Bermuda will host this year's ICC Americas Regional Division 1 Championship, if Bermuda Cricket Board can keep to the ICC's strict budgetary constraints.

The tournament, which would run from May 29 to June 7, will be held on the Island for the first time since 2004, and is sandwiched between Bermuda's vital Intercontinental Shield matches against Namibia in April, and UAE in July.

Bermuda, USA, Canada, Cayman Islands, Argentina and the winner of the ICC Americas Division 2 will compete in an eight-day tournament, with games staged at the National Sports Centre and at local clubs across the Island.

"This will be an excellent opportunity for Bermudians to come out to support their team at home," said BCB president Reggie Pearman.

First though the cricket board must make sure they can deliver the event to budget, which has a strict limit that the ICC sets and refuses to make public.

The Grotto Bay Hotel has already signalled its intent to help make the event a reality by providing accommodation, and the board are also in negotiations with PBT over help with transport for the eight teams who will be competing.

While hosting the event will be a boost for cricket on the Island, the main aim for Bermuda this year will be to beat Namibia and UAE as they try to get back into the top-tier of Associate cricket.

The Island's cricketers travel to Namibia towards the end of March and will play their four-day game between April 2-5, before playing two one-day internationals on April 7 and 8.

"The Americas Cup is an important competition and is going to be held on the Island, so that is something to look forward to," said Bermuda skipper David Hemp.

"But, for me, the two four-day games are important, especially in terms of development, because you're playing four-day cricket, it is testing, not just technically and tactically, but also from a mental point of view, you know.

"Again that's something we need to perform well in, having lost the first one, we need to get ourselves into a position where we can hopefully get positive results in the next two."

However, the game in Namibia comes at a difficult time for Bermuda. A new coach has yet to be appointed, and with no pre-season tour planned, the national side will have little cricket under their belts before a game they simply have to win.

"That's an unfortunate point with the timing," said Hemp, "especially now Bermuda, as a national squad, isn't playing a lot during the off-season.

"Over the last three or four years we have been spending a lot of time away during October through to March time, so it will be different, but unfortunately that's where we are.

"We have got the facility at BHS, which I'm sure will be utilised at some stage, or certainly needs to be utilised, because you can't leave it until you get out to South Africa before you start doing any cricket work."