International Cricket Council (ICC) Americas regional development manager Martin Vieira yesterday paid tribute to Bermuda's historical win at the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia on Thursday.

Vieira said the Island side's 20-run win over ICC Associate rivals Ireland again proved that small countries such as Bermuda could achieve success on the world stage.

"Critics are quick to slam developing countries when they are blown out in games against professional teams or countries who have played at a high level for many more years than we have," he told The Royal Gazette.

"Very seldom do they see that small steps like Bermuda's victory can lead to giant leaps in the future."

He added: "As the regional development manager it always gives me great satisfaction when teams representing the Americas perform well at the international level.

"Very few praised Kenya's performance in the 2003 World Cup or Ireland's in 2007.

"These are non-professionals showing they can dance with the best when given the opportunity to play more at a higher level and there is no telling what some of these countries can accomplish."

Guiding Bermuda to victory over Ireland was all-rounder Chris Douglas who returned man-of-the-match figures of five for 40 and scored 27 at the top of the order.

"The boy is got everything going for him at the moment," said Douglas' proud uncle, women's national coach Allan Douglas.

"Chris is a very promising player. He puts a lot into his game and studies the game very hard."

Skipper Rodney Trott (64) and Malachi Jones (58) also played an important role, sharing a 107-run partnership that laid the foundation for Bermuda's impressive total of 221.

Douglas described Bermuda's win as "absolutely fantastic".

"The guys have proven they can compete against a higher calibre," he said. "I think Bermuda definitely have talent and I congratulate them on their achievement."

Bermuda's win at the Under-19 World Cup this week was the first by an ICC Associate team since USA defeated Namibia by two wickets in 2006.

The youngsters are now preparing for Monday's Plate match against Papua New Guinea before heading home next week.