Cricket Board of Control president Ed Bailey disclosed yesterday.

And the Island will also make its debut in two West Indies youth tournaments in 1998: The under-15 tournament, sponsored by Carib Cement, and the Nortel-sponsored under-19 tournament, which showcases the best youth talent in the region.

After a good showing in the Shell/Sandals tournament in Guyana, and following a recent meeting in Antigua hosted by the West Indies Cricket Board of Control, the decision was made to include Bermuda in the rest of the Caribbean tournaments before the turn of the century.

Talk of Bermuda competing in West Indies domestic cricket has been going on since the presidency of Alma (Champ) Hunt in the 1970s.

Now it is being realised with Bermuda's debut this year in the Shell/Sandals to be followed in three years by participation in the Red Stripe, the major tournament in the Caribbean.

The opportunity to forge closer ties with West Indies cricket came when Bailey and BCBC vice-president Rudolph Lawrence attended a West Indies Cricket Board of Control meeting in Antigua on November 14.

"The West Indies Cricket Board gave very complimentary remarks about Bermuda's participation,'' said Bailey.

"They have granted us another place in the Shell/Sandals for '97 so we look forward to next October. They were quite happy with the initiative Bermuda took in getting a coach the calibre of Bobby Simpson.'' The venue or venues for next year's Shell/Sandals have not been confirmed but sponsors Sandals Resort are anxious to have the matches played in islands where they have hotels so that the teams could be accomodated.

The WICB, who have countries such as Canada and the United States under their wing as part of an ICC development plan to improve the standard of non-Test playing countries, are also taking steps to upgrade the standard of umpiring.

As a result the Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association will gain some valuable exposure with two representatives, Randy Butler and George Francis, travelling to Barbados for a West Indies Umpire Association meeting from December 5-9.

The next major assignment for the Bermuda team will be the ICC Trophy, to be staged in Malaysia from March 23 to April 12. But there could be a slight hiccup in the buildup to that as the planned tour of Jamaica next month may have to be scrapped because of a lack of air seats into that island.

"We've encountered great difficulty trying to get into Jamaica,'' said Bailey of the tour, planned for December 26 to January 5. The alternative, he said, could be a return to Guyana.

"We would like to take the opportunity over Christmas to return to one of the islands,'' he said.

"The turn of the year is going to leave us eight to nine weeks before we depart for Malaysia and we have to have the final 16 (for Malaysia) by January 31.

"So you can see how important a tour in December will be in facilitating the selectors.'' The visit in February of India for two matches on their way to the Caribbean has been confirmed, with matches on the 22nd and 23rd likely to take place at Somerset Cricket Club.

"We are working in conjunction with the BFA and Somerset to have the two matches there,'' Bailey said. "The BFA is very co-operative and from what I understand are making every effort to reschedule matches that weekend to accommodate the Indians who are coming here from Zimbabwe.'' Also in 1997 is the International Youth Tournament, which Bermuda will be hosting for the second time between July 6-16. Seven countries will be involved -- Bermuda, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark and Holland -- and it is because of this tournament that the BCBC put off entering the West Indies under-19 tournament in 1997.

"It would have put too much strain on the board,'' Bailey conceded.

Ed Bailey