BERMUDA cricket fans need a heavy dose of national pride after the dismal turnout to cheer on the national team against Namibia in a four-day Intercontinental match last week.

Arnold Manders, the Cricket Development Director, said he was angry at the low turnout of fans ¿ especially after so many had been constantly barraging the media for years complaining that they could never see the national team play on home soil.

But after four years of always playing outside the island, Bermuda returned to play Scotland and Namibia this summer ¿ both four day matches. And only a smattering of fans turned up to both games staged at the National Sports Centre.

Manders, a former Bermuda captain and Cup Match star, said of the turnout ¿ or lack ¿ of supporters: "It's pathetic. We are all disappointed but what can you do? We just have to keep soldiering on. The public make a whole lot of fuss about not being able to see Bermuda play but when they do get the chance to come out they don't. It is really sad."

Before the Scotland match this summer, the last time Bermuda's national team played at home was back in 2004.

Manders said: "For years I have always seen in the press about Bermuda not playing at home. Bermuda has now played at home twice and we have not had the response we thought we would have had ¿ we thought we would have seen passionate spectators.

"I don't know what the answer is. I guess everybody is full of hot air. I really got tired of reading in the paper about people complaining that we were not playing at home and then when we finally did start playing at home the Bermuda public doesn't even back our guys. Scotland and Namibia probably had as many fans up there as we did!"

And Manders felt for the Bermuda players who were expecting a big boost from home fans.

"It is so important for people to come out and support their national team ¿ it makes guys dig deeper. Where is our national pride ¿ it is sorely lacking."

That national pride is only seen on rare occasions said Manders.

"We have seen it once (recently) where the people came out when our football team played Trinidad. But normally our national pride is not there for our Bermudian players.

"When Bermuda (football) play teams like the New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids (both from the MLS) or even when the Bermuda Hogges play, you don't get many people coming out to support them. And it is not from a lack of trying to get the people to come out.

"I thought cricket would have been a different commodity but we still are not getting the support we need.

"We have had two matches at home and no one showed up. If we had 200 spectators for the two matches we would have been lucky. We had enough food down there to feed the whole ground.

"Those that did come enjoyed it ¿ it was a very nice atmosphere."

But Manders vowed that Bermuda's various national programmes would keep marching on ¿ support or no support.

Half a dozen players will travel to Australia for a winter training camp at the Sports Gateway Academy in Brisbane while a Bermuda A team will go to Argentina this December.

Manders said: "It will be a mix of a few older players and some from the Under 19 and Under 23 squads. They will play four one day matches and four 20/20 matches."

And Manders said that Bermuda will have to really concentrate for the upcoming Under 19 World Cup and the senior World Cup.

"Both will be harder to qualify for this time around," he said.

In the Under 19 World Cup qualifiers, Bermuda will have to go through two qualifying tournaments ¿ not one. The team will have to finish in the top two of the Americas region and then compete with the other Associate members to gain entry.

"We will be planning our strategy for that soon," he said adding that since the United States has rejoined the fold, it will make the task a bit tougher.

"But as long as we can get our training programme together and the players are committed I think we should be able to qualify for both World Cups ¿ but it is not going to be easy," he added.