Bermuda women's cricketers moved a step closer to being crowned the first ever Americas Women's Championship queens by massacring Argentina by 143 runs in Toronto.

The Canadian city has proved a happy hunting ground for Bermuda with the Under-19 team triumphing at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, in Ontario, to qualify for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.

During their tense win over hosts Canada at the weekend, they were cheered on by their female counterparts who on this evidence seem to have been inspired by Rodney Trott and Co's unprecedented success. They will now be looking to repeat the Under-19's feat by reaching the Women's World Cup in Australia in 2009 when they compete in the November qualifiers in Lahore, Pakistan.

Winning the Americas Women's Championship - the first organised - would be the perfect tonic ahead of the crunch qualifiers, where Bermuda are pitched with South Africa, Netherlands or Scotland and Papua New Guinea. Only one team from the group will qualify.

Linda Mienzer, vice-captain, said she was confident the team could head to Pakistan on the back of a tournament win in Toronto after their emphatic victory against Argentina. They play Trinidad and Tobago today and take on Canada on tomorrow. "We've already reached the World Cup qualifiers so we're in Toronto to solely win the Americas Women's Championship," said Mienzer. "This team has only been together since last September but we are starting to gel.

"We batted really well and scored at well over the three-runs an over target we had set ourselves," she said. "Reuna Richardson was superb and batted extremely well for her 96 - it's a shame she couldn't get a century."

Argentina won the toss and elected to bowl but were put to the sword by Richardson with Menzier chipping in with 30 and Wendy Woodley 23, as they posted a hefty 275 for six wickets.

In reply the South American's were 25 for five wickets before the game - which featured 121 wide balls - was halted due to rain. When play resumed Bermuda remained in the ascendancy with Terry-Lynn Paynter taking five for 27.

Bermuda's women cricketers have an extra incentive to up their game with every wicket they take raising money in the fight against breast cancer. The national side has teamed up with BF&M Insurance Group for the project.

Each wicket the team grabs in the American Women's Championship, in Toronto, will trigger a $25 donation from BF&M to Bermuda TB Cancer and Health Association's scheme to buy digital mammography equipment worth more than $1 million.