The home of cricket beckons for rising stars OJ Pitcher and Chris Foggo.

The youngsters, the best prospects to come out of the Island for some time, are set for trials at Lords, the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club.

Both Pitcher and Foggo, who play for St. David's, have been taken on by Pyford Cricket Club in Surrey, currently under the stewardship of former Bermuda national team coach Roland Butcher.

Pyford play in the Fuller's Brewery Surrey County League but Butcher, whose tenure in control here ended abruptly last year just a few months into his contract, also has close ties with Middlesex, a team he represented for two decades.

Foggo is currently in South Africa where he is attending the Port Elizabeth Cricket Academy on a 14-week course.

But his return to the Island will be brief as Butcher intends to fly him to England by April 18.

"While I was in Bermuda as coach I obviously got to see Chris and OJ," explained Butcher from England. "They impressed me as promising young cricketers."

Each caught his eye in a different way, the coach said.

"OJ is an all-rounder and he struck me as a youngster as pretty mature for a chap his age and really seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He is obviously very talented," he said.

"I think Chris is just as talented but perhaps needs to work a bit harder at his game than OJ. But there was certainly some raw material there."

Butcher, who as well as coaching Pyford will be turning out for the side, said he initially had concerns about playing the two together.

"I arranged for OJ to come in the first instance but I was thinking of somewhere I could put Chris. Initially, I was a little bit concerned about having the two of them together at the same club," he said.

"I wanted them to come over here, work as hard as they could at their game, go back and improve Bermuda's cricket and be role models for any other youngsters I help to come over. My concern was that as they were good friends perhaps I should keep them apart so they could develop on their own.

"However, I was eventually persuaded by the club that they would be OK and I decided to put them together and see how they go from there."

The pair will be playing for the first eleven and after a period of settling in Butcher said he would introduce them to Middlesex.

"I have spoken to Middlesex about them and they will go down to the club where they will train and they will have a look at them," he said.

"I won't rush them. I will let them get here, settle in and get used to the conditions. I will monitor that situation and then tell John Emburey and Middlesex when I think they should come."

As one of the top county sides in the country, Middlesex see a great many triallists and only a small percentage ever get taken on.

"They get lots of players for trials but I have played for Middlesex for 20 years and John Emburey was there for that period of time and I think they trust any judgement that I have," he said.

However, Butcher said he hoped to also encourage other clubs to look at the pair, just in case Middlesex said 'no'.

"If Middlesex think they are of the standard they will obviously monitor the situation. If they need to get them now then that will be the case," he said. "But I will also try to get other people to see them while they are here so they are not putting all their eggs in one basket and they can get experience of a variety of places."

Butcher said he believed, all things being equal, both Pitcher and Foggo would play at a high level some day.

"I think they can be very good if they put their minds to it," he said. "At the end of the day talent is important but it is not the deciding factor in whether you make it or not - hunger is the deciding factor. You can have all the talent in the world and no hunger to succeed and never make it or you can have less talent, be very hungry and make it.

"So, at the end of the day, it is going to be down to the two individuals. I will give them the opportunity, I will help them as much as I can and obviously I will be coaching them as well but, at the end of the day, how hungry they are will decide how far they go."

St. Clair Tucker, a member of Bermuda's Testimonial Committee, said it was a wonderful opportunity for Pitcher and Foggo.

"Roland Butcher has taken the initiative and it's a great chance for the players to realise any dreams they have had of becoming professional players in England," he said. "The opportunities are endless and our youngsters have to seize them. By doing so they can become pioneers for the many other youngsters that are coming through the youth leagues."

Organisers of the forthcoming Americas Cup tournament in Argentina are still waiting for Bermuda to finalise their squad.

The five other teams involved, Argentina, Canada, Cayman, Bahamas and the USA, have all entered their teams, according to Robert Weekes, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) regional development manager.

Weekes said the original deadline was January 31 but the BCBC had informed him selection details still had to be finalised as they had been busy with preparations for this Thursday's annual general meeting.

As a result, Weekes said they had been given until tomorrow to supply the list of names.