Bermuda will launch a bid to qualify for the World Cup for a second time when the country hosts the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Three Tournament next spring.The qualifying tournament will involve six teams in a round robin tournament from April 28 to May 5 in Bermuda with the top two teams advancing to the World Cup Qualifier, a 10-team tournament in New Zealand in 2014.The top two from that group will advance to the World Cup along with the two teams from the likes of Scotland, Ireland, Kenya, Canada and Afghanistan, who have ODI status, to join the 10 Test countries in the 14-team tournament in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.Premier Paula Cox and Minister of Sport Glenn Blakeney joined Bermuda Cricket Board second vice president Nyon Steede and Executive Director Neil Speight in making the announcement at a press conference yesterday at the Cabinet Office.“I want to take this opportunity to urge everybody in the community and the business world to join the Government of Bermuda in supporting our national team as they try to emulate the extraordinary heights achieved in 2005 when Bermuda became the smallest country to ever qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup,” said Premier Cox.The country will host Oman, Uganda and Italy along with the two qualifying teams from Division Four (to be determined in Malaysia in September and involving Malaysia, Singapore, USA, Nepal, Denmark and Tanzania) and already preparations have begun with the ICC Global Development Manager likely to visit the Island in August to meet with Board officials and look at facilities while the Tournament Director is expected to visit Bermuda in November.A bid to host the world Cricket League Division Three Tournament was submitted by the BCB in 2011 and supported by Government.“I am very excited and extremely pleased to announce to cricket fans specifically, and to the public generally, that the ICC has now awarded Bermuda the opportunity to host the World Cricket League Division Three Tournament in Bermuda during April, 2013,” said Minister Blakeney.“The granting of this global qualifying event to Bermuda is a major achievement for the country, as opportunities to host these significant international competitions are scarce and are aggressively pursued by many nations.”Blakeney said hosting the tournament “represents an unprecedented opportunity for Bermuda to achieve several important objectives”, including:* Getting the country solidly behind its national cricket team, increase national pride, promote the sport to a wide audience across all ages and provide home team advantage to our team.* Provide a boost to the hospitality sector at the beginning of the tourist season, since the six competing countries typically send an average of 20 players accompanied by at least 20 ICC officials.* Promote awareness of Bermuda to many potential tourism markets since the games will be broadcast via live ball-by-ball commentary on Cricinfo and have a global following. In addition the event will be promoted by the ICC across all 105 member nations.* Provide a unique opportunity for Bermuda officials, umpires, scorers and other personnel associated with cricket to gain international experience and training in a world class cricketing event.Speight has promised that “Bermuda will give a very good account of itself” during the tournament.Three matches will be played daily and the BCB will soon be working with clubs to determine which grounds are suitable to host the matches along with the National Sports Centre. The BCB will also work with the Bermuda Football Association to have some grounds close early at the end of the football season so as to prepare the pitches for cricket. The tournament coincides with the usual start of the cricket season.Bermuda beat Denmark and USA in Ireland in 2005 on their way to qualifying for the 2007 World Cup when cricketer Dwayne Leverock instantly became Bermuda’s most recognised cricketer after his brilliant diving catch in the slips was seen worldwide.The Board and Government is hoping Bermuda’s newest crop of players can put the Island on the World Cup stage again.“The tier from the top eight countries in the World Cricket Championship, whoever comes first and second in the league gets an automatic pass to the World Cup and we will get the six who didn’t make it,” said Speight, referring to the likes of Scotland, Ireland, Kenya, Canada, Afghanistan, Namibia, Netherlands and UAE.“We need to get over step one first,” said Speight. “It’s a great opportunity to market Bermuda, I saw when they held the Grand Slam of Golf here and the pictures they showed of Bermuda on TV would make you want to come here. The opportunity for us to stream footage around the world could give tourism and the country a great boost.“I’m really looking forward to the whole opportunity to pull the community together.”