Amidst scenes of unbridled joy, the casual observer at Wallace Park in Lisburn on Saturday could have been forgiven for thinking Bermuda had just won the World Cup.

For Bermuda's players, sporting smiles wider than Belfast's River Lagan, it might even have felt like it.

But make no mistake, this was a monumental victory, arguably one the biggest scalps Bermuda's national team have claimed in more than a decade and in terms of success at this ICC Trophy, a triumph of considerable significance.

With group matches against Denmark (today), Uganda and United States still to come, the road to Dublin where this tournament reaches its climax next week, is still littered with potential landmines.

But the hugs and high fives exchanged within the Bermuda camp as players celebrated a win that was far more nailbiting than the eventual scores suggest, demonstrated the Island squad are up for the challenge.

In a match in which the pendulum repeatedly swung one way then the other, every member of the Bermuda team played their part, even the injured skipper Clay Smith who screamed encouragement from the boundary ropes as the game appeared to be slipping out of his side's grasp.

There were, however, two outstanding performances which changed the complexion of the contest from players who up until Saturday had fallen well short of the kind of form of which they are capable.

With runs hard to come by under overcast conditions on a difficult track, Lionel Cann entered the fray with Bermuda struggling at 158 for seven and only five overs remaining.

In 17 sensational deliveries he smacked four sixes and four fours in a whirlwind knock of 45 which combined with Dean Minors' less spectacular but equally important innings of 41 (one six, four fours) carried Bermuda to a more than respectable total.

Defending it, however, was another matter and the situation looked bleak until, in the 20th over, the ball was handed to Dwayne Leverock who ripped the heart out of UAE's middle order with a devastating spell that reaped three crucial wickets.

Clinging onto two superb catches in the slips during the same period, it was no wonder that Leverock was eventually presented with the Man-of-the-Match award.

Sent into bat after losing the toss, Bermuda's openers OJ Pitcher and Delyone Borden appeared to be digging a hole for the side as they struggled against the nagging accuracy of medium pacers Ali Abbas and Javed Ismail.

After seven overs there were just five runs on the board, and in the eighth it got even worse when Pitcher (2) was given out lbw to Ismail, umpire Hariharan Krishna taking an inordinately long time to raise his finger with the young St.David's bat staring down the pitch in disbelief.

The introduction of Saleem Mukuddem, whose workmanlike approach has provided the backbone to recent Bermuda innings, failed to accelerate the run rate and after 11 overs only 12 runs had been scored.

Sensing the need for more aggression, Borden swiped a thick edge over the top of the slip cordon for the first boundary but wasn't so fortunate in the following over when a similar shot off Javed flew straight into the hands of Syed Maqsood, having added nine and with the total still on only 16.

Between them, new bat Irving Romaine and Mukuddem attempted to push the score along, taking the total to 50 after 18 overs, but almost at a cost with Romaine narrowly surviving what would have been his third run-out in as many matches ? a fielder throwing to the wrong end with the batsman stranded in no man's land ? and then hooking directly to Asim Saeed only to watch the ball slip through his hands and trickle over the boundary.

Neither batsmen, however, were allowed to settle with Mukuddem falling lbw to Ahmed Nadeem for ten in the 19th over and Romaine (28) following a similar route in the 23rd over with the total now on a precarious 65-4.

Chris Foggo, reinstated to the starting XI following Smith's hamstring injury, and Albert Steede, again batting outside his customary opening spot, contributed a useful stand of 28 before Foggo (14) holed out to Fahad Usman attempting to hook Mohammed Tauqir.

And when stand-in skipper Janeiro Tucker (5) saw his stumps shattered by Tauqir with the total on 105 for six after 35 overs, it was a case of desperate measures for desperate situations.

They came first in the form of Minors, who helped add 53 for the seventh wicket before Steede (29) saw his attempted drive off Tauqir caught by Ali Abbas, and then through the explosive bat of Cann who suddenly turned the innings upside down.

His first ball from Maqsood screamed over the club fence into a nearby park, the next was despatched with equal venom for four and the final ball lofted high over the sightscreen.

Seventeen runs came off the over and even the dismissal of Minors, clean bowled by Javed Ismail with the total on 197, wouldn't slow the Rangers man down.

He brought up the 200 with another towering six and added yet another for good measure before one big swing too many in the penultimate over saw him bowled by Abbas.

Leverock (4 no) and Ryan Steede (1 no) played out the remaining few balls, but the 217 total was a far cry from what had seemed likely only half an hour earlier.

Having brushed aside the United States by 59 runs the day before, UAE would have been confident of reaching their target with ease.

But against Bermuda's opening pair, Steede and Mukuddem, they too quickly discovered a degree of caution would be necessary, especially after Mukuddem broke through Asim Saeed's defence to claim the first wicket in the sixth over with the total on 18.

Abbas Ali (35) and Naemuddin (14) restored order, methodically carrying the score to 67 in 19 overs before Leverock intervened.

Suddenly, in the space of three overs, from 67 for one the score tumbled to 67 for four.

On his third ball the Big Man had Ali striding up the crease and swinging at thin air as the ever-reliable Minors whipped off the bails. Wicket maiden.

In the next over Tucker's outswinger caught a thin edge and Naemuddin was superbly held by Leverock in the slips. Another wicket maiden.

Skipper Khuram Khan quickly followed, deceived by a Leverock delivery that flew off his bat into the hands of Minors. Wicket maiden number three.

At 67 for four after 22 overs Bermuda were firmly in the driver's seat and when Albert Steede held onto a marvellous catch to dismiss Ahmed Nadeen (8) off Leverock and the latter snared his second slip catch to dismiss Syeed Maqsood (3) off Mukuddem, leaving the total at 84 for six off 29, only one result seemed possible.

But if Bermuda sensed victory they were quickly to discover it wouldn't come without a fight.

An obstinate innings of 64 from number seven bat Fahad Usman came perilously close to ruining the Island team's party.

With Javed Ismail (13) he carried the score to 114 before Ismail was caught by substitute fielder Dennis Archer off Delyone Borden and then with Muhammad Nadeen up to 180.

With five overs remaining, 37 runs required and three wickets in hand, UAE now saw their chance to snatch victory.

Yet having got this close, Bermuda's players, constantly screaming support for each other, weren't about to throw it all away.

The crucial breakthrough came in the 45th over as Tucker hung onto a catch in the gully to dismiss dangerman Usman off the bowling of Borden.

Abbas (2) went next, caught behind by Minors off Tucker in the 46th over, and in a match of such tension it was hardly surprising it all ended on a note of controversy as last man Tauqir stood his ground, believing the catch he offered to Romaine at mid-on had come off a bump ball.

Not entirely sure, umpire Krishna consulted with partner Trevor Henry before ? much to the relief of the Bermuda players ? raising his finger.

It was a victory thoroughly deserved but with Denmark, unbeaten in two games, lying in wait today there'll be no room for complacency.