David Hemp flew home for the festive period yesterday with 61 days of cricket work under his belt and plenty of confidence about the future of the sport in this country.

The Bermuda-born county cricketer is spending Christmas and New Year in South Africa with his wife and young son, before returning for another month in the New Year to attempt to complete his 100 days residency requirement to make him eligible for all ICC competitions.

And Hemp believes the basic elements are in place for the sport to flourish as per the four-year plan of the Bermuda Cricket Board ? subject to one hugely important condition.

?Everyone has to pull in the same direction,? said Hemp, who will have concertinaed 91 days residency by mid-February and will complete the final week ahead of his competitive debut for the national side next October, probably on one of the tours to Africa for Intercontinental Cup competition.

?I have been very impressed with what I have seen since I?ve been here, the basics are all in place and the plans are ambitious so it is a case of moving forward together.

?We need everyone moving together, that?s the players, the administrators, the coaches, the schools, the Government and the public in general. If we don?t have that, then we might as well give the $11 million back because it is going to get wasted.

?It?s now a few months on since we qualified for the World Cup but it is still something that gets talked about ? rarely a day goes by when somebody doesn?t bring it up.

?We have to maximise that feel-good factor and make sure we move forward as a country.

?I think our plans for preparing for the World Cup are great but the bigger challenge is getting everything in place for 2009 and making sure we don?t undo all this good work and we qualify for the next World Cup as well.?

Hemp, who admits to being astounded by the support he has received from the man in the street since arriving here ten weeks ago to help the BCB with their administrative overhaul, is pleased with what has been achieved, citing four advances among others;

Umpire training course;

Coaches training course;

Plans to get Bermudians into British universities on scholarships;

Sending players to training academies in Australia.

He was also pleased that the BCB had held a meeting with the affiliates late last month to discuss with all the clubs the moves the Board were making.

On a personal note, Hemp is looking forward to actually playing some cricket early in the New Year, after ?too much time? without picking up a bat.

The county star, who has scored 22 first-class centuries as well as more than 12,000 runs in his 16-year career, has been doing fitness training with the rest of Gus Logie?s squad but is looking forward to getting out in the middle early in the New Year as the side prepare for their trip to the United Arab Emirates.

?It will be good to play again,? said Hemp, who admits to being a technical-minded and pedantic cricketer and one who is keen to work on his technique again after a few months away from the crease.

?I can?t wait for that first net. The fitness stuff is important but I haven?t played for a while and I?m looking forward to that. It is a shame I can?t go with the boys to UAE, if I were selected, but it will be good to be able to train out in the middle and do some net stuff while they prepare.

?I?m itching to get going again.?

He is also keen to get his 100 days out of the way so he can concentrate on ?just being a player again?.

?I am enjoying what I?m doing with the Board and putting my skills on the admin side of the game to use,? he continued.

?But I am very keen to simply become a player and be part of the squad, if selected, and just play some cricket.?

Hemp returns in the first week of January for one month with the Board before heading back for his domestic season with Glamorgan.

He will then be available from October for all of Bermuda?s warm-up games ahead of the 2007 World Cup.