GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Dexter Smith and Dennis Archer gave Bermuda a rousing start in their run chase against the Windward Islands yesterday but the middle order failed to take advantage and the Island went down by 67 runs to go out of the Red Stripe Bowl competition.

The opening pair, heeding their coaches' call for a more aggressive approach, hammered 35 off the first six overs of their reply to the Windwards' 221 all out.

But when Smith, who hit three consecutive boundaries off the former West Indies and Surrey paceman Cameron Cuffy, was snapped up at short fine leg off leg spinner Rawl Lewis for 18, the following batsmen failed to take advantage.

And although a fine sixth wicket stand of 71 in 18 overs between Janeiro Tucker and Irving Romaine raised hopes of an unlikely Bermuda victory, when they were dismissed within six runs of each other, the writing was on the wall.

Manager Dennis Wainwright, speaking from the team hotel last night, said: "We got off to a wonderful start, Smith and Archer played extremely well, but then a number of the batsmen took a little long to play themselves in.

"Janeiro Tucker and Irving Romaine started to accelerate and they did an excellent job, hitting the ball very well but once we lost them it was going to be a struggle.

"We had about seven overs to go when they were separated and although we had a go, it was always going to be a big task.'' Earlier, the Windwards, who also bowed out of the competition despite their victory, had got off to a fine start at the Everest Ground.

After Junior Murray won the toss and batted, veteran Dawnley Joseph (55) and Balty Watt (43) added 83 in 20 overs before Watt's dismissal, caught by wicketkeeper Kwame Tucker off Peter Philpott, prompted a mini collapse.

Joseph faced 115 balls and struck three fours in his knock as the Windwards began to find runs hard to come by because of tight Bermuda bowling.

Left-arm spinner Philpott, who returned the excellent figures of 2-24 in his allotted 10 overs, removed skipper Murray by upending his off-stump before he had scored.

Man-of-the-match Vernon Dumas, who also made 55, boosted the Windwards to 221 in their 50 overs, hitting a six and three fours in a stay of just 57 balls.

Bermuda captain Charlie Marshall supported Philpott well, taking two for 34, while Archer captured two for 37.

But it was Dumas' innings which disappointed Wainwright most.

"We played much better than against Trinidad but we ended up chasing a much larger target than we should have. We dropped a couple of catches and allowed them to score around 60 runs in the last 10 overs.'' When Bermuda replied, they lost Archer straight after Smith's demise, leg before to left-arm Roy Marshall, who made it a good day for the spinners' union by taking four for 38.

Charlie Marshall rounded off a good all-round performance by hitting 27 before Tucker, who made 37, and Romaine (35) came together.

But after they had boosted the score to 151, the Island lost their last five wickets for the addition of just 13 runs to be 164 all out in 44.4 overs.

Lewis took two for 29 from 10 overs while Cuffy recovered from Smith's assault to grab two for 40 from eight overs. Dumas was tight in his 10 overs which cost only 20 runs.

Wainwright added: "We're a bit disappointed. We thought we really had a chance in this match. We'd had a long session of talking and were really geared up to win this match.'' Bermuda still have to play Guyana tomorrow and will watch them in action today against Trinidad.

"Hopefully, it will be a good experience and we'll learn something,'' said Wainwright. "There will be Test players on both sides and we can watch how they move the scoreboard, how they turn ones into twos. That was where we were lacking today.'' ST. ELIZABETH, Jamaica -- Captain Philo Wallace hit his maiden regional one-day century to power Barbados to an emphatic ten-wicket victory over the United States in their Red Stripe Bowl match at Alpart here yesterday.

Chasing a modest victory target after teenage left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds (4-32) and left-arm pacer Pedro Collins (3-33) combined to restrict the United States to 158 for nine in their 50 overs, Barbados sped to 159 without loss in 37 overs.

Wallace faced 127 balls and struck 10 fours and one six in an unbeaten 104 which bettered his previous highest score of 87 versus Bermuda at Enmore in 1996.

Sherwin Campbell, who made 53 not out, hit three fours and a six from the 87 balls he faced.

It was the fourth consecutive partnership over 85 between Campbell and Wallace and the pair's third century opening stand in the last four outings at the crease.

Wallace, who had posted his 50 with eight fours and a six off 47 balls, rushed to his hundred by flicking medium pacer Nazir to the fine leg boundary.

Not a maiden over was bowled in the innings which ended with Campbell banging medium pacer Mohammed Dawood Ahmad to the boundary with his favourite cut shot.

Earlier, Hinds snapped up three wickets in four balls without conceding a run to trigger a United States collapse.

Hinds dealt his telling blows in the 37th over as the United States slipped from 101 for two to 101 for five.

Among Hinds' victims was opener Rohan Alexander, who top scored with 55 which took 120 balls and included five boundaries.

JANEIRO TUCKER -- slammed Bermuda's top score of 37 in a sixth wicket partnership of 71 with Irving Romaine (35).