Bermuda defeated Bahamas at the Americas Division 1 T20 Championship in Florida yesterday to advance to November's ICC World T20 global qualifiers in Dubai.Bermuda won the match by 23 runs at Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale.Led by half centuries from the big bats of Janeiro Tucker and David Hemp, Bermuda posted 168 for three after being sent in to bat on a moist pitch.Seamers Malachi Jones and Greg Maybury then claimed two wickets apiece to restrict Bahamas to 145 for seven in their reply.The result assured Bermuda of finishing second in the points standings behind unbeaten tournament hosts and champions USA.“It feels good to achieve our qualifying objective,” interim national coach Arnold Manders told The Royal Gazette. “It hasn't been easy and has been very demanding,”Man of the match Tucker and former Bermuda skipper Hemp batted Bermuda into a position of strength via a 134-run third wicket stand. The pair revived the innings after Bermuda were two for 21 after three overs following the cheap dismissals of openers Dion Stovell (six) and Stephen Outerbridge (four) who both fell in the space of three deliveries.After a slow start, Tucker and Hemp stepped on the gas and accelerated the run rate towards the end of the innings."We were like 70 something for two after 11 overs and then they picked it up in the last two or three overs,” Manders added. “It was sensible batting."Tucker's unbeaten knock of 79 came off 48 balls and included four sixes and five fours while Hemp's innings of 53 from 49 balls contained four boundaries.Albert Peters (two for 18) led the Bahamas bowling.In reply, Bermuda made early inroads with the new ball to reduce Bahamas to 40 for three in the seventh over before a 66-run fourth wicket stand between Julio Jemison (43) and Jonathan Barry (43) put the Caribbean team back on track.Rudolph Fox (ten not out) and Dwight Weakley (14) added another 25 runs for the seventh wicket but in the end it wasn't enough as Bahamas ultimately came up short of the mark.Jones led Bermuda's attack with figures of two for 20 while Maybury chipped in with two for 24.Bermuda will face Suriname in their final match at the same venue today.Coach Manders is set to ring in the changes to rest players carrying injuries ahead of next week's three 50 over fixtures with USA."We have a lot of aching players and we are trying to rest and play players accordingly so there will be three changes for tomorrow's match,” he said.The former Bermuda skipper revealed that UK- based all rounder Delray Rawlins will join up with the senior national squad in Florida tomorrow.“We have Delray coming in on Monday so that gives us a bit of relief, but we are still short in the medium pace area,” he said.