Italy 283-8BCB Select 165-9Italy secured a good warm-up victory ahead of the Pepsi World Cricket League Division 3 Tournament when they trounced a Bermuda Cricket Board Select XI by 118 runs at Sea Breeze Oval yesterday.The Italy team, comprising three South Africans and four Australians with Italy passports as well as four Sri Lankans and a Pakistani who have also qualified, were too strong for the Select team led by Irving Romaine. After they won the toss and choose to bat, Italy posted a challenging 283 off their 50 overs as 54 came off the last five overs with Michael Raso (19) and fast bowler Guyashan Munasinghe (33) sharing in an unbroken ninth wicket stand of 47. Munasinghe smashed 25 off the last over from Justin Pitcher who went for 76 in his 10 overs.The Select bowlers — many playing for the first time this season — enjoyed little success after Damian Fernando and Dinidu Marage put on 32 for the first wicket, before Christion Gibbons, who shared the new ball with Pitcher, took two wickets in the space of three runs. However, a third wicket stand of 86 got the Italian team back on course for a big total as they reached 128-3 by the 20th over.Only 30 runs came in the next 10 overs and 42 more were added between the 30th and 40th overs as the local bowlers did a good job of slowing up the scoring before a late onslaught saw Italy push the score towards the 300 mark.Fernando, third out on 121, struck three fours and two sixes in his 41 while Peter Petricola, wicketkeeper Damian Crowley and Carl Sandri at four, five and six steadied things in the middle order with knocks of 41, 32 and 44 respectively as they reached 200-4 at the end of the 40th over. Left-armers Delray Rawlins and Dennico Hollis, the seventh and eighth bowlers used by captain Romaine, shared five wickets between them with Hollis taking three for 37 off six overs and Rawlins two for 47 from 10. Gibbons’ two wickets earlier came at a cost of 29 runs from four overs. The Select bowlers conceded a generous 45 wides, the biggest contribution to their opponents’ total.In reply, the Select also had an opening stand of 32 as Chris Douglas and Chris Foggo laid the foundation for an unlikely run chase. Douglas was bowled for 12 to end the team’s biggest partnership and wickets began to fall regularly after that though Foggo and Tre Manders did offer some early resistance with knocks of 20 and 23 respectively, both hitting four fours.Sammy Robinson in the middle order contributed a team high 27 and tail-ender Joshua Gilbert 26 not out before The Select batted out their 50 overs with nine wickets down. Former Bermuda captain, Romaine, opted not to lend his experience to the batting, choosing instead to let Azande Furbert bat at number 11 as he and Gilbert put on 23 for the last wicket.Italy, like the BCB Select, used eight bowlers and possess a varied attack, including two left-arm seamers and a left-arm spinner, Dinidu Marage, who returned impressive figures of three for 14 from nine overs with three maidens. Left arm medium bowler, Luis Digiglio, took two for 18 off seven overs. Another spinner, Carl Sandre, claimed one for 31 off eight overs and left-arm pacer, South Africa-born Vincenzo Pennazza who shared the new ball with Sri Lankan Gayashan Munasinghe, had one for 37 from seven overs.Further practice matches are scheduled for tomorrow at Sea Breeze Oval and Southampton Rangers where Uganda play Oman and Nepal play another BCB Select captained by Romaine, before Italy play the BCB Select again on Friday at Sea Breeze Oval, though some rain is forecast for later in the week.