USA 254 for 7

BERMUDA 173 for 9

Bermuda lost by 81 runs

***

BERMUDA suffered an 81-run defeat yesterday to the USA in their ICC Americas Championship title defence in Florida. And with Canada still to come, Bermuda's backs will be against the wall to retain the title they won in 2006 in Canada.

This was the first stiff test Bermuda faced in Florida as they handily beat the Cayman Islands on Tuesday with a 73-run victory. On Wednesday Bermuda not surprisingly beat a very weak Suriname by a massive 224 runs after amassing 290 for three in their innings while Suriname could only muster 66 runs.

Yesterday Lionel Cann was Bermuda's top scorer with 78 despite suffering from cramps.

Bermuda won the toss and put the USA into bat and saw opening batsman Sushil Nadkarni hit 16 before being caught by Dwayne Leverock off Justin Pitcher's bowling. That was an early relief for Bermuda as Nadkarni is America's danger man having struck centuries in the previous two games.

But it was Jamaica-born Rashard Marshall who smashed 71 off 59 balls and added 113 for the sixth wicket with Aditya Thyagarajan who made 42 from 56 balls that made Bermuda suffer especially after the USA had slumped to 117 for five.

Top bowler for Bermuda was Pitcher who captured trhee wickets for 45 runs.

Top bats for Bermuda were Cann who struck 78 off 94 balls and Stephen Outerbridge who struck 41 from 79 balls but English professional David Hemp only managed 12 runs before the tail collapsed.

USA fast-medium bowler, Pakistani-born Imran Awan, had superb figues with three for 16.

Before leaving for Florida, Bermuda national coach Gus Logie warned that it would be the USA and Canada who would be Bermuda's main opponents to lift the crown this week ¿ and he was proved right yesterday.

Both Canada and the USA warmed up for the tournament by playing in the Regional Limited Overs Competition in Guyana against the likes of Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad.

And although they suffered comprehensive beatings in Guyana it obviously helped their play in Florida this week.

The USA won the Americas Championshipin 2002 while Canada won in 2000 and 2004.

Bermuda will now have to regroup before they take on an improved Argentina on Saturday before winding up the tournament on Sunday against Canada.