Bermuda got their Under-19 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a poor start after suffering a bruising defeat against the United States at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

The visitors posted a challenging total after electing to bat, and then dismissed their hosts in 23.3 overs to chalk up an emphatic 136-run victory in the tournament opener.

“The boys played really well and it’s been a great start for the tournament,” Kumaran Thirunavukkarasu, the United States coach, said. “We got a good total to defend and the bowlers carried out what we planned as well.”

Terry Fray, the director of Bermuda’s Under-19 team, made no excuses for the hosts’ heavy loss.

“At the end of the day we were just outplayed,” he said. “The first phase of our bowling we let them get away a little bit. Then, in the batting, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves by not rotating the strike, and 256 was always going to be a challenge knowing what USA is going to bring from a bowling point of view.”

The American’s emphatic victory overshadowed a fine all round display from Chare Smith, the Bermuda seamer, who claimed four wickets and led the local resistance with a battling knock of 28 batting at number ten.

Smith also dominated a 35 run tenth wicket stand with Micah Simons — the highest of Bermuda’s innings — that delayed the inevitable until the swashbuckling batsman was caught in the deep attempting to clear the long off boundary ropes off the bowling of Alexander Shoff, the United States skipper.

“That was the biggest partnership and they were our ten and eleven batsmen,” Fray said.

“They showed the front line batsmen how to rotate the strike. Micah was holding his end while Chare was scoring the runs and that’s how cricket should be played. We need to get all the batsmen doing that.”

Any thoughts the Americans would be hung over from the previous day’s July 4 Independence Day festivities quickly evaporated into thin air as Bermuda’s opponents grasped early control after opening pair Mohak Buch and Yadunandan Polisetty produced some fireworks of their own via a 129 first wicket stand.

After getting on top of the bowling, the two batsmen produced some delightful strokeplay all round the ground that kept Bermuda chasing leather in the field.

Mohak Buch led the way with an aggressive 76 from 83 balls that included 14 boundaries while Yadunandan Polisetty, the United States wicketkeeper, weighed in with 37 from 55 deliveries.

Buch brought up his half-century and his team’s first hundred in the 19th over with an exquisite drive that raced to the long off fence.

The breakthrough that Bermuda so desperately sought finally arrived in the 24th over when Jordan Smith, the off spinner, trapped the menacing Buch in front of the stumps.

Buch’s dismissal seemed to inspire Bermuda and the accuracy and sharp fielding that had eluded the home team earlier in the innings finally shone through as the run rate dipped and wickets began to tumble at regular intervals.

Smith led the revival with a devastating second spell from the southern end that rocked the United States on their heels on the way to superb figures of four for 44.

Delray Rawlins, the Bermuda skipper, took three for 37 with his left arm spin, while Jordan Smith, the off spinner, took two for 40.

“I was very impressed with the way they responded the second half of their bowling and fielding,” Fray said. “They really pulled it back nicely.”

The next top scorer for the United States was the 50 runs Bermuda leaked in extras, including 34 wides.

Asked to score 5.6 runs per over in reply, Bermuda’s run chase got off to a poor start as United States new ball duo of Keifer Phill and Karan Patel struck early to leave the hosts reeling at 23 for three.

Alex Dore and Rawlins added 18 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter was bowled by Karan Patel, the off spinner, immediately after smashing the bowler out of the ground for the first of only three sixes in the Bermuda innings.

The Americans tightened the noose after picking up two additional wickets with no addition to the score to push Bermuda in deeper trouble at 41 for six.

That Bermuda posted triple digits owed much to two partnerships lower down the order and the 37 runs the United States conceeded in extras, including 24 wides.

Isaiah Richardson and Azende Furbert added 32 for the seventh wicket before Bermuda’s tail wagged with last pair Smith and Simons featuring in the Island’s highest stand.

Smith’s aggressive 19-ball innings contained five fours and a six.

Phill was the pick of the United States’ bowling with three for 25 while fellow seamer Alexander Shoff and off spinners Karan Patel and Sahil Patel claimed two wickets each.

“This is a new bunch of kids and all talented,” Thirunavukkarasu said. “This is the first time we are getting together as a whole team and it has been a great start.”

Bermuda will now look to bounce back when they face Canada today at Lord’s, beginning at 11am.