BERMUDA’S teenage World Cup bowler Malachi Jones was awarded $4,400 yesterday by Government to attend the MCC Indoor School in England to further his cricketing career.Jones was one of 14 young Bermuda athletes to be granted awards at the annual National Junior Athlete Sponsorship Programme staged at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

Jones (pictured right)<$f"FranklinGothic-DemiCond"> took the wicket of Indian opener Robin Uthappa with his very first ball of the World Cup on Monday in Trinidad which led to delirious celebrations by the Bermuda team — most notably big Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock, who took the excellent catch diving to his right in the slip. The wicket brought tears to the eyes of 17-year-old Jones, who is one of the island’s best young cricketers.

Despite those celebrations, Bermuda were crushed by mighty India, losing by a record margin (257 runs) and giving up the most runs ever in a World Cup game — 413.

Another athlete who was rewarded by Government at the luncheon yesterday was up-and-coming tennis player player Freddy Wade, Jr., the son of the former Progressive Labour Party leader Frederick Wade. The youngster was given $4,220 to attend the ITA High Performance Tennis Academy in Florida to improve his game.

Wade, 15, left Bermuda yesterday with five other members of Bermuda’s Junior Davis and Fed Cup teams to compete in a qualifying tournament in El Salvador which starts on Monday and continues throughout the week (see story on Page 13).

Athletes from 14 sports ranging from football to triathlon to track were given awards yesterday.

For more on the awards, see Sports, Page 14.