Bermuda 245-5, beat Sinoville

Invitational XI 243-9, by five wickets

Vice-captain Stephen Outerbridge climbed out of his sick bed to hit an unbeaten century and lead his team to victory in their opening game at Sinoville Cricket Club yesterday.

Outerbridge hit 105 off just 97 deliveries, smashing 14 fours in the process, against a Sinoville side that also included Bermuda bowling trio Jim West, Ryan Steede and Jordan DeSilva.

The innings was the perfect way for the Bailey's Bay batsman to respond after he ran out skipper David Hemp for just 14 as the tourists slipped to 79 for three in the 12 over.

And Outerbridge's innings was all the more impressive considering he had only returned to the nets on Saturday after picking up a bug on the flight from the UK.

"Under the circumstances I'm happy with my innings," said Outerbridge. "I didn't feel I had to make amends (for the run out), I think my role in the team is to score runs and whatever is happening around me doesn't bother me.

"I'm there to score runs, that's my only concern.

"I've been sick for the last three or four days, so I haven't done too much. I had a hit yesterday with the bowling machine and cranked it up to 90mph, and I guess that did the trick."

In fact, all the batsmen looked in good nick yesterday and coaches David Moore and Arnold Manders will have few worries in that department heading into the four-day game against Namibia.

The biggest problem for the pair will be trying to decide which of the six seam bowlers at their disposal to use.

If they were hoping yesterday's practice game was going to help them they were left sorely disappointed, and the likelihood is that tomorrow's second match will prove to be the deciding factor in who makes the cut.

All the bowlers showed that they have something to offer on a flat track that gave very little help to either team.

One name certain to be on the list is that of Malachi Jones. The new Willow Cutts player was the pick of the bowlers and took three for 45 from his ten overs.

Jones bowled with pace and aggression from first ball to last and in truth was unlucky to concede as many runs as he did.

Of the rest, Justin Pitcher had the most disappointing day, taking just one for 59 from eight overs but he had the misfortune to bowl half his overs at Sinoville batsman Steff Le Roux, whose perfectly paced 82 rescued his side from certain disaster.

Le Roux came to the wicket with his team struggling at 53 for five but a partnership of 64 with Alex van der Merwe (34) and 62 with Steede (37) took the Sinoiville team to within striking distance of a defendable total.

The South African measured his innings well, taking 82 deliveries to reach his half-century and scoring just one four in that time. In contrast his final 32 runs came from 19 deliveries, and included five fours and a six.

By the time he departed at 239 for nine, his side had set Bermuda a competitive target, not that they looked like getting past 150 at one stage.

At the start of the innings it took Pitcher just four balls of his opening over to make the early breakthrough, and wickets fell regularly from then on, with Kelly, West, who bowled for both teams, and Jones all getting in on the action.

Before Le Roux, opener Andre Malon (25) looked like he might get his side going but Jones ripped out his middle stump with a ball that nipped back sharply and brought his innings to a grinding halt.

It was Jones who returned at the death to finally bring an end to Le Roux's innings, having caught him behind by Jekon Edness.

In reply Chris Foggo (22) and Fiqre Crockwell (25) got the tourists off to a flyer, even though both rode their luck at times. Foggo was missed in the slips in the first over off the bowling of Marshall Cole, and Crockwell was dropped in the gully by David Bunn soon after.

Even so, the pair raced away to a quickfire 40 before Foggo was eventually caught at first slip by Heinrich Claasen with the score on 42. Crockwell was next out, the victim of an lbw decision that looked slightly harsh.

When Hemp was run out by Outerbridge, going for a single that wasn't there, Bermuda were in a precarious position at 79 for three.

Outerbridge though rescued the situation, and alongside Romaine (27) and Edness (21 not out), saw the team home with 10.4 overs to spare.