For more than six hours yesterday Reggie Pearman sat restlessly in a news vacuum.

En route back to Bermuda from supporting the Island?s cricketers in their first few ICC Trophy matches, the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president had no idea of his team?s fortunes in their vital clash versus the USA.

Last word as he boarded his flight in London was that skipper Janeiro Tucker had ?gone mad? with the bat and that the Island had crossed the 300-run threshold ? that was enough for his heart to skip a happy beat.

The real goose pimples came at 6 p.m. when, having touched down on home soil, he hurriedly dialled Neil Speight and the BCB chief executive ? heading out on the same plane on which Pearman returned ? answered a single question: ?We?re going to the World Cup!?

?It?s something we have prayed for and played for and here we are now,? declared a jubilant Pearman. ?We?re there now.?

The president said he was confident the result would have gone Bermuda?s way after they scored 311 for eight. Added to that, the players promised him before he left Ireland that they wouldn?t disappoint.

?When I left the guys they were all up for the game and they assured me ?We?re going to do it. We need to get there?. When I heard the news today ? well this is the culmination of what we?ve been after.?

Regarding the hefty finances that will be required to ensure proper preparation for the World Cup in two years? time, Pearman said it will need ?a concerted effort by the community?.

?I?m hoping the country will rally around the team. We?re grateful to the Bank of Bermuda Foundation and other sponsors we?ve had before. They had faith in us so hopefully the rest of the Island will come on board now.

?We have the grant from ICC but we?re going to need much more than that.?

In fact, Speight ? an accountant by profession ? estimates it could take quite a sizeable amount to get the team ready to face the likes of Australia, Pakistan and England.

?We came up with a nine-month plan for the team?s preparation that was estimated at $260,000. That doesn?t even include the hidden costs ? things like paying the players for time off work. So for an event such as the World Cup you could certainly be looking at seven-figure numbers,? he disclosed, after expressing supreme satisfaction at the national team?s success.

?Obviously, we will have to develop a plan and budget very quickly but we wouldn?t think to discuss that with the national coach and the team?s management until we finish this competition.?

The chief executive said the Board looks forward ?to the nation capitalising on this monumental feat...using it as a springboard for future success.?

?It?s a chance for the country to come forward to help the game?s development at the national level ? both senior and junior ? and also at the grassroots level.

?We don?t get quality national players without having a good infrastructure. There are so many areas in cricket where people can help and I really want this qualification and success to translate into a greater national sport.

?There?s a lot to be said for national pride. Cricket is the national sport for a reason and today is a day which will be remembered in history.?

Speight heralded the work of coach Gus Logie who guided the team to a triumphant result after just three-and-a-half months in charge and acknowledged the former West Indies player?s initial six-month contract is likely to be renegotiated.

?He has done a fantastic job. He had great credentials and we wanted to hire that level of coach to ensure that our team had the best chance of qualifying.

?He is on a six-month contract which runs until the end of September. A crucial part of our 20-month plan towards the World Cup will be establishing a national coaching position and the infrastructure that he will need to allow our team to beat India or New Zealand or whoever it is we will be playing,? elaborated Speight, who will watch Bermuda?s final two games in Ireland.

Thanking the players and their families for their commitment over the past nine months as well as the entire coaching staff ? particularly interim coach Wendell Smith ? and manager El James, he noted countless people have contributed to this unparalleled moment in the country?s cricketing history.

He also saluted Government and team sponsors Bank of Bermuda Foundation for their ?significant investment in Bermuda cricket?.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Selectors Arnold Manders was ?ecstatic? to see Bermuda qualify for the World Cup after 26 years? of trying.

?I watched the game right to the end on the ICC website. I?m particularly pleased for the players because they put in a lot of hard work and they?re reaping the rewards.

?I?m just so proud of the boys,? he said, adding that the selectors and BCB hierarchy had full confidence in the 14-member squad.

?This means a lot to Bermuda cricket because if you see the amount of money that?s put aside for the five qualifying countries, that?s quite a lot to help us develop and get ready for the World Cup.?

Having negotiated their way to the West Indies in 2007 on a limited budget, Manders said he would now expect Government and corporate Bermuda to invest heavily in the remainder of the campaign.

?In order to be competitive in the World Cup we?re going to need a lot of funds to ensure we?re adequately prepared.

?Government is going to have to step in because a lot of these players will be missing time off from work and I believe they need to be compensated so they can go and represent the country and not worry about supporting their families.

?I know some of the players are suffering because the Board can?t afford to pay their wages.?

The former national captain heaped praise on Speight for his sterling work in securing sponsorship and upheld him as ?one of the people in the background who have done a lot?.

?Neil has put in a lot of time, raising funds to make sure the players are properly equipped and can go on tours.

?I?m happy for him because he has put in a lot of hard work and he probably won?t get any reward because nobody may remember him.?