Jones's excellent all-round performance helps Bermuda qualify for next year's ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup

Bermuda made history when it qualified for its maiden ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup by winning the five-team round-robin Americas U/19 Qualifier in Toronto on Saturday.

In a match of fluctuating fortunes, Bermuda beat Canada by 13 runs to finish the tournament unbeaten. Put into bat, Bermuda managed 194-8 from the allotted 50 overs and then successfully defended the relatively small score by restricting Canada to 181-9.

Bermuda now joins the ICC's 10 Full Members, hosts Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea and Ireland (which recently qualified from the East-Asia Pacific and European Regions respectively) at the 16-team ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup to be played from 17 February to 2 March 2008 in Malaysia.

Bermuda's decision to play all-rounders Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly, and captain Rodney Trott in the Americas U/19 Qualifier instead of ICC Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands last week, was justified when the trio played leading roles in their team's quest to earn the right to play in its first ICC U/19 CWC. The three players will join the team for the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Ireland starting in Dublin from Thursday.

In the finale against Canada, Jones produced a man of the match performance when he scored 33 and took 3-37, while Kelly scored an unbeaten 52 that lifted Bermuda to 194-8 from 103-6. Although Trott scored only 12 and took 1-30, he marshaled his troops excellently to victory.

Jones's 49-ball innings was studded with four fours while Kelly struck five boundaries in his 55-ball vigil at the crease. After Bermuda clumped to 57-4, Jones repaired the damage by adding 46 runs for the fifth wicket with Khiry Furbert (39). After Jones returned to the pavilion, Bermuda suffered a double setback and was reduced to 103-6 but Kelly added 79 runs for the seventh wicket with Furbert to steer the visitors to 194.

Canada, in its chase, made a confident start when Ruvindu Gunasekera (31) and Chris Manohar (41) put on 55 runs for the first wicket. But the departure of Gunasekera opened floodgates as the home team collapsed to 101-6. Wicketkeeper Rustum Bhatti, at that stage, held the innings together and steered Canada to 148-6 but the loss of three wickets for 18 runs ended the host's hopes of returning to the main round after missing the 2006 tournament in Sri Lanka.

Bhatti finished as the top scorer of the match with 64 from 83 balls with five boundaries.

Besides Jones's 3-37 and Trott's 1-30, Tamauri Tucker took 2-17 and Christopher Douglas bagged 2-34.

In another tense match, the Cayman Islands beat the Bahamas by two wickets to finish third in the tournament. Robert Hewitt and Corey Cato put on 28 runs for the unbroken ninth wicket after the islanders were reduced to 186-8 while chasing 213 for victory.

Cayman Islands captain Ramon Sealy top scored with a 77-ball 66 and not only won the man of the match award but was also adjudged player of the tournament. Canada's Gunasekera was declared the best batsman, Bermuda's Tucker best bowler, Cayman Islands' Patrick McConvey was named best fielder and Canada's Bhatti best wicketkeeper.

Scores in brief:

Bermuda beat Canada by 13 runs

Bermuda 194-8 in 50 overs (Stefan Kelly 52 not out, Khiry Furbert 39, Malachi Jones 33, Christopher Douglas 22, Kevin James 3-23, Arsalan Qadir 3-24)

Canada 181-9 in 50 overs (Rustum Bhatti 64 not out, Chris Manohar 40, Ruvindu Gunasekera 31, Douglas 3-34; Jones 3-37, Tucker 2-17)

Cayman Islands beat Bahamas by two wickets

Bahamas 212-6 in 50 overs (Jonathan Barry 58, Jeremy Jesubatham 41, Kervin Ebanks 3-39)

Cayman Islands 214-8 in 45 overs (Ramon Sealy 66, Patrick McConvey 32, Sacha De Alwis 28, Robert Hewitt 25 not out, Roderick Mitchell 3-48, Jeremy Jesbubatham 2-49)

The ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup is a vital part of the ICC Development Program and provides a vehicle for the best young cricketers in the world to parade their skills.

Many of the future stars of the game experience their first true international exposure at this tournament and players such as Brian Lara, Michael Atherton, Yuvraj Singh, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Chris Cairns, Michael Clarke, Graeme Smith and Sanath Jayasuriya have used the event as a stepping stone to full international honours.

First staged in Australia in 1988, the tournament was initially organised on an occasional basis, but since the commencement of the ICC Development Program in 1997 it has become a biennial fixture.

The 2010 ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup will be held in Kenya while the 2012 tournament will be staged in Canada and UAE will host the 2014 edition.

For more information about the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup including details of all five qualifying tournaments for the 2008 event go to:

https://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/u19worldcup/