THREE Croydon youngsters have been signed up for the Pemberton Greenish Surrey Academy for the 2011 season.

Aman Shinwari, Michael Burgess and Jack Winslade have all been given a great opportunity to forge a career in professional cricket after being accepted on the programme.

During the season, they will play for the PG Academy side in a full fixture programme against sides from the Ryman Surrey Championship, as well as their club teams and other Surrey representative sides at U17, second XI and potentially first XI level. This will be complemented by a full programme of mentoring, strength and conditioning coaching and personal support.

As the season progresses, they will continue to have opportunities to train with the first team squad, giving them further understanding of the mental and physical qualities required to pursue a professional career at the highest level, the ultimate goal of Surrey's player pathway which has already created 12 members of the current first team and three other players who are pursuing first-class careers at other counties.

As well as the obvious cricketing benefits, all participants will also achieve a National Vocational Qualification in sporting excellence.

Winslade is currently in South Africa with the England U17 Development Programme, having been a standout member of the Surrey age group that has won consecutive national trophies at U15, U14 and U13 level. He is a right-handed all rounder who bowls fast medium.

Burgess is a pupil at Cranleigh School and representative of Cheam CC'S. The 16-year-old wicket keeper batsman is a former Bunbury Scholar with significant experience of age group and PG Academy cricket.

Shinwari is a 16-year-old fast bowler originally from Afghanistan. A pupil at Whitgift School, he has represented the PG Academy side on a number of occasions.