Different players, different coach, same result.

Cricket followers will need to contain their frustration and continue to be patient as a changing of the guard at national level clearly won't bring immediate success.

Coach David Moore has reason to be pleased after the team battled in a losing cause against a strong West Indies High Performance team in Toronto on Wednesday. But he'll also recognise that relative success had much to do with skipper and former English County player David Hemp who, not for the first time, came to the team's rescue.

Hemp compiled 72, more than half of Bermuda's total, thumping seven sixes which added some respectability to the final outcome.

Moore won't get, nor expect, immediate results from a team of rookies who he has cobbled together from a bunch of players barely out of school with little or no international experience.

And both he and the players will be using this tour to gauge where they stand in comparison to other ICC Affiliate teams, many of whom have shown a vast improvement in the last few years.

Countries that Bermuda, six or seven years ago, might have beaten comfortably are considerably stronger.

While Bermuda were putting another tick on the loss column, Afghanistan – hardly a cricket powerhouse – were beating a Pakistan Select side in Pakistan.

Given the match-fixing allegations against the Asian Test team in the last few weeks, we can rest assured this was a match they were desperate to win to avoid further embarrassment. Instead it was a result that sparked wild celebrations in Kabul.

The match in Toronto will have put an exclamation mark on the huge gap that exists between domestic cricket and that played at the international level.

However, what must be taken into consideration is that for many of the young Bermudians this was their first opportunity to play a team of quality.

In a game reduced to 30 overs because of rain, they will have realised that their batsmen had to be far more judicious with their shots than required back home, and that their bowlers had to think about every delivery to keep the batsmen guessing.

Moore will have quickly realised the deficiencies but still has several months to work with these same players before next April's World Cup qualifiers in Dubai which will also determine whether Bermuda can remain in tier two of the ICC World League or drop to the bottom of the pile in Division Three, the consequences of which don't bear thinking about for a country that only four years ago were bathing in the World Cup spotlight.

It remains to be seen whether Moore will attempt to balance the team by reintroducing more of the senior players or stick with the current crop who have certainly shown more enthusiasm and commitment in training than some of their predecessors.

The squad has needed new blood for some time and the youngsters who have been knocking on the door have now been given chance to show their worth.

The coach has seen the potential of his young charges, and as he has emphasised so much since his arrival, it's not all about talent. That's only part of the package.

Those who fail to train consistently will be overlooked. Those who show a willingness to learn will be considered.

The beauty of the current team in Toronto is that they all earned their place and weren't picked on reputation, despite their lack of experience.

It's unlikely that Wednesday's result will have dented their confidence, knowing they were up against a team they were never expected to beat.

They will also be the underdogs in the upcoming games against Canada, despite Moore's assertion earlier this week that the hosts are there for the taking.

It's too early to judge but there are some signs this new crop can lift Bermuda out of the doldrums.

And if they can't it would appear our national sport has reached a stage, for the time being, that is beyond repair.

– ADRIAN ROBSON