Bermuda have long booked their passage to the ICC Trophy in Ireland but at least one local cricketing personality will attend the final qualifier for that competition.

Umpire Roger Dill is among those chosen to officiate in the World Cup Qualifying Series Division Two event in Malaysia from February 22-27 at which the last team for the ICC Trophy will be determined.

The eight-team tournament will feature teams such as Cayman Islands, who just missed out on advancing to the ICC Trophy via their respective regional qualifiers. The Caymans placed fourth here last year in the Americas Regional Championship which was won by Canada with the USA second and Bermuda third.

Fiji, Italy, Kuwait, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Qatar and Zambia are the other countries contesting the final slot in Ireland and Dill, whose international career has thus far been limited to Americas tournaments, is looking forward to getting a glimpse of the standard of cricket among other Associate regions.

In addition, the 47-year-old is well aware this is a rare chance to do not only himself but also his sport and country proud.

?I think it bodes well for us as Bermudian umpires and even umpires from Associate countries in this region. It?s good exposure for us to deal with teams from other regions.

?This tournament is another step up and it gives umpires from Associate nations an opportunity to showcase the quality of umpiring in our countries,? reasoned the former Western Stars and BAA off-spinner.

The mild-mannered Dill, who stood in the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada, was chosen by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following a sterling performance in last summer?s Americas Regional Championship.

?The ICC have a committee that looks at the umpires in the region and they selected four of us. I was the one selected from Bermuda and I welcome the challenge,? he said.

Since Bermuda?s cricket season has not yet started, Dill has been ?brushing up? by ensuring he is up-to-date on all the game?s latest regulations and laws, including Duckworth-Lewis calculations for rain-affected fixtures.

The winning team in the one-week competition in Malaysia will join 11 others at the ICC Trophy where five spots will be up for grabs for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

ICC global development manager Matthew Kennedy noted this new qualifying structure allowed Associates teams more matches and ?a realistic chance to qualify for cricket?s pinnacle One-Day International tournament?.

?This has certainly increased the commitment, aspirations and desire from countries to continue building and improving their performance, because they have a tangible target to work toward,? said Kennedy.