Four games in Trinidad and a triangular tournament in Florida are now part of the $250,000 plan to get Bermuda into the Cricket World Cup.

But, despite a $130,000 grant from Government, a major question mark hangs over the entire programme, with the Bermuda Cricket Board desperately seeking a corporate sponsor to bridge the $120,000 shortfall.

BCB chief executive Neil Speight is hopeful the remaining money can be found from corporate Bermuda, especially with the carrot of massive World Cup sponsorship exposure dangling for any company interested in getting behind Clay Smith's men.

"We are still seeking a major sponsor for the ICC Trophy this summer and the cost of funding our preparation for it," said Speight, in a frank interview ahead of the final four-month push to have the team in perfect position ahead of the World Cup qualifying tournament.

"And anyone who sponsors us would have first option on a three-year deal that would encompass the World Cup itself if we were to qualify, and all the obvious exposure our guaranteed six games there would bring.

"We have a comprehensive plan in place to have the team prepare in the best possible way for the trip to Ireland this summer, but much of it hinges on cost, as always.

"We have the money from Government, but there is still more needed if we are to achieve all the rest of our aims for the team in the coming months."

The $250,00 budget does include the hiring of a foreign coach, although the BCB are now resigned to just offering a maximum six-month contract to any prospective candidate as opposed to the original three-year deal. Money is also required for the Under-19 side, who will be competing in their own World Cup qualifiers in the Caribbean this spring.

There have also been wholesale changes to the previous warm-up plan, which was set to begin with a Caribbean training camp this month.

That has now been pushed back to April 5, when a 16-man squad along with manager, coach and physio will head down to Trinidad for ten days, to take in two games against the island side, two against a Trinidad Combined Club side, five days of training ? and a trip to watch day one of the Windies Test match against South Africa.

The plan for an incoming tour in April has also been shelved, with the BCB instead intent on taking part in a triangular tournament in Florida against the USA and Canada. Should Cayman qualify for the ICC Trophy ? as they are attempting to do in Malaysia this week ? they would more than likely also be invited to take part in the event.

Intra-squad games are now scheduled to take place in April at Bailey's Bay, St. David's or Somerset.

"As I have stated before, all of this is dependent on cost but we are hopeful we can put something together soon," continued Speight.

"We are slightly hampered by the ICC's own sponsorship deals, as we are not allowed to work with any rivals to Cable & Wireless or Pepsi.

"But we are hopeful we can find a partner willing to work with us to achieve what is best for Bermuda cricket."

The sponsorship deal would allow the company to advertise on the sleeve of the shirts to be worn in the ICC event in Ireland, although Speight added "we are prepared to be a bit more creative with the kit for warm-up games".

Bermuda qualified for Ireland in the Americas Cup staged here last summer and have been intensively preparing since November, with the players all undergoing punishing fitness programmes to prepare for the rigours of multiple games in a short space of time against top quality opponents.

The Island have been placed in Group One along with hosts Ireland, Denmark, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the USA and, with only the top two in either group automatically advancing to the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

The World Cup qualifier starts on July 1 in Belfast and runs for an intense two weeks with the final and third-place match both slated for July 13. Only the top five finishers will go forward to the World Cup two years later in the West Indies.

Teams will compete in a round-robin format in the first of the tournament's three stages. Whom they face in the second round will depend on their performance in the initial group stage and likewise their third-round fixture will depend on their second-round showings. Teams must be among the top four in their groups after the round-robin stage to stand any chance of heading to the World Cup.

The top two teams in either group ? who are assured of World Cup berths ? will compete for first through fourth place in the tournament while the third and fourth place teams in either group will vie for fifth to eighth position. The team placing fifth will grab the final World Cup spot.