Players in Bermuda's Under-19 World Cup cricket squad have been told to "think big" and be willing to leave no stone unturned in pursuit of excellence.

Earlier this year Bermuda qualified for the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after going unbeaten in the Americas Championships in Toronto.

Now, according to legendary West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose, comes the daunting task of proving they belong there.

"It's much easier in a way to get into a competition. But once you get there then that's when the hard work really starts because for you to go the distance you have to play much better than the teams you are competing against," the former Windies pace ace told Under-19 players and team officials at the National Sports Centre on Saturday.

"Many teams have made the mistake of thinking once they have made the competition they can relax. No, that's when you have to work twice as hard to sustain the competition.

"You have to go there thinking that you are the best because if you start to doubt your own ability then you are not going to make it. You have to always think big and think that you are the best and you will get success, no matter what the conditions.

"You have to believe in yourself and in your team-mates as well because you are going to have times when you are not going to do well and so you will have to look at your team-mates to pick up some of the slack, and vice-versa.

"So to be a unified team, each individual has to believe in the team and of course believe in themselves as well to be successful."

Ambrose went to great lengths underlining the importance of discipline and urging the local cricketers to set proper examples for others to follow – both on and off the pitch.

"Discipline is a big, big part, not only in the way you play on the field, but off the field as well," he said. "You have to carry yourself in a particular way off the field as well because people are always watching you."

Accompanying Ambrose to the Island over the weekend was fellow Antiguan Sir Viv Richards, Bermuda's appointed Stanford 20/20 legend, who encouraged the Island's young cricketers to take pride in representing their country.

"In my opinion to wear something that says I am a representative of my country is like a diploma or even a bachelors degree. And when you get that opportunity you should always relish that because it's the greatest honour to represent your country whether it is in academics or sports," said Richards, record holder for the fastest century in Test cricket.

He also stressed the importance of fitness, something he felt is presently lacking in the Caribbean.

"Fitness could be the number one thing because if you are not fit to even walk out into the park then you are not going to achieve anything or get anything done," Richards said.

Like Ambrose, Richards acknowledged Bermuda's success in Toronto earlier this year but warned the Island's young cricketers not to be lured into a false sense of thinking that they had 'arrived'.

"You must be as humble as possible and not get carried away with success because there's going to be so many more obstacles coming your way when you start hitting success," Richards said.

"It's all about how you are going to cope and channel this success into your life to help to develop you into a positive individual."

Under-19 assistant coach Andre Manders described the former Test stars' brief visit to the island as "timely" and hoped their advice will have made an impact.

"We are going to need all of the advice we can get and hopefully the guys will have learned from the experience," Manders said. "But I am really glad they (Richards and Ambrose) placed a lot of emphasis on discipline, which I think is very important."