Guernsey 177-9

Bermuda 180-4

What a difference a day makes!

Quickly erasing the memory of Tuesday?s surprise loss to Lloyd?s of London, Bermuda came out firing on all cylinders at the Eastbourne ground in Sussex yesterday, posting a six-wicket victory which will do much to restore team confidence.

In this, the second of the national team?s pre-ICC Trophy Tournament warm-up games, there was a refreshing determination and enthusiasm which had been sorely missing in their first encounter.

Led again by the explosive bat of Irving Romaine ? he followed his knock of 46 on Tuesday with an even better innings of 69 not out ? Bermuda were always on top of their opponents who just a day earlier had severely tested ICC Trophy favourites Namibia who Bermuda meet at the Hastings CC ground today.

While Romaine anchored the Bermuda innings, he and his team-mates? task had been made easier by the bowling of Ryan Steede and Saleem Mukuddem who both came into the side after missing Tuesday?s match and proceeded to rip through the Guernsey order with three wickets apiece.

Cynics might point to the fact that Guernsey are hardly a power in world cricket and nothing but a convincing victory would have been acceptable. But the Channel Islanders, coached by former England Test and county star Jack Burkinshaw, boasted an impressive record going into yesterday?s match.

The team, who travel frequently and who next week hope to be accepted as full International Cricket Council (ICC) affiliates, include four professionals in their squad and have tasted defeat only twice in the last three years, one of them having come a day earlier.

Among their scalps have been a strong MCC side, minor county team Norfolk and three representative sides from Scotland.

On Wednesday they scared the life out of Namibia, reducing their African opponents to 68-5 before allowing a late fightback which saw Namibia eventually post 278-9 and record a 50-run victory.

Bermuda, however, were never in danger of joining their list of victims.

After restricting Guernsey to 177 for nine in the allotted 50 overs, it was always a case of how, not whether, Bermuda would reach the target.

While it eventually took them more than 48 overs to wrap up the win, and claim the Bank of Butterfield Challenge Cup, skipper Janeiro Tucker, standing in for Clay Smith, explained the plan had always been to give their batsmen as much time at the crease as possible.

?We really wanted to bat the overs out, to get a good feel for the wicket and these kind of conditions,? said Tucker.

?As long as we kept wickets in hand, which we did, I never thought it would be a problem scoring the runs.

?We had a good talk after the game two days ago and I think it all worked out well. We played as a team, as a unit.

?The bowling was real tight, Mukky (Mukuddem) and Ryan (Steede) bowled really well and then the spinners (Dwayne Leverock and Delyone Borden) came on and made it real difficult for them to score.?

With a modest target to chase, openers Albert Steede and OJ Pitcher sensibly played themselves in and at 37 without loss after 14 overs, it appeared that they would go on to build a solid platform.

But Steede, who earlier this week revealed it was his intention to survive the first 17 overs in every match, fell just two short of that target.

Having added 16 to the score, he watched as his fiercely struck drive screamed straight into the hands of Andrew Biggins at deep mid-off.

Chris Foggo joined Pitcher and immediately accelerated the run rate with successive fours and just when it seemed Pitcher, too, was ready to open the blade, he fell to an lbw decision off the spin bowling of Gary Rich having, like Steede, scored 16.

At 58-2 after the 24th over, Bermuda were still well placed, but the eager and sometimes impetuous Foggo seemed anxious to end the match early and while he displayed some wonderful shots off the back foot in an entertaining knock of 24, his insistence on batting as far as two feet out of his crease to the spin attack always looked fraught with danger.

As such, it was no surprise when he saw his stumps shattered by wicketkeeper Jason Ferbrache after wildly swinging and missing a ball from Rich.

That, however, was to be the last of Guernsey?s celebrations.

Mukuddem joined Romaine in the middle and between them they took Bermuda to the brink of victory, Romaine the aggressor and Mukuddem a reliable foil at the other end.

In a partnership of 78 which spanned 18 overs before Mukuddem was lbw to Jeremy Frith for 25, they carried the score from 74-3 to 152-4, leaving the result in no doubt.

Tucker came in to lash a quickfire unbeaten 18 to help finish the job but for the second time this week all the plaudits belonged to the hard-hitting Romaine who smashed seven fours and a six in his unbeaten 69 ? an innings which also showcased his ability to play defensively when required but punish anything off line with unbridled ferocity.

A wide smile on his face after driving the match-winning boundary, Romaine said the hard work he?d put in over the winter was beginning to pay off.

?This is what I?ve been working for ever since November,? he said.

?I?ve put the time in and now I?m reaping the rewards. I just hope I can keep it going. I feel very confident.

?I?ve come on leaps and bounds in recent months and I?m really looking forward to Ireland.?

Earlier Bermuda had got off to a promising start when the lanky Ryan Steede snapped up the first three wickets inside the opening 12 overs, eventually finishing with impressive figures of three for 20 off eight.

He had opener Lee Savident, a player on the books of county side Hampshire, caught by Pitcher for two, enticed Biggins to snick into the gloves of wicketkeeper Dean Minors for three and then removed dangerman Ami Banerjee, formerly a first class cricketer in India, for 20, namesake Albert taking a superb low catch in the slips.

Mukuddem then took over where Steede left off, claiming three for 36 off his ten overs.

His scalps included top scorer Frith (55), caught by Romaine, as well as Duke (40) and Devan Vanden Hever (0), both of whom he clean bowled.

In between there was some impressive spin bowling from Borden and Leverock, who claimed just one wicket between them but continually frustrated the Guernsey bats.

Borden returned one for 26 off nine overs, Leverock nought for 35 off nine, Lionel Cann nought for 12 off five and Janeiro Tucker two for 22 off four.

Of those wickets, the pick was a magnificent running catch taken by Pitcher in the deep to dismiss Andre Van Rooyen off the bowling of Tucker.

Today the action moves further east along the south coast to Hastings where Bermuda will be hoping to gain some measure of revenge over fellow ICC Trophy combatants Namibia.

Four years ago it was Namibia who ended Bermuda?s ICC hopes with a convincing victory in Toronto and while their squad now reportedly includes a number of new faces, they?re again expected to provide formidable opposition in what will be the last of Bermuda?s matches in England before they fly to Ireland tomorrow.