MCC 133 Bermuda 124 Bermuda's national team tumbled to a fourth consecutive defeat at the hands of the visiting Marylebone Cricket Club yesterday as the Island's top batsmen once again failed.

Set a modest target of 134 for victory in 50 overs, it initially appeared the team set to represent the country at the upcoming ICC Trophy tournament in Canada would finally solve the riddle of the visitors.

However, the Charlie Marshall-led outfit promised only to deceive, being undone by some tight bowling and well-placed field settings, together with careless batting.

"We bowled them out for a modest score and just didn't win,'' said coach Winston Reid afterwards. "We just didn't win, we tried our best, and I have to emphasise that we really tried to win this game, but we came up 10 short at the end.

"Maybe a little more application would have been okay, but we tried. It's unfortunate but it's not the end of the world. We're going to go off to Canada where the wickets are different, the ball will come onto the bat a bit more, so I feel the guys will play a lot better in Canada than they've played here.'' Indeed the local bowling was nothing short of superb as they got on top of a long MCC batting line-up and, unlike in previous matches, never allowed them to settle.

Bermuda opened with the medium pace of Herbie Bascome and spinner Hasan Durham on a damp pitch of uneven bounce and MCC were well contained, reaping just 34 runs from the first 10 overs. They lost Robin Jones to Bascome, and after 20 overs had scored just 57, by which time Durham had claimed the scalp of Ian Hampshire. And the figures might have appeared even better, with Bazid Khan being dropped three times on his way to 32, when he was finally bowled by Dennis Pilgrim.

The rest of the order capitulated, the lone resistance provided by strapping Barbadian Philo Wallace, who blasted 39 from 43 balls, including four sixes and one boundary.

O.J. Pitcher, celebrating his 18th birthday, emerged as the top wicket-taker with three for 26 from six overs. Pilgrim took two for 46, while Bascome, Durham, Janeiro Tucker and Dwayne Leverock each bagged one scalp.

Bermuda openers Glenn Blakeney and Albert Steede looked comfortable against the fast medium offerings of Khan and Deon Kruis, methodically moving the score along. But once Steede was adjudged lbw to the promising young Pakistani after scoring six, an all too familiar scenario unfurled.

From 22 without loss Bermuda tumbled to 28 for four. Khan captured his second wicket, that of Blakeney (16), but it was the right-arm seamers from Tim Kirk that wreaked the most havoc. Kirk had Clay Smith (0) caught behind by Steve Marsh and soon after bowled Janeiro Tucker (0) to leave the home side in desperate need of a partnership.

Skipper Charlie Marshall (12) and number six, Dwayne Leverock (21), began a revival, adding 39 for the fifth wicket. However, just as it appeared the tables were turning Marshall attempted to hit his way out of the shackles of the restrictive tactics but only succeeded in presenting a simple catch to Kruis at mid-off.

The very next ball marked the beginning and end of Kwame Tucker (0) as he got a thin outside edge that Marsh took, and after Kirk made O.J.Pitcher (0) his fifth victim, and Leverock finally ended his resistance, the writing seemed firmly on the wall at 73 for six.

MCC complete whitewash From Page 27 Durham, though, had other ideas. Anchoring down at one end, the right-hander thwarted every attack and with Bascome once again a willing partner, Bermuda began to creep towards what now appeared an improbable result.

Bascome set matters alight with some lusty heaves, slamming two sixes and two fours while racing to a top score of 27.

The victory march received a jolt at 108 when a disputed lbw call went against Bascome and umpire Lester Harnett sent him packing.

It was then left to Pilgrim and Durham, and the pair made a gallant try, yet is was not enough as Pilgrim was last out, holing out to Kruis.

Thus completed was a clean sweep by MCC of the four match series versus Bermuda -- two other matches were against Western Stars and a BCBC Select.

Afterwards MCC captain Colin Metson said that he always had confidence in being able to defend even a modest target such as the 133 they posted.

"I think we had a late night last night and came into this knowing that we'd won the series three-nil,'' said Metson, a former county player for Middlesex.

"We tried to get ourselves up for it, but we couldn't, and we didn't play particularly well.

"Bermuda bowled well this morning, but even with 130 we thought we'd set something we could defend, and we knew if we started well pressure would build and we'd have a good chance of winning the game.'' Meanwhile, Bermuda vice-captain Clay Smith summed up matters saying that the local side had under performed and that much work lay ahead.

"I don't think we played anywhere near the level of our capabilities in any of the matches, and it goes to show that we have a lot of hard work to do over the next month,'' said Smith.

"Basically our preparation hasn't been the best but it's still in our players' hands to prepare themselves to the best of their ability between now and June, so we can get over there (Toronto) and be successful.''