ONE was reminded recently that a few years back I wrote that Tim Ravenscroft does not make a professional cricketer I will eat my Cobo cap.

News that young Tim has been given a contract by Hampshire and is on the fringes of the first team where many of his less-talented former county team-mates have not only broken into the senior side but are being touted for great things, makes me a tad relieved as the old cap would require hefty seasoning and add mothballs to the menu.

Has the 2010 Elizabeth College captain got it to be a top cricketer?

The jury remains out on that one because these past two seasons all we have seen is a young man wanting to have fun at the crease as opposed to getting his head down in the pursuit of a shedload of runs.

It has, of course, led to some great entertainment at the College Field, but Hampshire are looking for more than just flash fifties, they will want a committed cricketer who can adapt to the necessities of the professional game.

That means grinding out scores, battling away.

It helps his prospects that Tim is a very handy off-spinner and Hampshire are not over-blessed in that department, but my view is that what it will all come down to is just how much this naturally-gifted player really wants a professional career.

Being a naturally optimistic person, I back him to do it.

INSIDE Track has no complaints with the first four recipients of the Rising Stars initiative to back the island’s most budding young sports stars.

And in Lee Merrien they will find a mentor who has displayed all the credentials required to get to the top: unfailing determination, an understanding of sports science and the problems that go with a sportsman cut adrift of the mainstream elite by the English Channel, a teak-hard mentality and a good all-round character who embraces helping others less talented than himself.

Even since he departed his role as an exceptional athletics development officer, he has continued to coach middle-distance runners with no reward other than the satisfaction of seeing them improve and putting a sizeable amount back into his sport.

It is no wonder Sarnian distance running is in such great shape when you have men such as Merrien and Alan Rowe as mentors/coaches.

It must have been tough for the Commission to settle on just four to immediately benefit and fight the temptation to broaden the list with the consequence of watering down the support available.

It is an interesting age range with Bodman the most senior at 22 and Oldfield the youngest at 12. Loveridge is 16 and Neves 14.

Should there be a minimum age?

I lean towards a yes on that one, only because how often do you see someone excel at 9, 10, 11, but by the time they hit puberty tail off significantly.

Given the amounts the Commission are intent on throwing at these picks there needs to be some very strong evidence that the individuals not only have real potential to succeed at the highest levels but are truly focused in seeing it through.

Funding is never a guarantee of success, but it sure helps and it was good to hear at Thursday evening’s official launch that Rising Stars will soon be followed by the announcement of a high performance squad for the second tier of outstanding youngsters.

Encouragingly, that squad could contain as many as 40.

As Inside Track highlighted last week, the Commission is a huge success story and long may it continue.

GREAT to see Guernsey FC has not been abandoned as a priority by the Guernsey Football Association.

It will be the single biggest advancement in the history of the game in the island and for those with any doubt as to its potential to take the sport forward, then they only have to look at the Jersey Rugby Club.

What a remarkable success story that is and if Guernsey FC is half as successful it will go a long way.

That can happen here if the community gets fully behind the dream GFA boss Mark Le Tissier and others like Tony Vance, Colin Fallaize and the island’s top stars continue to rightly hold onto.