Talented Bailey's Bay cricketer Stephen Outerbridge is heading to the home of cricket to further nurture his skills.

The Bay all-rounder was recently accepted into the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Indoor School at Lord's - the birthplace of cricket and one of the world's most famous grounds in London, England.

Outerbridge will enrol in a seven-week course headed by former England and Middlesex batsman Clive Radley and will be joined by 15 fellow young cricketers ranging between the ages of 17 and 21.

In addition to overseeing regular indoor coaching and practice matches, Radley also conducts certification courses in a number of other topics including First Aid.

For Outerbridge, this will be another step in his quest to attain professional status. Last year the Bay player ventured south to the Caribbean where he took part in a course at the Shell Cricket Academy located in St.George's, Grenada.

Outerbridge, a former Bermuda Under-19 skipper, will also take part in preparation and hosting for the upcoming England versus Zimbabwe Test match, scheduled to start later this month. He will also be at Lord's for the One-Day International between the two Test playing nations.

Bermuda's Arnold Manders and Clevie Wade were the last two locals to enrol at the prestigious MCC Indoor School at Lord's in the late 1970s.

"We see the elite cricketer development as a key adjunct to the Board's focus on the youth cricket programmes in Bermuda," commented BCB president Reggie Pearman yesterday. "By exposing some of our better young players to these kind of unique opportunities we hope will lead not only to personal improvement as a cricketer, but also filter through into the clubs as the players share their experiences."

The Board were able to secure a place for Outerbridge by leveraging contacts at the MCC. The Bay player's seven-week excursion will allow him to join a host of county level young cricketers that work full-time at Lords honing their skills before they join county squads.

"We are grateful to the assistance of our friends at the MCC and hope to continue this relationship that will provide a premium opportunity for Bermuda's up and coming young cricketers," added Pearman. "Stephen's time will be especially fruitful and exciting as he will be able to participate in the preparation and hosting of the England v Zimbabwe Test match later this month and also the One-Day Internationals at Lord's."

The BCB chief also thanked Outerbridge's employers, The Marketplace and his club for their assistance in helping to bring this latest venture to fruition.

Outerbridge departed for the UK last Saturday to join another aspiring local player, Stefan Kelly, who is also overseas honing his skills at Oakham College in Leicestershire, England.

The budding right-arm fast bowler received a generous $30,000 scholarship to attend the prestigious school from the Bank Of Bermuda Foundation for the next two and half years.