Bermuda's Susan Simons admitted that nerves got the better of her during her tough encounter with top women's darts player Lisa Ashton in the first round of the World Darts Federation (WDF) World Cup.

Simons, who made her tournament debut in North Carolina last weekend, lost 4-0 against world number seven Ashton but said she was honoured to go toe-to-toe with such an esteemed opponent.

"The atmosphere was intense," said Simons. "On the first day my nerves got the best of me. I've never played in front of that many people and wasn't sure what to expect going into this event. It was bigger than I had ever imagined.

"After the first day, once I got to know the other teams and saw a few familiar faces, things weren't too nerve wracking. Lisa was an awesome dart player and a very nice woman. I was honoured to be able to play against her.

"I had a respectable loss to Lisa, although it was still a loss and unfortunately got knocked out in the first round of the ladies' singles."

The Island team included Steve Hickmott, Simon Carruthers, Vernon Daniels, Jon Almeida, Liz Hickmott and Simons. Carruthers was the most successful, coming close to beating Vladimir Ovchinnikov, from Russia, in a tense best-of-seven match which he lost 4-3.

Daniels (4-1), Almeida (4-2) and Hickmott (4-1) were all defeated in the men's competition, while Hickmott fell 4-0 in the women's tournament.

Simons believes she could have progressed to the next stage had she not been handed such a tough draw. "Everyone was very supportive of the newcomers, which is why I feel I threw better darts on day two," she said.

"I know what to expect next time though and plan on working really hard to up my level of play.

"I learned that to be great at anything you have to dedicate your time and lots of it.

"Most of the top players in the world do not have jobs – playing darts is their job.

"I threw such good darts that had I drawn a slightly lower ranked female I believe I would have advanced."

The next World Cup is in 2011 and Bermuda will now start their preparations for the Caribbean Cup next June in Jamaica.