gambled a share of the spoils with hosts Jamaica and ended up narrow losers in a dramatic rain-affected Red Stripe Bowl match.
The visitors fell 11 runs short of a revised target at the Alpart ground in Mandeville after a superbly disciplined performance in the field had restricted Jamaica -- fielding no fewer than seven players with West Indies international experience -- to 118 for six from 41 overs.
Then a series of downpours, delaying matters for almost three hours, meant the controversial Duckworth/Lewis run-rate method had to be invoked, leaving Bermuda chasing 106 in 25 overs -- no cakewalk on a pitch relaid only three weeks ago and subjected to almost constant rain since.
Captain Charlie Marshall, who made an excellent 25 from 31 balls in a low-scoring match was confident his side could win and was a sorely disappointed and outspoken man afterwards when they had failed to do so.
"I think that when we decided to start the game again we had the upper hand because the conditions were very wet,'' he said.
"We should have won this game today. I'm sick and tired of our cricketers coming so close but not being able to go all the way.
"At one stage , we were 71 for two, guys were supposed to come out there and play their role, but they just buckled. A little bit of pressure got a hold of them.'' Marshall was also critical of the run-rate system. He said: "I'm pretty annoyed because they scored 118 in 41 overs and we had to go out there and score 106 in 25, only because of this system. Under the old system we would have chased 64 which is what they had after 25 overs. But then again, I know Courtney Walsh would never have agreed to start again if we had been chasing that.
"I'm proud of the guys but we're always coming so close, then a little bit of common sense is not taking us all the way through. I'm very disappointed because this is my fourth Red Stripe and I'm seeing us come so close every game. We can compete, the talent is there, but at the last stage guys are not focussing.'' Marshall and Walsh had agreed to start the game again when the rain relented, even though the umpires had told the captains they thought the ground was unfit for play.
Walsh, perhaps mindful that one point against supposed whipping boys Bermuda was a point dropped, was as determined as Marshall to get on with things, even though there were only a couple of hours of daylight left.
Walsh would have thought it was the right decision when he snapped up Dennis Archer for a duck, caught behind after getting a thin inside edge onto his thigh off the former West Indies captain.
But Albert Steede crashed 10 in two balls off spinner Chris Gayle -- a six and four to long leg -- as the Jamaican dropped short outside the leg stump before he paddled a sweep off a full toss from the same bowler to Wavel Hinds at backward square leg to leave Bermuda on 23-2 after seven overs.
Marshall was in positive mode from the start and when Nehemiah Perry replaced Gayle he carted him for a huge six wide of long on. Even better, with a cut shot off medium pacer Laurie Williams, which flew over point and bounced once before hitting the fence.
But after adding 23 with opener Dexter Smith to lift Bermuda to 46-2, Marshall found it increasingly difficult to get the strike.
Smith was struggling to get his timing and missed out on runs several times, looking for the big one instead of the single. Between the 14th and the 18th overs, Bermuda added just 13, well behind the required rate, but Smith finally opened up in the next over, sweeping Perry square for six and repeating the stroke for another boundary next ball.
However he tried one big shot too many and Williams raced in from the long-on boundary to take an excellent running catch.
Smith was gone for 28 and Bermuda were on 71-3, which soon became 73-5 as Gayle, expensive earlier, returned to the attack. He got the crucial wicket of Marshall, bowled trying to force a ball of fullish length on leg stump and then yorked Irving Romaine for a duck.
When Peter Philpott aimed a massive stroke over mid-wicket and missed, Gayle had a fourth wicket.
Clarkie Trott and Ricard Basden did their best but with 33 needed off the last four overs and 15 off the final one from Walsh, the task proved too tall and they both became victims of run outs.
Earlier, Bermuda had left Jamaican paceman David Gibbs out of the starting 11, along with Stephen Outerbridge and Aaron Adams.
The move seemed sensible as the easier pace of Herbie Bascome, Trott and Archer appeared to find extra bite from a sticky wicket which openers Leon Garrick and Gayle were having to watch closely.
Bascome and Trott, bowling in tandem for 12 overs, kept the pair in check, allowing just 23 runs.
Archer's military medium began to find its rhythm and after he had frustrated Garrick with a maiden Bermuda achieved the breakthrough. Basden pitched one up on leg stump with the first ball of his second over and Gayle couldn't resist.
The Jamaican picked it up nicely but Smith at deep mid wicket stayed calm and made a tricky catch on the boundary edge look pretty comfortable.
Basden struck again in his third over, Garrick easing back to cut one to close to him and edging thinly to Tucker, who held a smart catch.
Wavel Hinds, who opened his scoring account with a pulled six off Archer, was the next to go, trying to repeat the shot off the slow left arm of Philpott and holing out to Hasan Durham at deep mid wicket for 14.
The dismissal brought Ricardo Powell to the wicket, the young right hander drawing a full ovation of expectation from the crowd. Powell, who has drawn comparisons with Viv Richards, was not immediately into his stride, finding Basden's length and line too accurate. Basden thought he had him leg before when he flicked at and missed a full toss and then almost bowled him next ball as Powell aimed an expansive cover drive.
Basden finished with an excellent two for 20 from his 10-over spell, but it was Trott who accounted for Powell after substitute fielder Aaron Adams and Archer had got into a mess, both trying to catch the same ball,on the boundary. Talented or not, Powell showed his lack of experience by repeating the shot but got too far under it and Archer safely snappled the opportunity.
One run later, Robert Samuels' full-blooded sweep went like a rocket to Archer at deep mid wicket before Perry gave Philpott his second wicket in as many balls by offering a simple return catch to leave the home side wavering on 98-6.
Dexter Smith: Top scorer for Bermuda with 28.
SCOREBOARD Jamaica L.Garrick c Tucker b Basden 11 C.Gayle c Smith b Basden 15 W.Hinds c Durham b Philpott 14 R.Samuels c Archer b Philpott 28 R.Powell c Archer b Trott 16 L.Williams not out 14 N.Perry c & b Philpott 0 M.Sinclair not out 5 Extras (lb-2, w-11, nb-2) 15 Total (for six, 41 overs) 118 Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-36, 3-61, 4-97, 5- 98, 6-98 Bowling: Bascome 6-0-9-0; Trott 10-1-31- 1; Basden 10-1-20-2; Archer 6-2-23-0; Philpott 9-1-33-3 Bermuda D.Smith c Williams b Perry 28 D.Archer c Sinclair b Walsh 0 A.Steede c Hinds b Gayle 12 C.Marshall b Gayle 25 I.Romaine b Gayle 0 R.Basden run out 10 P.Philpott b Gayle 1 C.Trott run out 7 K.Tucker not out 2 Extras (w-4 lb-3 nb-3) 10 Total (for eight, 25 overs) 95 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-21, 3-71, 4-72, 5- 73, 6-80, 7-91, 8-95 Did not bat: H.Durham, H.Bascome Bowling: F.Rose 5-1-10-0; C.Walsh 5-1- 10-1; Gayle 5-0-24-4; L.Williams 5-0-23-0; Perry 5-0-26-1.
