Bermuda's 2009 World Cup qualifying preparations just got busier as Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) announced the senior national squad will tour Trinidad and St. Lucia early in the New Year.

Details of the impending tour to the Caribbean have yet to be finalised, however it is understood that the squad will travel in early January.

Bermuda's national team cricketers are currently in Florida defending their Americas Division One title and will hardly have time to rest upon their return home as they are also scheduled to tour Argentina next month.

World Cup qualifiers will be held in April in South Africa where Bermuda – currently ranked sixth among ICC Associate nations and 16th globally – will bid to re-qualify for world cricket's premier showpiece.

In 2005, Bermuda made history at the ICC Trophy (renamed the ICC World Cup Qualifier) in Ireland when they became the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup under the leadership of Janeiro Tucker, filling in for injured skipper Clay Smith.

A total of six World Cup qualifying berths went up for grabs among Associate members back then. However, that number has since dwindled to four – thus making Bermuda's bid to again qualify for the World Cup all the more daunting.

"With the number of countries able to qualify for the World Cup reduced from six to four, the national squad has a tougher task to qualify," stated Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president Reggie Pearman.

In their efforts to enhance Bermuda's chances of qualifying, the Board have implemented a High Performance Programme (HPP) in which national team players are fully contracted and required to meet various demands – both on and off the cricket pitch.

Launched in April of this year, the HPP is designed to "fully prepare younger emerging" local cricketers for playing the sport at the elite level.

Yesterday saw 35-year-old batsman Glenn Blakeney – son of newly appointed Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney – become the programme's newest member.

"Glenn has worked hard over the past couple of months and has continued to show great commitment in training," stated national coach Logie, who welcomed the veteran batsman's arrival in the programme.

Blakeney now joins the likes of Bermuda skipper Irving Romaine, Rodney Trott, Tamauri Tucker, Kyle Hodsoll, Oronde Bascome and Chris Douglas who have all been fully contracted by the Board and recently completed a seven-week stint at the Cricket Academy in Brisbane, Australia.

"Its good news to see the BCB putting resources into developing players for the future. The success of all the top Associate countries depends on making the most of their available talent as we head into the next ICC Cricket World Cup," commented ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done, who has endorsed the Board's HPP.

"Targeting the best players for more intensive coaching at the same time as providing them with an opportunity to earn an income by putting back into junior development is a smart way of using BCB resources. Programmes like this can only lead to better standards for the Bermuda team."

BCB president Pearman added: "The Board recognise the need to move to semi-professionalise our players in order to compete at the highest level. The HPP is (a) step forward in the right direction.

"The players in the programme have shown a high level of commitment and we are very pleased with their progress to date."