Bermuda Cricket Board announced yesterday that two of Bermuda's leading young players, Somerset seam bowler Jacobi Robinson and Western Stars wicketkeeper Jekon Edness, have been awarded scholarships to attend the world renowned University of Port Elizabeth International Cricket Academy in South Africa.

Although the Board revealed last month that an anonymous donor had committed to one scholarship for the next five years, officials have since managed to secure a second berth, courtesy of a variety of local sponsors.

Aside from finances, both Robinson and Edness owe their selections to the strong recommendations presented to Board officials earlier this year by national coach Mark Harper.

BCB president Reggie Pearman was yesterday clearly relieved that the programme could now go ahead after months of planning.

"We have been working hard to get the opportunity to place our promising young cricketers in institutions like these," he said.

"Both Jacobi and Jekon have stood out for the national under-19 squad and fully deserve the opportunity. We expect that these young men will represent not only themselves, but their families, the Board, their clubs and the country with the best of decorum and graciousness that will do everybody proud."

Meanwhile, BCB treasurer Neil Speight, the man who has been working behind the scenes to make the scholarships a reality, said that he was delighted that the Board had managed to locate the funding for two of Bermuda's up and coming stars.

"After we secured the five-year sponsorship deal, we were very keen to to pursue the opportunity to place a second candidate at the Academy," he said.

"We are very grateful to a number of people that have contributed to allow this to happen including Jacobi's club, Somerset and his family."

For the two young Bermudians, the trip will be no easy ride.

The academy programme runs for eight weeks in total, from January 12 through to March 8, where they will be put through a strenuous regime of physical and technical work under the tutelage of former South African captain Kepler Wessels, who is now the academy's head coach.

As a player, the South African, who also played Test cricket for Australia before his native land were welcomed in from the sporting wilderness in 1991, possessed a legendary work ethic.

That love of hard graft has reportedly not diminished as a coach and he has developed a fearsome reputation among those in his care for being particularly severe on anyone who he feels is not putting their heart and soul into the tasks laid down.

Both Robinson and Edness are under no illusions about how demanding their time in South Africa is going to be and are determined to return improved cricketers, capable of playing leading roles in Bermuda's senior national squad.

Edness said yesterday that he "welcomed" the challenges his time at the academy would bring and said he wanted to improve both his glovework and his "batting in particular" in order to become "a more complete package."

Robinson was also enthusiastic, revealing that he wants dearly to become Bermuda's leading strike bowler in the very near future.

"It really is a fantastic opportunity," Robinson said.

"I'm going to use the time to put on a couple of yards of pace and work on my technique and accuracy ? not to mention my fitness. There are a few seam bowlers in Bermuda at the moment and we are all about the same standard. I want to be the best."