With Hurricane Charlie lurking menacingly in the Caribbean, the first day?s play of Bermuda under-23s? final three-day match against the Leeward Islands in the Under-19 Caribbean Championships was abandoned on Wednesday.

But although conditions remained distinctly breezy yesterday at the Shedwin Park ground outside Spanish Town, play did get underway just after lunch once the waterlogged outfield had drained sufficiently.

At last report, the Leewards had reached 124 for four having won the toss and decided to bat on a slow, spongy surface.

Shrugging off the disappointments of what has been a harrowing tour for the young, depleted squad, Bermuda started well with the ball, reducing their opponents to 19 for three after 40 minutes of play.

Further success was forthcoming when captain Dion Stovell, fully recovered after a nasty stomach virus consigned him to a hospital bed for the best part of two days, picked up his third wicket to leave their Caribbean opponents reeling at 51 for four.

Bermuda were unable to maintain the momentum, however, and went to tea with no further scalps to their name.

?The guys started really well,? said manager Clevie Foggo.

?We were disappointed to lose the toss but George O?Brien, Steffan Kelly and Dion Stovell have all put the ball in the right place and performed admirably. It has been a difficult tour down here but the guys are really keen to make amends by finishing on a strong note.?

Bermuda lost by an innings inside two days to both Guyana and Trinidad in the two preceding games while their one-day campaign was similarly fraught with difficulties as they endured heavy defeats against Barbados, Jamaica and Leeward Islands.

?It has been a tough time for the under-23s with all the absentees, injuries and illnesses,? said Board chief executive Neil Speight.

?But you have to bear in mind that we went down there without almost all of our best under-23 cricketers, for a variety of reasons, and we never had any expectations. But hopefully the guys who have had the exposure to that sort of competition will come back much improved cricketers.?