thousands of miles when the pair take up sports scholarships on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

As reported in Tuesday's Royal Gazette , Blanchette, 14, has been offered a four-year soccer scholarship at Chigwell School in Essex.

The young midfielder, who played for North Village, is believed to be interesting a number of London clubs.

Hot on the heels of that news comes the announcement that Blanchette's close friend Hall is to take up the offer of a four-year sports scholarship at Holderness School in New Hampshire.

The pair had previously travelled to England on an exploratory trip with Bermuda's former Technical Director, Clyde Best.

Best had approached his former club, West Ham United, with a view to taking the boys on but when nothing firm resulted, 15-year-old Hall, a goalkeeper, decided to opt for the placement in the USA.

His mother Sharry said: "We let him make the decision and he decided he would be closer to home and it would be economically easier to get to for us (if he went to the USA).

"He made a very difficult and wise decision.'' Hall, a pupil at Mount St Agnes School, plays a number of sports, including golf and basketball, but it is soccer where he has made his mark.

"I'm very proud of him,'' said his mother. "He knows this will give him opportunities that he would not have had if he had remained in Bermuda.'' Mrs. Hall said though the two boys would miss seeing each other, they had vowed to stay in touch.

"They are very special friends and I think they will always be very close,'' she said.

A fine catch: Goalkeeper Freddy Hall, 15, is set to take up a four-year sports scholarship in the United States.