Qualifying for the 2007 World Cup was the easy part, according to legendary bowler Clarence Parfitt.

The challenging task now at hand, he said, is sustaining Bermuda?s newly granted International One Day cricket status for future generations to come.

The 60-year-old Parfitt, pictured right, who represented the Island at the inaugural 1979 ICC Trophy Tournament, made these comments on the eve of Bermuda?s ICC Trophy semi-final clash with his adopted homeland Scotland today in Dublin.

Bermuda made history on Thursday by qualifying for the 2007 cricket spectacle in the Windies on the back of a crushing 113 run win over USA in Belfast.

?I think this is absolutely brilliant for Bermuda and I?m glad to see them qualify for the World Cup and hopefully they can go on to even bigger and better things with the funding that will now come from the ICC (International Cricket Council),? Parfitt told from Scotland.

?I hope this is a step in the right direction for cricket in Bermuda and money can now be put into the development of the game and getting cricket back into the schools.?

Parfitt, who took 115 Cup Match wickets between 1965 and 1981 playing for St.George?s, is the current regional cricket manager for the central and northern districts in Scotland ? his adopted home for the past 21 years ? and also vice-president of Arbroath Cricket Club.

Scotland completed Group B with a perfect 5-0 record to secure one of five World Cup spots that were up for grabs at ICC Trophy Tournament in Ireland.

And like Bermuda, Scotland ? last year?s winners of the inaugural ICC Intercontinental Cup Tournament ? also received IOD status for the next four years and a financial grant to the tune of $500,000 from the ICC.

?The bulk of that money will go toward the development side of cricket here in Scotland where we have structured Under 12, 13, 17, 19 and Under 23?s junior programmes,? Parfitt explained.

?So it?s important for Bermuda to ensure plenty of youth continue to come through because we now have IOD status for qualifying for the World Cup which is fantastic. Now Bermuda gets to play against countries from all around the world ? even Test -playing nations. And we need to be placing more emphasis now on our juniors cricketers because that?s our future.?

Only this summer, Bermuda Cricket Board introduced Under 13 and 16 Youth Leagues. The Under 16 League boasts seven members while the Under 13 League is comprised of five teams.

Parfitt added: ?Each club in Bermuda should now be looking to have their own junior teams to keep the game strong in the country because getting into the World Cup was the easy part but the hard part is trying to stay at that level.

?We now have to maintain what it is we have just achieved and the only way to achieve this is to get the junior leagues structured with the right coaches. Bermuda has a good coach in Gus Logie but what is needed now is someone else to run the youth development side of cricket and I think that?s where Government could come in and help out.?

As for today?s ICC Trophy semi-final clash involving Bermuda and Scotland, Parfitt smiled: ?I?m going to remain neutral on that one. And I?m glad that I?m not over there (in Ireland) because then I would be hailing both teams.

?But I?m delighted that both teams have already made it through the World Cup. To me that was most important because both countries are close to my heart. So it really doesn?t matter how the game goes because both countries have already qualified for the World Cup and my congratulations go out to El (James) and Gus (Logie) and all of the players. And I wish them success in the future.?