Montserrat yesterday, as they were convincingly beaten 52-26 by the host nation.

The young Bermuda team were reportedly bothered by a case of the jitters early on and this proved costly, as they surrendered nine penalties, allowing their opponents to take a 12-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.

However, after regrouping at the break, Bermuda closed to within five points at 15-10, but Montserrat again produced a telling surge to lead 22-12 at the half.

The home side continued to utilise a fast-paced passing game to perfection, overunning Bermuda during the second half and outscoring them 30-14.

For Bermuda, Debbie DeShields weighed in with 22 points from her goal shooter position, but lacked support as goal attack Rose Richardson mustered just two points, while Nicole DeGraff notched the remainder after switching from defence to attack in the fourth quarter.

Bermuda face St. Kitts today in their second match.