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Bermuda's first full-time cricketers are currently training six days a week as our boys begin their final preparations for the World Cup.

Though the contractual details have yet to be revealed, a core group of 14 players (listed on page 38) has taken leave of absence from their jobs and will be fully paid up members of Team Bermuda until the tournament in March 2007.

The chosen 14 - along with a handful of others like Delyone Borden, Oronde Bascome and OJ Pitcher who are away at school - form a 21-man training squad, from which the final 15 will almost certainly be selected.

Coach Gus Logie, who has constantly said his door was open to new blood, conceded that he was now unlikely to look beyond the loyal group of dedicated players who have formed the nucleus of his squad from day one.

And he said the training they were currently undergoing - a mix of regular net sessions, intensive fitness work and yoga and pilates - would only accelerate the gap between them and the rest of the pack.

Any Bermudian cricket fan could pick the core of the squad with Clay Smith, Irving Romaine, Janeiro Tucker, Dean Minors, Dwayne Leverock, George O'Brien et al temporarily leaving their respective jobs to commit themselves to cricket full-time.

But there are a few surprises on the fringes with Arthur Pitcher jnr and Rodney Trott also part of the set-up - at least for the build up to the South Africa tour.

BCB chief executive Neil Speight confirmed that 14 players were on secondment to the national team.

He said that included the four men who are currently away at the ICC's academy in South Africa.

He added that the core squad was supplemented by players who were still part of the plans but were away at school or were contracted on less formal arangements.

Of the chosen few, Logie said: "These are the players that have been with us from the inception. They have benefited from the technical and tactical work that we have done and it is no secret that these are the guys we are looking at for the World Cup.

"He said others had been given opportunities and had forced themselves into the reckoning, while others had refused to be part of the set-up.

The likes of Oronde Bascome, Rodney Trott and Malachi Jones had been included, he said, with one eye on ICC 2009.

Physio Craig Brown, who devised the week-by-week programme, said the squad was adapting well to the rigours of life as full-time athletes.

The working week starts with a 'Biggest Loser' style weigh-in, with the players getting on the scales - as they do in the television programme - to show how much they have lost.

Brown said they were also put through some 'boot camp' style drills by fitness trainer Munroe Darrell with weekly sessions at Horseshoe Bay.

Yoga and pilates are also an integral part of the programme as the players strive to improve their core strength and develop breathing techniques to help them handle the pressure of being out in the middle. He said rest and recuperation was also factored into the programme with the players needing to strike a balance between working hard on their game and ensuring they had enough in the tank for the heavy schedule (two four-day games and seven one-day internationals they will face on the Africa tour.)

"The commitment from the players has been incredible. They have never had to go through anything like this before. It's a new adventure for all of Bermuda sport and they are setting a precedent that will hopefully benefit all sports on the island in years to come."

Senior spinner Dwayne Leverock, who has taken time off from his regular job as a police officer, said the programme was challenging but fun.

He said: "It's pretty much like going to work every day. If you put in the time you reap the rewards."

He said the sessions were physically more demanding than his regular work.

"We are out in the hot sun training all day but we are enjoying every session, we are pushing each other and encouraging each other and having fun."

He said the pilates and yoga had taken some getting used to but the players had received it with open arms and were progressing nicely.

Coach Logie said it was great to be able to work with the players on a more regular basis.

"It's not just more time - it's quality time. In the past we had players coming from their jobs tired, physically and mentally. Now we have that quality time with the players."

He said the past few weeks had been more about physical fitness, but the switch had been made to focus on cricket skills in the build up to the Africa tour.

"It's good for us to be able to work with them on a daily basis but it also builds on the whole team atmosphere."

He said there were a few notable absentees with Romaine, Kwame Tucker, Stefan Kelly and Kevin Hurdle away at the ICC academy in South Africa and others away at school.

But he said the benefits of the training they would receive outweighed the slightly negative effect of taking them away from national training set up and the team bonding sessions.[[In-content Ad]]

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