Bermuda?s umpires in next week?s Americas Associates Cricket Championships will have a ?bias?.

While they intend to uphold the highest standards in their officiating capacity, the four men chosen for the regional tournament will be hoping the Island excels in this event.

The reason: it will directly impact how far they progress internationally.

?We can only go as far as Bermuda?s cricket team goes. We don?t go any further than that,? explained Stephen Douglas, one of the local quartet who will stand in matches in the week-long competition.

?What they do in the ICC (International Cricket Council) is when a team progresses then they choose an umpire from that country also.

?In this case I will be hoping that Bermuda does well and then we, the umpires, can move ahead too.?

Given that the round-robin championship is part of the ICC World Cup Qualifying Series, if Bermuda finish in the top three and advance to the next stage of qualifiers in Ireland then a Bermudian umpire would likely be considered to officiate there.

?When Canada went to the World Cup (in South Africa) last year, a Canadian umpire went also. He might have just been the fourth umpire in matches but he got that exposure and that?s how you start,? reasoned Douglas who switched from bat and pads to the white jacket in 1997.

?The bottom line is that the team has to do well in order for the officials to do well.?

Asked if it was frustrating to see how Bermuda had stagnated internationally after being very close to earning a place in the World Cup in 1982 and 1986 qualifiers, he replied: ?Yes, sometimes I wonder if they (the players) see the whole picture; whether they fully understand what?s going on in cricket and (that) if they do well at this level where they can go next and where it would take all of us.

?Sometimes I think not everybody has bought into it (the development of our cricket). The players, officials, everybody, have got to buy into it. I think we need to consider this very seriously.?

His colleague George Francis agreed there is great potential among Bermudian umpires, noting that in 1994 he officiated in the ICC Trophy semi-final in Kenya and was a standby for the final. However, Bermuda?s performance was lacklustre on that occasion.

?Of course, I definitely want to see Bermuda do well. Some of the umpires I worked with in 1994 have gone on to umpire first-class matches and One-Day Internationals because their countries have taken them that far,? he said, listing Kenya and Holland as two such nations.

?Because our team isn?t doing well we haven?t been recognised.?

However, he is optimistic captain Clay Smith and company can turn the tide on home soil.

?Bermuda has a very good squad and I?m hoping they can work together and win something because we want to move on,? said 55-year-old Francis.

?We?ve had some dismal results in the recent past but I?m hoping we can turn things around and put those behind us.?

Both he and Douglas view it as a prestigious opportunity to umpire before their home crowds and while they and counterparts Wilbur Pitcher and Roger Dill will not stand in Bermuda?s matches, they are determined to do the country proud in every game.

?It?s always a great opportunity to umpire at this level and to represent our country; to oversee matches with different teams and operate at that level,? said Douglas who will be umpiring for the second time in this tournament.

Francis, who is ?upbeat and very excited?, termed it wonderful to ?finally get a chance to umpire in this event in Bermuda?.

Douglas, who represented Cleveland County for around 15 years, stated that watching local umpires in action internationally should make Bermudians realise how good they truly are.

?It will show the true calibre of umpires here. I think a lot of times people take for granted the quality of umpiring that they get weekly. We have very high-quality umpiring,? he stated.

The 48-year-old noted Bermudian umpires are up-to-date with all the latest cricket developments and, in some cases, are ahead of their peers elsewhere. As an example, he pointed out some cricket-playing territories are only now instituting Duckworth-Lewis calculations for rain-affected matches but Bermuda has been using this international system for four or five years.

?All of us are very capable of using it, especially those of us umpiring in this tournament,? he said.

He disclosed that the Bermuda Cricket Umpires? Association (BCUA) is working with the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) to find avenues for more exposure for its members. One possibility which is apparently being explored is a link with the West Indies Cricket Umpires? Association of which BCUA is a part.

?We are just as qualified as they are. We all sit the same tests. We (in Bermuda) just don?t do any multiple-day games but I think we can really be useful in the one-day games because we probably do more one-day games than they do and we?re very well abreast of one-day regulations,? reasoned Douglas, adding, however, that they would have to join ?a very long line? as there are scores of qualified umpires in the Caribbean.

Francis, who has been officiating for 27 years, said he is in the ?twilight of his umpiring? but hopes his younger peers will reap the benefits of his hard work and that others will join the ranks as there is currently a shortage.

?It?s a pretty hard job and nobody wants to do it. It?s a thankless task which requires a lot of effort,? said the former Willow Cuts and Somerset Bridge player.