Education may be king in Bermuda, but for the rest of the world the chance to become a professional sportsman is the dream for most.

Not many are given the opportunity to make a living doing something that they love. However, for Stephen Outerbridge there is a realistic chance he might be able to do just that.

For the Bermuda national team batsman, it will be this that drives him in his final year at the University of Wales Institute (UWIC) in Cardiff which, along with Cardiff University, makes up one of six University Centres of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE) in the UK.

"If the option does arises, I'm going to try and push my luck with a few counties and see if I can get some trials, somewhere, anywhere," he said.

Outerbridge has every reason to believe that a trial, at least, is within his grasp.

Last season he scored 85 against Northamptonshire, and followed that up this summer with his first century for Bermuda against Scotland.

"We'll see what happens. I'm not too sure, but I've had a reasonable season, so hopefully somebody has seen me and word has got around," he added.

"I got some runs against Northants last year, and I've been pretty consistent against the counties. I've also had the benefit of playing international cricket, and I have my British passport. So that gives me a head start on the Kolpack players, as I qualify as a full British national, so I won't have those problems.

"I'll sit down and talk to Kevin Lyons (the UCCE coach), and see what he says and go from there, but he has a lot of contacts."

Outerbridge has matured beyond all recognition as a batsman since going to UWIC, and lays much of the credit for this at Lyons' feet.

"He's very old-fashioned in his style of coaching, but I think sometimes the traditional methods still work for certain players.

"It's straight out of the text book sometimes, except for a few little alterations, and working with your own knowledge and what you have learned from the game. He's a strong believer in the backlift coming down straight, and head position, and that's it. He doesn't believe in trigger movements and a lot of fancy stuff that a lot of coaches are coming up with.

"He doesn't like sweeps. If you're going to play a spinner, play it straight, play the percentage. I guess it's like an old-fashioned cricketer, which is good, it's helped me out a lot because I don't think we get taught enough of that here in Bermuda.

"I think a lot of people just want to see the ball flying over the ropes, and against good opposition you've got to be able to work the singles, and find the gaps and not play this shot or that shot."

Outerbridge, though, isn't pinning all his hopes on making it as a professional. He's also studying for a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, with the hope of becoming a physiotherapist should he need a career outside of cricket. But that will only be after he has exhausted all the other possibilities.

"My official training starts back up on October 1. A few guys are starting already, but my body is still killing me," he said.

"I'm getting cramp for no reason, so I'm going to take a few more days off, and then kick back in.

"My body's never been put through the ringer like this, training every day in the hot sun, like three or four times a day.

"You train with the national squad twice, and then go with your clubs some days, and then you have family life. But I enjoyed it. I went back to work for Dunkley's for a week and I can see why people say I'm blessed.

"It wasn't a bad job, but (with the cricket) you're doing something that you love and I don't want to work anymore, I just want to play cricket and I'm just in that mood to just play cricket."