own among the leading Associates, let alone scrap with the big boys. They lost all three ODIs in Kenya, and what is worse, locals expressed surprise at how poor and out of condition the Bermudans were.

The second leg of the trip in South Africa offered only marginal solace. The side at least won one ODI, albeit a dead rubber against Netherlands, and they also drew the Intercontinental Cup tie with the same opponents, but despite the appearance of the scorecard, they did not dominate a game played on a pitch which got easier and easier.

The inquest was underway long before the side returned home, but it is already too late to make changes in time for the World Cup. As far as that is concerned, the team will have to hope and pray. Or, as coach Gus Logie, admitted in a remarkably candid confession this week, they might have to be threatened to perform at their best.

What is needed, however, is remedial action immediately. The lack of fitness was one observation that kept being raised. If other non full-time Associates can produce players with reasonable levels of fitness, why can't Bermuda?

One of the reasons is that the selectors have chosen to go with old players rather than bring in young blood. That strategy sometimes works, but it has been clear for some time that it wasn't going to in this instance. By sticking with the same old faces, the selectors have helped to foster a feeling of complacency among the squad, who know that there are no youngsters snapping at their heels. Again, it's too late now, any newcomers have precious little time to find their feet, but a wholesale clearout is a must next April.

The comparisons with Kenya are interesting. Both sides are ageing, although Kenya are broke whereas Bermuda have cash. But Kenya have opted to build around a nucleus of old timers while drafting in youngsters to play alongside them and learn from them. It is worth noting that two of the successes of the series between the two countries were 19-year-old Tanmay Mishra and 22-year-old Hiren Varaiya. Both were thrown in at the deep end and both are swimming. Come the next ICC Trophy in 2009, these two will be among the core of a new-look Kenyan side and they will be able to draw on their World Cup experiences. Even if Bermuda start from scratch, they will be a year or more behind, and raw as well.

And Kenya, despite crippling debts, have played A team and age group cricket. That in the longer term will ensure that there is a flow of new talent pressing for recognition. Where is Bermuda's next crop of players going to come from? It's a gulf in class between club and international cricket.

The infighting has already started, and there have been reports in the last week that Logie wants to make radical changes now, while selectors have been quoted as saying they will stick with the tried and tested players. Such disharmony will rumble on until after the World Cup; the virtual open warfare will start as soon as the side gets knocked out.

And politicians being politicians, they will start to demand to know exactly how their $11 million has been spent once the weakness of the national side is highlighted on an international stage. They have a point. On the evidence of 2006, the cash has been squandered rather than invested in the future.

It's too late to salvage anything in time for the World Cup. But that doesn't mean that tough decisions should be delayed any longer.

Martin Williamson

Bermuda's assistant coach Herbie Bascome believes that unless the players become mentally tougher then success will continue to elude them.

In a wide-ranging, no-punches-pulled interview with the Royal Gazette, the veteran St. George’s paceman, who was appointed to assist head coach Gus Logie earlier this year, also called on the Bermuda public to show more patience, reminding them that their country was the smallest ever to qualify for a World Cup.

“You know, maybe the players weren’t in the right frame of mind to play cricket.

“I thought the Kenya tournament crept up on us a little early, we didn’t have too much time to try out the facilities. And those facilities where we trained in Kenya weren’t the best anyway.

“Bermuda’s game thrives on team spirit and that spirit wasn’t always there in Kenya. Once we break that spirit we run into one or two problems.

“Individually, I don’t think we gave a full commitment to achieve and accomplish what we’re here for.

Martin Williamson reviews the Kenya-Bermuda one-day series and looks at what the games mean for both sides

Although the three-match one-day series between Kenya and Bermuda hardly registered on world cricket's Richter scale, in the battle for supremacy among the game's second string it had greater significance. And with the World Cup less than four months away, it provided a much-needed fillip to the Kenyans but left Bermuda with many more questions than answers.

The 3-0 scoreline does not flatter Kenya who outbatted and outbowled Bermuda, and who certainly looked the far more professional and fitter side in the field

They came into the series under pressure to perform after some indifferent results. They also needed to start nailing down exactly who would be in their World Cup squad. By the time they wrapped up the series whitewash yesterday evening, the selectors should have had far more of an idea of who will be travelling to the Caribbean in March.

The form of the impressive young batsman Tanmay Mishra and the slow left-armer Hiren Varaiya were real highlights. There remain questions at the top of the order, but Malhar Patel did enough in his one outing to give him a real chance of securing the No. 3 slot with some solid performances in January's World Cricket League in Nairobi.

There is also a sneaking feeling that Kennedy Otieno, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman who chose to play club cricket in Australia rather than this, may have overplayed his hand. He wasn't missed as much as perhaps he thought he might have been and he is now far from certain to be recalled.

It also seems that those who have chosen to live overseas - such as Hitesh Modi - or play hard to get - such as Ravi Shah - are also out of the reckoning. While both will be missed, the selectors are running out of time to experiment and pander to personal whims and they are to be applauded if they stick with what they have from here on in.

And what about Bermuda? Well, while Kenya scrape by on scraps, they have a massive $11 million investment to underpin their development. However, as lottery winners often discover, money does not buy happiness. The last few months have been dogged by rifts between players and the board, as well as discipline issues, and on the evidence of this series, not only have they not progressed, they might have even taken a step backwards.

The greatest worry for Gus Logie, their coach, is the lack of fitness. Bermuda are not the youngest side, but not are they are approaching the kind of geriatric feel that blighted the USA's participation in the 2004 Champions Trophy either. But several of their side are carrying excess baggage and, in the unforgiving world of one-day cricket, that matters. They also lacked the mental steel which is needed at the highest level.

Time for both sides is running out. But while the Kenyans appear to be getting their house in some kind of order just in time, Bermuda are struggling. They now travel to South Africa where they will face the Netherlands, one of the stronger Associates, and Canada, possibly the weakest side taking part in the World Cup. Unless they show a marked improvement on their Mombasa performances, more gloom awaits them.

The Royal Gazette carries a report about the troubles the Bermuda players have had in Kenya which include a man being gunned down outside their hotel in Nairobi, an umpire vomiting on the pitch in Mombasa and some cautionary tales about driving in the country’s second city.

Driving in this coastal city means risking your life everytime you get behind the wheel. Buses, taxis and private cars all weave from one side of the road to the other at breakneck speed, attempting to avoid gaping holes in the tarmac, made worse by the recent rain. Courtesy on the road? Forget it. At night, everybody drives with their headlights on full beam, regardless of oncoming traffic, and those unfortunate to break down aren’t likely to get much sympathy. Stranded vehicles on the roadside are regularly stripped of their wing mirrors and hub caps.

Bermuda will be back in Nairobi for the World Cricket League in January, as will one of our young staff members who suddenly feels less thrilled about the trip than he did before reading the article!

After months of bitter wrangling, contract negotiations between the national team and the Bermuda Cricket Board have concluded in a long-awaited agreement on the eve of the team’s departure for a tour of Kenya and South Africa.

The BCB released a statement suggesting an agreement had been reached which was "satisfactory" to both sides – though when pressed the board was unwilling to divulge specifically how much they had agreed to pay the players with a little over five months to go before the World Cup.

Click here for the full story in the Royal Gazette

Less than a week before the national team depart for their tour of Africa, the Bermuda Cricket Board is still refusing to comment on the ongoing contractual wrangling which has cast a large shadow over the team’s preparations.

It is also still not clear if the BCB’s investigation into “discrepancies” in the salary compensation claim made by allrounder Lionel Cann is likely to reach a conclusion before the squad fly to Kenya next Tuesday. Cann, still recovering from surgery, wasn’t expected to make the trip to Kenya but had been pencilled into join the squad for later matches in South Africa.

Click here to read more in the Royal Gazette

Former Bermuda captain Charlie Marshall wants to be reinstated to the national cricket programme and is willing to settle his differences with Bermuda Cricket Board.

Marshall, who topped the Premier Division in run scoring last season, met with national cricket coach Gus Logie and informed the former West Indies vice-captain of his willingness to rejoin the national programme.

Click here for more from the Rayal Gazette

Bermuda is on stand-by as a possible World Cup host nation if any one of the seven venues which have been allocated matches fail to sign onto the Sunset Legislation by November 1.

Chris Dehring, chief executive officer and managing director of the tournament, said countries that failed to approve the legislation - which also covers the sale and distribution of tickets and the broadcast of tournament play - would risk losing their matches to stand-by islands such as Bermuda.

Hasan Durham’s World Cup dream is still alive after it was revealed that in-depth tests of his bowling action passed his action as being within the ICC regulations.

Durham, a veteran left arm spinner who is seen as a key element in Bermuda’s spin attack along with Dwayne Leverock and Delyone Borden, was reported to the ICC in August after Bermuda’s opening Americas Championship game against Canada in Toronto, when umpires Ian Gould from England and Bermuda’s Roger Dill had suspicions that all was not right.

As a result, Durham flew to fly to the UK last month, where ICC-sanctioned bio-mechanics experts filmed his action from a variety of angles to determine whether he straightened his arm beyond the 15 degrees of flex allowed under the law.

A statement released by the BCB said the testing had shown Durham’s action to be “within the ICC level of tolerance”, allowing him to “resume bowling in international cricket immediately”.

Click here for the full story

Bermuda’s government could be forced to intervene to help resolve the nearly month-long contract dispute involving Bermuda Cricket Board and national team cricketers, according to The Royal Gazette.

Hours after the players rejected the Board's latest contract proposal, Sports Minister Dale Butler said his ministry was now prepared to put its foot down and resolve the ongoing dispute which threatens to put a damper on the Island's 2007 World Cup plans.

"I am extremely disappointed to learn about this impasse and our ministry stands ready to resolve the issue. There is a great deal at stake and we want our players to do well," Butler said.

Click here for the full story

Controversial pace bowler George O'Brien has been axed from Bermuda's cricket squad because of "poor effort". Although O'Brien is one of the most naturally gifted bowlers on the island, he was given the chop by the BCB because of concerns about his attitude and commitment.

National coach Gus Logie described the situation as 'unfortunate' but he said there was only so much leeway that could be given to any player - regardless of talent.

Click here for more from the Bermuda Sun.

The much-maligned square at the National Sports Centre in Bermuda hosted its first game yesterday since the country qualified for the World Cup. The once crumbling pitch has been given a new lease of life after using PVA glue – a technique in common use by groundsmen in England.

Madeiros proved reluctant to go on the record yesterday, but he did confirm that the PVA formula had been employed and that they would look to continue using it if it proved effective.

National coach Gus Logie was certainly impressed with what he saw, and has requested that tomorrow’s second match be played on the turf rather than the artificial wicket as planned. The Bermuda Cricket Board have been adamant for some time that the Island needs a facility to host ODI cricket if it is make the most of the unprecedented levels of investment.

And while there appears to have been some progress on the pitch, the North Field still lacks the surrounding infrastructure required for ODI accreditation, which the Trustees have previously stated will only become available once the long-awaited Centre Core is built.

Full story at the Royal Gazette

Two Somerset cricketers have been suspended after incidents in their club’s match against Bailey's Bay at Sea Breeze Oval.

Reid Jones was originally alleged to have physically assaulted umpire Richard (Red) Burrows after the ill-tempered match, while David Gibbs was alleged to have knocked down the stumps with his bat after being dismissed.

Click here for more.

Bermuda won the World Cricket League Americas Division 1 Championship for the first time. Canada has two previous wins and the USA won once. Bermuda took the title thank's to Canada's ten-wicket win over the USA last Saturday. The Cayman Islands beat Argentina on Saturday and this ensured they qualify for the Global Division 3 section of the World Cricket League in 2007.

Bermuda and Canada had already qualified for the Global World Cricket League (WCL) Division 1 as a result of their rankings in the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland. WCL Division 1 is in Kenya in January 2007. The USA will be in WCL Global Division 3.

Bermuda ended the Americas championship with three wins and one no-result for a total of 14 points. USA were second (two wins, one loss, one no result for 10 points). Canada came third edging out Cayman Islands on net run-rate (difference betwen rate of a team scoring runs when batting, and conceding runs when bowling). Both teams had two wins and two losses. Argentina came last with five losses.

The player of the tournament was US captain Steve Massiah, who also won the batting award for his 283 runs in 4 matches. Ronald Ebanks (Cayman) took the bowling award for 10 wickets. Bermuda took the fielding prizes with Stephen Outerbridge (fielder) and Kwame Tucker (wicketkeeper) getting the honours. Regular Bermuda wicketkeeper Dean Minors had to return home due to an illness in the family.

	© AP

“The tournament is actually being played in one of Broward County’s big public parks and whether we will be able to play at all this week depends to a large extent on not just the weather but also if the parks are re-opened after the storm has passed.

“We’re talking to the tournament organisers and also to the Bermuda Cricket Board all the time and we’re trying to see whether it might be possible to extend our stay for a few days to play the matches once the storm has passed. But it is all up in the air at the moment.

“It’s a little bit frustrating obviously because the boys were all looking forward to playing cricket having been preparing for this tournament for the last few months – but now we just have to sit in the hotel and wait to see what happens.

“Some of the boys are out in the pool while the weather’s still alright, some of them are up in the rooms just taking it easy.

“It’s just a matter of staying patient and relaxed because what happens from here on in is in the hands of mother nature – and you do not mess with mother nature!”

According to the Bermuda Weather Service, meanwhile, at Press time last night Ernesto was a few hundred kilometres off the coast of Cuba and was scheduled to reach southern Florida at 9 a.m. local time.

The prospect of Ernesto being upgraded to a hurricane could not be ruled out.
And the likelihood of cricket taking place in the Fort Lauderdale area at all this week looks bleak according to forecasters, with squalls and heavy showers expected to continue even after the main brunt of the storm has passed.

The United States cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Argentina on the third day of the Americas Championship at Maple Leaf CC in Toronto, Canada, and in doing so set up a potential championship decider with Bermuda on Friday.

Sent in to bat, Argentina started disastrously, losing their first two wickets in the very first over to paceman Imran Awan. It was a continued uphill struggle from then for the Argentine batsmen against a sharp USA attack, and it was only thanks to a gritty 6th wicket partnership of 59 between Donny Forrester and Alejandro Ferguson that steered Argentina towards respectability.

Forrester eventually ended with 43, from 75 balls, with five fours, while Ferguson scored a well-deserved half-century, making 57 from 83 balls with five fours and a six. Argentina's innings closed on 182 in the 49th over.

For the USA pacemen Iwan, with 3 for 51, and Khawaja Shuja, with 2 for 22, did the initial damage, while spinner Lennox Cush bowled well to end with 2 for 30.

Although a respectable target set by Argentina, it was never going to be enough against a powerful USA top-order, despite a spirited opening burst from the Argentine seamers.
With the USA at 64 for 3, and first-day centurion Sushil Nadkarni back in the pavilion, there was a sniff of another giant-killing act in the tournament.

But captain Steve Massiah and Lennox Cush had other ideas, and their 120 run undefeated 4th wicket partnership saw the USA home with 22 overs to spare. Massiah continued his fine form with the bat, scoring an undefeated 54 off 59 balls, with 7 fours, while Cush, later named man of the match, scored a blistering 73 not out off only 42 balls, with 8 fours and 5 sixes.

Seamers Gary Savage, 1 for 37 in 8 overs, and Steven Nino, 1 for 34 in 8 overs, bowled well to test the USA top order, but Argentina ultimately did not score anywhere near enough in their innings.

The USA now face unbeaten Bermuda on Friday in a key clash. A Bermudan victory will clinch the title for them for the first time in their history, while a USA victory will keep the championship chase alive into the final day on Saturday.

	Bermuda's Lionel Cann slams one of his five sixes during his undefeated 139 © Eddie Norfolk

Canada were bowled out for 187 runs. The main feature of the innings was a stand of 93 for the ninth wicket between George Codrington and Steve Welsh.

Canada reached 25 before Sundeep Jyoti was out. Wickets then tumbled and half the side was out before 50 runs were on the board.

One of the Cayman Islands camp had been overheard during the morning session saying he hoped Canada would be restricted to 120 runs or less. However, Steve Gordon and Perason Best lead the way to victory.

Canada’s coach Andy Pick said that " the selectors had stressed at the start of the week that winning the Americas tournament was a secondary consideration and that they wanted to look at certain players."

There were plenty of runs in the other Americas match played at Maple Leaf CC on Tuesday. Bermuda beat Argentina by 109 runs. Bermuda scored 371 runs for the loss of three wickets. The major feature was an unbroken stand of 202 runs for the fourth wicket between Kwame Tucker, who scored 100 not out, and Lionel Cann, who scored 139 nor out. Cann has showed his hitting power in matches against Canada this season, but really flowered in the final over against Argentina. He hit five sixes and a two, making 32 runs off that over.

Janeiro Tucker made 79 in a stand of 128 runs for the second wicket with Kwame Tucker. Kwame Tucker hit 10x4 and 1x6. Cann scored his runs off 88 balls.

Argentina had a spirited reply of 262 runs for 5 in their 50 overs. Opening batsman Lucas Pateruni was their top scorer with 70.

Eddie Norfolk

Bermuda's batsmen can expect a touch examination of their technique in the first game of their tour of Canada, in tomorrow's ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Toronto.

After observing the pitch for himself, Bermuda skipper Irving Romaine said he believed the pitch would be fast.

“The groundsman (Lewis) said it would be very fast and I think Canada’s plan will be to attack us with pace,” Romaine said.

Tomorrow will mark the Island’s first-time involvement in an international four-day match. And in order to reap success, Romaine said his team-mates would have to quickly adjust to meet the challenges.

“Basically this is a new step for everybody and so we will really have to occupy the wicket and not make any rash shots or anything like that,” Romaine said.

“This is going to be a change of mindset for everybody because before our preparations were geared towards the 20/20 (Stanford 20/20 Tournament) which is the shortest form of the game. Yet now we are here preparing ourselves for the longest version of the game.

“We have gone through two extremes in a matter of weeks, and so we will really have to be tough mentally and dig in.”

More at the Royal Gazette

After unprecedented scenes during last year’s Somerset-St George’s Cup match, the Bermuda Cricket Board has brought in two top English umpires to officiate in this year’s game. Retired Test umpires David Shepherd and Mervyn Kitchen will take charge of a two-day game which in among the most fiercely competitive in the world.

Randy Butler, the secretary of the local umpires’ association, was less than thrilled at his men missing out, and he had a warning for both teams:

“I just hope they realise the seriousness of abiding by the ICC’s code of conduct because these guys are very experienced and will not tolerate any of the nonsense that we saw in Cup Match last year or fans running onto the pitch.”

The company behind the Bermuda Classic, the veterans Twenty20 tournament held in April, has gone broke after it appeared that government decided not to increase the funding to the Get Fit Foundation (GFF).

The Bermuda government gave more than $1 million last year to help underwrite the event, but it was last week reported that GFF were looking for an additional $3 million this year after reporting losses of around $700,000.

Click here for the full story.

Bermuda's St.George’s Cricket Club was rocked by the tragic death of Travis Smith, the off-spinner, aged just 26. Smith was killed in a collision with a grey Ingis Suzuki at the entrance of Terceira’s gas station on North Shore Road, Devonshire on Thursday night and later pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

“Travis will not only be a loss to St.George’s, but also a loss to the entire cricket fraternity,” stated Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president Reggie Pearman.

“I think his passing is tragic especially since he recently expressed a desire to try out for the national team where I am certain he would have been an asset

“Obviously we all know what Travis was capable of with the ball as he proved to be a real nuisance to us (Somerset) in Cup Match (2002) up in Somerset a few years ago.

“He will certainly be missed and on behalf of myself and Bermuda Cricket Board we send our condolences and prayers out to the family.”
St.George’s Cricket Club coach George Cannonier added: “It is really sad to hear this about Travis because I always thought we would see more of him in the cricket arena.

“He was a very talented young man and I have known him all of his life and played football with his father (Sub) and my condolences go out o the family.

“I think Sub was Travis’ number one fan and he really stood behind his son in a sporting light. I really feel sad for Sub and his family at this particular time.

“In the time that I coached Travis he never disrespected me and he was always an easy individual to get along with and coach. He always showed enthusiasm and showed up for training and that’s why I had so much faith in him that he would bounce back into Cup Match or even with the national team.

More at The Royal Gazette.

St.George’s teenage opening batsman Oronde Bascome has become the fourth Bermudian cricketer in three years to benefit from a Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) education initiative.

Bascome has been accepted at the prestigious Cardiff/Glamorgan Centre of Cricketing Excellence based at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC).

The Saltus Grammar School student will join fellow Bermudians Jekon Edness and Stephen Outerbridge at the academy next September.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be afforded this opportunity. And I intend to take full advantage of the educational and cricketing options now available to me,” Bascome told reporters during a press conference held at BCB headquarters yesterday.

More info at Bermuda's Royal Gazette

Bermuda have named a 15-man squad for their short tour of England and Guernsey.

The Royal Gazette highlights the progress being made in Guernsey where over 3,000 children involved in their youth development schemes in one of the fastest-growing cricket programmes in the world

Roger Dill provides an inspiring story of how you can go from novice to world-class in less than a decade. This week, Dill will become the first member of the ICC's Associate and Affiliate umpires' panel to stand in a one-day international during the opening match of the tri-series between Zimbabwe, Bermuda and Canada which is being held in Trinidad.

"I started in 1997 when I went to watch a friend playing and they were short of an umpire. I was told afterwards I didn't do too badly so I went to a few meetings to learn more, I found it fun and interesting and it went from there."

Rod Gilmour looks back at the inugural Bermuda World Classic 20-20, which was, he says, a great success.

As Ian Healy told him:

"The camaraderie between the players has been unbelievable all week - a chance to catch up with everyone. The tournament was a success before it even started I think. There has been so much effort on the players to be here and it is probably something we should be doing more of - I think that is the reason why we are all here really."

Click here for a report on the final in which South Africa thumped the hosts.

Bermuda sent a sizable crowd into raptures with a five-run win over England that sent the hosts into the final of the 20-20 World Cricket Classic after they had seemed to be on course for defeat.

And West Indies did all they could to throw away a place in the final after seemingly choking within sight of victory, but in the end they stumbled over the finishing line.

Click here for Cricinfo reports.

Lord MacLaurin, the former chairman of the England cricket board, has told the Royal Gazette that the facilities at the national Sports Centre are as good as those found on any county ground.

Scorecards and reports from the initial games of the 20-20 World Cricket Classic tournament in Bermuda can be found at the Royal Gazette.

• Bill Athey and David Capel saw England home against India
• Bermuda were too strong for the West Indies
  

Bermuda's women cricketers had their first practice session of the season this week with the hope of eventually forming a national squad.

Bermuda Cricket Board chief executive Neil Speight said: "The board is now in charge of ladies cricket. One of the areas we are looking to get kick-started is having a national squad."

The board hopes to encourage a schools programme having noted the growing interest in women's cricket all over the world.

However women's cricket in Bermuda has had a chequered history.
A women's inter-service league launched in 2004 consisting of teams from Prisons, Police, Post Office and Customs petered out after the latter two pulled out said Paynter, a 36-year-old Police constable.

"We wanted the services to come together as the women didn't do much," she said.

Next they tried to get something at club level.

"We got a response from one or two teams but there wasn't enough to sustain a league."

But she will not be put off as the game is in her blood and her love of cricket has taken her as far as Australia last year to watch a West Indies Test match.

The 20-20 World Cricket Classic gets underway tomorrow in Bermuda. The tournament comprises "classic" teams, made up of former Test and one-day players from the major cricketing nations: West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand, India, England, Australia and Bermuda (see the full list of players here).

Eight leading cricket nations will pitch battle for the world's first ever 20-20 World Cricket Classic title in Bermuda during April, 2006. Over 100 of the greatest international cricketing legends will represent South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka, India, England and the host team, Bermuda.

The island paradise of Bermuda, with its sub-tropical climate, stunning scenery and world renowned pink beaches, offers a stunning backdrop to the inaugural 20-20 World Cricket Classic. Just a stone's throw from the Caribbean and West Indies and a favourite destination from the UK, Europe, USA and Canada, the Classic will undoubtedly prove to be an attractive location to combine cricket camaraderie with tourist indulgence.

More information on the event, and how to obtain tickets, can be found at their website.

The quality of the soil used in Bermuda's pitches is being tested to ensure it meets the standards of international cricket:

In November West Indies cricket legend Lance Gibbs stated that in order for Bermuda’s cricket to advance the Island needed to improve the quality of its soil. His comments echoed International Cricket Council high performance development manager Richard Done, who visited the Island earlier in 2005.

[...]

On Monday, Director of Youth Sport and Recreation, Anthony Roberts, said soil samples were currently being assessed overseas.
“None of the soil samples have proved to have acceptable properties for ICC wicket standards,” he said. “We are in discussions with the ICC. We are experimenting with the samples mixing substances with them to see if it could strengthen the soil.”

He said that a similar procedure had been done for England. However,
Mr Roberts said that questions still remained.

Bermuda's Premier, Alex Scott, has pledged $11m to Bermuda's cricket team over the next five years:

The package of spending also includes cash for youth development, ground and infrastructure improvements and support for the national team beyond the World Cup.

[...]

Plans for a major youth development schedule will now be possible. The BCB will be able to increase the professionalism of the national set up, with the addition of physiotherapists and nutritionists.

The Government sponsorship also makes Bermuda's bid to host a mini-world cup featuring the six second-tier cricketing nations a much more realistic proposition.

Bermuda's dreadful tour of the United Arab Emirates continued yesterday with their fourth defeat in as many games. Their nine-wicket defeat at Sharjah was their heaviest yet. The Royal Gazette has a full report.

It's often said that money cannot buy happiness, and that seems to be the case in Bermuda, where the millions of dollars that have poured in since they qualified for the World Cup have produced more than their fair share of stories of unease in the camp.

The latest one broadcast on local TV is that the players are about to strike over contracts and fees ... and all before they have even gone semi professional! Clay Smith, the captain, was quick to speak out:

We have a players' committee which is responsible for relaying any concerns the players have to the board. They have met with the board at least twice in the last month and there are absolutely no problems whatsoever.

And that follows on from a report that Dale Butler, the sports minister, has been asked to investigate unconstitutional goings on at the board's AGM.

Bermuda are hosting an international Twenty20 competition this April, consisting of teams from Australia, New Zealand, India, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, England and South Africa:

More than 70 former Test and first-class cricketers, including Australian batsman Greg Blewett and West Indian fast bowler Kenny Benjamin, have so far signed playing contracts with English charity the Get Fit Foundation – the international body behind the new venture.

The Royal Gazette has a "year in review" of Bermudan cricket

Stefan Kelly © ICC

Bermuda are hoping Stefan Kelly, a 17-year-old fast bowler, will become a much-needed strike-bowler for them in the coming years - possibly even as soon as the World Cup:

Stefan Kelly is now into his third year of a sports scholarship at Oakham School in the English Midlands and has spent the last two weeks furthering his cricketing education on a school tour in South Africa.

The 17-year old has spent much of the winter in the indoor nets developing his technique and stands a strong chance of being selected for Leicestershire’s Under 19 squad in the summer.

[...]

But as with every other Bermudian cricketer in or on the fringes of the national team, the World Cup has never been far from Kelly’s mind...

"Having spoken quite a lot to (Bermuda Cricket Board chief executive) Neil Speight though, I know that I am part of their overall thinking and it is up to me to go on and prove that I am worthy of a place."

David Hemp, Bermuda's high-profile recruit, reflects on the state of the game as he completes his 100-day residential qualification ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

I have been very impressed with what I have seen since I’ve been here, the basics are all in place and the plans are ambitious so it is a case of moving forward together. We need everyone moving together, that’s the players, the administrators, the coaches, the schools, the Government and the public in general. If we don’t have that, then we might as well give the $11 million back because it is going to get wasted.

Bermuda's captain Clay Smith is likely to be out of action until at least April, as he travels overseas to seek advice on his injured knee.

You know that you've hit the big time when you start selling replica shirts, as is the case in Bermuda.

Replica shirt sales have never been truly big business in Bermuda in terms of national strips, with the majority of owners of such merchandise – in both football and cricket – those who have represented their country at one level or another. The trend first began when Premier Alex Scott started wearing both replica shirts and caps at various cricket-related Press conferences and ceremonies.

One can think of other national leaders who boards would pay not to wear their replica shirts for fear of causing a nationwide slump in sales ...

George O'Brien is led from the field © Royal Gazette

The two players involved have been fined and put on probation, but the real loser is St George's captain, Herbie Bascome, who was fired as the country's Under-19 coach.

The BCB has hardly helped the situation by taking an age to investigate and produce its finding, but at least the matter now appears to be at an end.

It's all fun and games in Bermuda where top groundsman Andy Atkinson last year described the island's new pitch as "more suitable for growing carrots". Now a row is brewing because of plans to import 100 truckloads of soil to try to tackle the problem ... but it seems that is in contravention of strict rules banning anyone bringing soil in from abroad. As one campaigner said:

[There are] rumours that the importation would go ahead because “some guy” who was good at spinning a cricket ball was suddenly an expert on soil and cricket pitches.