Stephen Bremar jr and Jordon DeSilva, two of the Island?s top future cricket prospects, have been ruled out of the Under 19 national squad scheduled to depart for Barbados next week for failing to meet strict Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) academic standards.

The BCB have repeatedly stressed in the past that all youth cricketers involved at the national level must maintain satisfactory academic grades in order to be considered for team selection.

And it is now believed the Under 19 pair are the first youth cricketers to bear the full brunt of the Board?s tough stance after falling shy of academic requirements.

DeSilva captained Bermuda?s Under 15 national team on a tour of Trinidad in Aril of this year, while Bremar debuted for the senior national who also toured the Caribbean Island in April.

?I think this is the first issue of this nature that has come up. But I think it is good as it sets a precedent so that in future years everyone will recognise that we are stressing the importance of academics which is critical in this day and age,? stated BCB executive Wendell Smith.

?This is a situation where the Board is encouraging youngsters to set their priorities straight and ensure they take care of their educational requirements.?

Smith, himself a long-serving educator, again stressed the importance of having an education.

?Education is the passport to the future and I think it?s important our kids realise this because you need to have the education in order to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise,? he added.

?And it?s not just the academic aspect but also the social development to helping children realise the importance of good etiquette, ethics and morals so that we help to develop them totally.?

During the Under 15s tour of Trinidad earlier this year DeSilva performed admirably with both bat and ball while Bremar plundered an unbeaten 150 playing for a local select against visiting Haverford College at the National Sports Centre last month.

Yet while Smith acknowledged both players will be missed, he noted their unavailability will open the door for someone else to compete in the Sir Garfield Sobers Schools Tournament with the Island?s youth squad.

?In any scenario when you take out to key players obviously it will have an impact. But like we always say in sports, someone else will have to step up and seize the opportunity,? he stated.

However, this latest revelation could not have arrived at a worse time as five other key members have opted not to tour Barbados with the Under 19 cricket national squad squad who depart for the Caribbean next Friday.

St.George?s? pair Jade Foggo and Jahron Dickinson, St.David?s? Marquel Crockwell, PHC?s Marquel Waldron and Warwick?s Sean Perinchief have all decided to represent Bermuda?s Under 20 national football team who are scheduled to compete in the Concacaf Under 20 Championships in the US Virgin Islands from July 10 to 17 instead.

?In the final analysis what we have here is a case of soccer and cricket opportunities transpiring at the same time. And there is nothing we at the Board can do about that as far as the scheduling of events overseas goes,? Smith noted.

?It?s just unfortunate that both sports events are happening at the same time and obviously we have kids who are talented in both sports who have made a decision (to play football) and we wish them well.?