Bermuda suffered another meltdown at the crease just before the close of yesterday's play on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup match in Dublin with hosts Ireland, and now risk being forced to follow on their second innings when play resumes this morning at the plush Clontarf Cricket Club.

In reply to Ireland's colossal 524 for eight declared in 133.5 overs, Bermuda stumbled to 180 for eight at stumps after losing four-wickets in the space of 28 runs during the final hour as the Irish tightened their stranglehold on the match.

Bermuda need another 195 runs to avoid the dreaded follow-on with tailenders Stefan Kelly (two) and Ryan Steede (one) unbeaten at the crease and only last man George O'Brien Jr. left in the hutch.

Just when it seemed as though the tourists would suffer no further damage before close of play, having lost their first four wickets with 149 runs on the board, Ireland's persistence finally paid off as the visitors lost their footing at the death.

Skipper Irving Romaine, who cracked an unbeaten ton against the Dutch in Holland last week, appeared destined for another big score. But after dispatching five boundaries to the fence Romaine's 42-ball innings came to an abrupt halt when he offered an easy return catch to leg spinner Greg Thompson, having added 30 runs for the fifth wicket with young Rodney Trott (13) who batted with a maturity seldom witnessed on the Island's current tour of Europe.

Trott and number seven bat Dwayne Leverock (18) provided temporary stability by adding another 24 runs for the sixth wicket. But after off spinner Andrew White - fittingly nicknamed 'the finisher' - had Trott taken behind, Bermuda quickly slipped to 177 for eight to place the Irish firmly in the driver's seat heading into today's third day of play.

Off spinner White has so far claimed two for nine off three overs, but it is fellow off spinner Kyle McCallan who has tormented the Bermudians most. McCallan produced a devastating 16-over spell, 11 of which were maidens, and has claimed one for 14.

Prior to the visitor's late afternoon demise, opener Stephen Outerbridge returned to form with the bat by clobbering 53 off 98 balls in 117 minutes to lead his team's resistance.

Outerbridge belted ten fours and rode his luck after being put down at second slip and gully and along with Lionel Cann (23) shared in a 64-run second-wicket stand after Bermuda had lost opener Jekon Edness (eight) cheaply in the fifth over.

Cann hung around for 24 balls and hit two sixes ¿ the first of the match ¿ and a four before he was trapped leg before in the 18th over.

Number four bat James Celestine also had a good start but failed to go onto to a big score. The Grenada-born batsman hit 23 off 40 balls before he was scooped up at silly mid-off pushing forward in defence to the spin of McCallan who was ably supported by leg spinner Thompson

(two for 36) and seamer David Langford-Smith (two for 40).

Earlier, skipper Trent Johnston thumped a run-a-ball half century (61) before Ireland made the declaration shortly after lunch.

Johnston stroked seven fours during his 104-minute stay at the crease as the Irish added another 162 runs to their overnight tally of 362 for three.

Led by the guile of left-arm spinner Leverock, Bermuda's bowlers finally made inroads when play resumed under cloudy skies yesterday morning.

Leverock finished with impressive figures of four for 98 off 30.5 overs, including five maidens, while perseverance paid off for seamer Steede who took two for 100 off 27 overs with five maidens.

Among Steede's victims was opener William Porterfield who could only add 13 runs to his overnight total of 153 before giving the bowler a comfortable return catch to become the fifth Irish wicket to fall at 405.

The left-handed batsman's superb knock of 166 arrived off 326 balls, featured 21 boundaries, and lasted 407 minutes.

Ireland's massive first innings total is the current Intercontinental Cup champions' second highest in the competition thus far, having fallen just seven runs shy of the 531 achieved earlier this year against United Arab Emirates.