Wendell Smith assumed the role of national academy director at the Bermuda Cricket Board on Monday and has begun to lay the foundations for what he hopes will be one of the best youth programmes the Island has ever possessed.

With coach Gus Logie being left to get on with the gargantuan task of preparing Bermuda?s senior cricketers for the ever-increasing demands of international cricket, the domestic game now has at its disposal ? for the very first time ? a man whose sole responsibility it is to nurture the grass roots.

As a former national team player and coach, as well as a Cup-Match-winning skipper of St. George?s, Smith is a highly respected figure in local cricket and when news of his imminent appointment first broke in January, the reception to it was an overwhelmingly positive one.

But after 23 years working in education ? the last of seven of which he has been the headmaster of Paget Primary School ? Smith admitted yesterday that it was going to take him a while to adjust to his new surroundings.

He conceded also that the scale of the task in front of him was vast ? although working day in, day out in a sport he adores, Smith added, will make the work considerably less arduous.

?I realise that I?ve got a huge responsibility to fulfil,? he said.

?Gus is obviously going to be very busy dealing with the national team full time and getting them ready for the World Cup and beyond, so it is my job to make sure the proper programmes and structures are in place so that we eventually get a stream of young talent feeding up to national team level.

?What some people might not realise is that I am on a leave of absence from the Department of Education, so I will eventually be returning to them. My goal for the next couple of years is to put in place a system which works effectively and which others who take this job after me can work with and build on.?

Laying out the areas he will be developing during his tenure, Smith unveiled a host of initiatives he has already begun to pursue, including:

Raising cricket participation levels in both public and private schools by visiting all of them on a regular basis to assist with PE lessons and coaching of school teams. This used to be the responsibility of the national coach, who rarely had the time or the resources to do the job properly.

Organising and co-ordinating junior club leagues at Under 10, Under 13 and Under 16 levels;

Assisting PE teachers to understand and to coach the fundamentals of the game effectively to young children;

Appointing and monitoring the performance of national junior coaches at the Under 10, Under 13, Under 15 and Under 19 levels;

Identifying talent at an early stage and ensuring those individuals are enrolled in cricket programmes at a school, club and country level;

Establishing a National Coaches Association;

Ensuring that all junior national teams meet, train and play on a regular basis, preferably all year round;

Preparing a report for the BCB and the Ministry of Youth and Sport on the standard of facilities at all school grounds and recommending investment/improvements where necessary;

Setting up ?cricket festivals? at the National Sports Centre involving all junior cricketers which will include coaching clinics and matches.

?I?ve always recognised that there is a huge amount of young talent in Bermuda and it is a question now of making sure we get the best out of it at every level,? Smith continued.

?What strikes me now about local cricket compared to when I was growing up playing the game is that there are so many fantastic opportunities out there for youngsters wanting to progress in the game and also looking to get a decent education at the same time.

?If you look at the likes of Stefan Kelly, Jekon Edness and Stephen Outerbridge, they are all at school or university in the UK thanks to funding from the BCB and are being educated at the same time as developing their games in a great environment.

?So provided you have the ability and the commitment to succeed, there are plenty of chances out there for young Bermudians to travel the world and to broaden their experience of life. And it?s not just the opportunity to go to school either. Players like George O?Brien and Azeem Pitcher have been sent away to cricket academies overseas and that will continue in the future.

?I?ve got a lot to keep me busy. On the day I started the job I was up at Heron Bay school working with the teachers and the children and although I?ve only been in the job a few days, I can see it is going to be enjoyable and challenging.?