Bermuda’s young cricketers have been presented with a great opportunity to prepare for the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup Americas Qualifier next year when they play four matches during a training camp in Cartersville, Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta.

A squad of 13 players has been selected for the trip, with the bulk of them having been part of the side that finished third in Canada last year, thereby missing out on qualification for the World Cup in South Africa this year.

Jermal Proctor, the Somerset all-rounder, has fallen out of the age group, as he is turning 19 in September next year.

According to coach Janeiro Tucker, the junior cricketers are heading to the US at the invitation of the Indian academy that hosted the senior team at the beginning of the year.

“On Monday I’m taking the under-19s, we’re going to a cricket academy training camp where we’re playing four matches,’’ Tucker said.

“We’re playing four 50-over matches in Cartersville. The Indian people who hosted us when we went there have affiliations with an academy there, that’s where we’re going.

“Ricardo Powell Cricket Academy is one of the teams we are playing. We’re building up for the Under-19 World Cup qualifiers, so we’re trying to get the players ready for next year by giving them the necessary exposure.

“We’re taking players who’ll be eligible for next year’s qualifiers; that’s why players like Jermal Proctor have dropped out because he is turning 19 next month.”

Since they were withdrawn from the First Division by the Bermuda Cricket Board, the team have been training at Somerset Cricket Club in preparation for the tour.

“We trained at Somerset the whole week,” Tucker said. “Remember, the cricket board took us out of the league, so we haven't been playing any matches.

“Normally we played on Saturdays but then they put matches on Saturdays and Sundays. This clashed with the schedule for their other teams, so the board sent them back to their clubs.”