Hosts Netherlands turned the screws at the VRA Cricket Club in Amstelveen yesterday to position themselves well within sight of victory over Bermuda in the Intercontinental Cup.

Resuming on their overnight total of 152 without loss, the Dutch — led by a stroke-filled knock of 196 from opener Tom de Grooth — piled up 410 all out in 114.1 overs in reply to the visitor's 183 to establish a potentially match-winning 227-run first innings lead.

Left with 16 overs to bat out the remaining day's play, Bermuda stumbled to 51 for three when stumps were drawn to leave themselves the daunting task of erasing first-innings arrears and salvaging a draw, at the least, with seven wickets in hand when play resumes today.

Opener Stephen Outerbridge, who suffered the indignity of recording a 'King's Pair', was dismissed for the second time in the match without scoring when he was trapped leg before with the first ball of the innings.

And he was soon joined in the pavilion by fellow opener Dwight Basden (seven) and wicketkeeper/batsman Jekon Edness (six) as the Dutch sharpened their claws and moved in for the kill in the closing overs with opener Edgar Schiferli (two for 16) and second change Maurits Jonkman (one for two) leading the battle charge.

But overnight watchman Roderick Masters (one not out) and James Celestine (29 not out) - dropped at second slip shortly after arriving at the crease - managed to survive seven nail-biting overs and a plethora of confident appeals to remain unbeaten at the crease at the close of play.

Pacer George O'Brien Jr. was by far Bermuda's best performer on the day, snaring five for 116, to capture a maiden Intercontinental Cup five-wicket haul.

O'Brien was a constant threat to the Dutch batsmen generating worrisome lift from a good length, pitching the ball down a nagging line. The St. David's quickie bowled 32 overs, spread over four spells, charging in from both ends of the rural grounds and also had four maidens.

Left arm spinner Dwayne Leverock also bowled down a consistent line that reaped hard-earned figures of three for 124 off 29.1 overs with four maidens. Skipper Irving Romaine and seamer Ryan Steede both went wicketless, but were economical during their spells.

But there would be no denying the fact the day well and truly belonged to Grooth, who, with every cut, sweep and drive made life increasingly difficult for the Bermudians, who spent most of the day either toiling under heavy clouds or retrieving the ball from the spacious boundaries.

The diminutive Dutch opener carried his bat for over three sessions while wickets tumbled around him, belting 19 fours and a six off 299 balls in exactly 400 minutes before falling just shy of a double ton.

Earlier, Bermuda's newly found enthusiasm and alertness in the field during yesterday's morning session paid off as the visitors snared three wickets to revive their own hopes. Pacer O'Brien made the long overdue breakthrough with the fourth delivery of the day's first over when he lured opener Alexei Kervezee (69) - who failed to add to his overnight tally — into sweeping a short-pitched delivery into the hands of Basden who held an excellent running catch at mid-wicket.

Lightning then struck twice for O'Brien as he was again rewarded for some hostile bowling when a confident appeal for lbw went his way to dismiss number three bat Bas Zuiderent (two) who offered no stroke to a delivery that cut back off the seam.

At the other end opener Grooth continued to graft runs and completed a well-played century in the 48th over, but was then let off the hook three overs later when Romaine put the batsman down just backward of square off a fired up Leverock.

But the veteran left arm spinner, who bowled 15 overs unchanged either side of lunch, would not be denied four overs later when he uprooted Peter Borren's (22) leg stump as the Bermudians continued to chip away at the Dutch's order.

Holland added 90 runs to their overnight total during the morning session to enter the clubhouse comfortably poised at 242 for three at lunch with the six first innings bonus points in the bag.

When play resumed, the Dutch pushed the pedal to the floor, but lost three additional wickets in the process. In the fifth over after lunch all rounder Geert Maarten Mol (17) took on the arm of Steede and lost as the latter shattered the stumps with a direct hit from the mid-on region.

Bermuda took the new ball in the 80th over and continued to make inroads with pacer O'Brien adding the scalps of all-rounders Mudassar Bukhari (28) and Adeel Raja (0) in the space of three balls.

But the Dutch regained control of the match with the watchful Grooth determined to anchor the innings. The right-handed batsman reached his third half century in the 86th over with a blistering ondrive that split the field and cut a path to the deep cover boundary.

Two overs later O'Brien, frustrated at not getting an lbw decision, was warned by the umpire for making a remark when his confident appeal fell on deaf ears.

Holland added another 106 runs during the afternoon session to stretch their overall total to 348 for six at tea. But the hosts lost their remaining four batsman for the addition of 62 runs when play resumed as Bermuda finished strongly.

De Grooth's marathon innings came to an abrupt halt in the 102nd over when sixth change bowler Outerbridge had the batsman grabbed at point playing a shot off the back foot.

Four overs later O'Brien ripped Schiferli's (15) middle stump out of the ground with a beauty to complete his maiden five-wicket haul at this level, while at the opposite end Leverock's perseverance eventually shone through as the veteran spinner removed the sting out of the host's tail by bagging the last two wickets to fall.

The burly bowler had Dutch skipper Jeroen Smits (26) trapped leg before and Mangesh Panchal (0) caught at long-on without troubling the scorers to claim his third victim of the match and bring a long day in the field to a close.

Play resumes today with Bermuda still some 176 runs in arrears and in desperate need of a better batting performance if they are to avoid a heavy defeat.

Romaine's verdict ¿ see page 16