Bermuda 115 all out

Netherlands 116-2

Holland thumped Bermuda by eight wickets under cloudy skies in Rotterdam yesterday to complete a clean sweep over the visitors who have yet win a match on their current tour of Europe.

Sent in to bat by their hosts after an hour long delay to the start of the match due to earlier showers, Bermuda's batsmen succumbed to another meltdown at the crease before being skittled out for a paltry 115 in 42.5 overs.

Holland replied with 116 for two to romp to their third successive win over Bermuda by a convincing margin within a seven-day period.

Opener Alexei Kervezee (49) and Essex all rounder Ryan ten Doeschate (10) shared in an unbroken 31-run third-wicket stand that carried the Dutch across the threshold to victory with 29.4 overs to spare chasing a revised target of 114 after 15 minutes of play was lost to brief afternoon showers.

"It's been difficult here. The guys have been truly tested at a different level and we need to accept that we have been playing against a higher level of cricket than what we are used to playing at home," coach Gus Logie lamented.

"Many of the players just could not adjust to playing at this level which made things even more difficult while we seem to be making the same mistakes over and over again."

Bermuda again found themselves in early trouble after losing openers Jekon Edness (one) Dwight Basden (five) in the space of 12 runs as the Dutch exploited the new ball.

Lionel Cann hit a run a ball 21 and added 20 runs along with Stephen Outerbridge (13) for the third-wicket to breathe much needed life into the innings.

But the Dutch regained control of proceedings as an all to familiar scenario again began to unfold after Cann, who had four boundaries, was cleanly taken at deep extra cover attempting to loft the returning Maurits Jonkman out of the ground to leave Bermuda reeling at 35 for three after ten overs.

Outerbridge and James Celestine (two) battled on, adding another 20 runs for the fourth wicket, before the Dutch struck another telling blow in the 15th over to trigger a collapse from which Bermuda were never able to really recover from.

Outerbridge lashed out and was snapped up at mid off, skipper Irving Romaine (one) lasted only four balls before giving an easy return catch while Celestine was trapped leg before by a delivery that stayed low as the visitors lost three-wickets in the space of four runs.

Bermuda received rear guard action from Dwayne Leverock (17 not out), Arthur Pitcher Jr. (12) and Ryan Steede (12) as the tail slightly wagged. Fan favourite Leverock again delayed the inevitable playing with a straight bat as the Dutch moved in for the kill, accumulating all of his runs off 74 balls scampering between the wickets.

He also shared in two lower order partnerships that spared Bermuda the embarrassment of being dismissed under the century mark, adding 20 runs for the seventh-wicket with Pitcher and another 14 with Steede for the eighth before the visitor's innings abruptly ended when debutant Chris Lonsdale (four) was yorked in the 43rd over.

Jonkman justified his recall to the Dutch line-up, snatching three for 22 off 5.5 overs, while Doeschate provided good support by taking two for 16 off ten.

In reply, the Netherlands lost the wickets of on form opener Tom de Grooth (31) and Bas Zuiderent (17) in the space of 26 runs, but were never really tested thereafter as Kervezee and Doeschate comfortably set about building a match-winning stand.

Leverock claimed one for 19 off 3.4 overs with one maiden and Steede one for 32 to lead the Bermuda attack.

"We are not making any excuses, but some of the guys were simply out of their depth. They tried, but it just wasn't good enough," team manager Lionel Thomas conceded.

"I would think that Holland was just a stronger team than we were, and there's no two ways about that. But having said that, this was also by no means our strongest team and I'm sure if had our best players available then we could've run closer with these guys."