Bermuda kept their Under-19 World Cup qualifying hopes alive after sending the United States crashing to a second narrow defeat in the space of three days.

Charles Trott starred with bat and ball, taking five wickets as the US were skidded out for just 109.

The Bermuda bowler then scored 18 valuable runs in a tension-filled affair as Bermuda squeezed home by one wicket.

The home side made hard work of their run chase, slumping to 62 for seven before an eighth-wicket stand of 35 between Trott, batting at No 8, and Shakeal Outerbridge took them to within 13 runs of victory. Two more wickets fell on 97 and 108 as Bermuda stumbled within sight of the finish line.

However, last man Micah Simons turned a ball from Nahusha Rao to mid-wicket for two runs to win the match and spark scenes of celebrations.

Bermuda’s hopes of finishing second in the group and advancing to a second qualifying tournament in Nepal this year will hinge on today’s match at Somerset Cricket Club between Canada and the US, before Bermuda close out the tournament against Canada on Saturday at St David’s.

Trott led the batting yesterday with 18 not out from three fours, after earlier doing his bit with the ball, as he and Chare Smith claimed five wickets each to rip through the US batting. The Americans were minus the injured Alex Shoff, who scored a century against Canada on Tuesday. Wicketkeeper Jahnoi Bean-Wilson held five catches.

“My coach asked me if I wanted to come up the order and I said yes and when I got out there I felt pretty comfortable,” said the 16-year-old Trott, who came to the crease with Bermuda in trouble at 51 for six.

“It was a lot of pressure on my head but I just stuck there. To ‘Shak’, I was just telling him to look for the singles and to put away the bad balls. We had a couple of differences with the running but we stuck in.

“I feel good because if we had lost, we would have been out of the tournament, but now that we beat the US, we still have a chance to make it to the World Cup.”

Trott survived an appeal for a catch at slip when the score was 97 as the tension mounted, before Outerbridge was bowled by Keifer Phill for 17. Phill finished with six for 46 from his ten overs, but there was a generous 34 extras helping Bermuda to their total, including 27 wides.

Phill took the first three wickets as Bermuda started badly, slumping to 21 for three and to 50 for five, as Nahusha Rao removed Alex Dore and captain Delray Rawlins inside the first ten overs. Rao finished with two for 40 off 7.2 overs.

Earlier, Trott grabbed five for 30 and Smith five for 27 as the US were slowed up after openers Mohak Buch and Yadunandan Polisetty put on 35 in 7.1 overs. Polisetty was second out on 50 after hitting five fours in his top knock of 31, with Smith and Trott now bowling in tandem.

“In my first over, I bowled trash and Delray was going to take me off, but I asked him can I get one more over and then I got two wickets,” Trott said.

Smith removed both Buch and Polisetty and then No 4 bat Kushal Ganji to make it 68 for three before he closed out the US innings with the last two wickets.

Clevie Wade, the Bermuda coach, was clearly relieved when the winning runs were scored, no doubt wondering if the team had blown their chance after Dore and Rawlins went cheaply, along with opener Bean-Wilson. When Azende Furbert scooped an easy catch to mid-off the last ball before lunch, the team went into the break nervously placed at 51 for six.

“I have stressed to them since January about the mental part of the game and today it came down to it,” Wade said. “They applied themselves well and showed a lot of guts.

“We didn’t get off to a good start, but the middle order came through and the tail wagged. I’m very proud of these guys; they worked hard. You couldn’t ask for anything better, knocking them down for 109 with two five-wicket hauls.”

For the US, it was another close match that ended in defeat after their one-run loss to Canada. Now they need to beat the Canadians today to boost their chances of finishing second.

“If Canada take care of the US tomorrow and we can beat Canada on Saturday, then we go through,” Wade said. “I want to tell the public to keep coming and keep supporting us.”