Competing in the West Indies Under-19 Cricket Challenge has been "an eye-opener" for players in the Rest of the Americas (ROA) team.

Speaking on the eve of their final match in Guyana, ROA coach Mark Harper said the combined unit - comprising cricketers from Bermuda, Argentina and the Cayman Islands - "are rubbing shoulders with some quality players and are understanding what it takes and the quality of their peers at this age".

There has been little for the ROA to shout about in the two-phase competition, having lost every match in One-Day segment and now suffering two innings defeats, compliments Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, in the three-day competition. All this despite the ROA being allowed to field over-aged (Under-22) players.

"In the One-Days we were much more competitive. We are doing reasonably well in the field but our batting has not reached its potential at all. Basically, that's it.

"The bowling here is much more accurate.

"It's not that it's anything our guys can't play. It's just that in Bermuda you might get four good balls and two loose deliveries but here you're getting five or six accurate overs.

"It's not very penetrative stuff, just very steady and you're not getting a lot of opportunity to score. Also, you're coming up against bowlers who are capable of bowling the unplayable ball to our guys," explained Harper, assessing his team's plight.

"One of the main things also is the focus and the concentration. It's a different kind of cricket over here. Everything is a bit laid-back in Bermuda. Here the fielders are quicker and they throw more accurately, so if you make a mistake running between the wickets you're likely to get run out."

It Is this difference in standard that has caught out the ROA in the tournament, noted the coach who contended that "our scores do not reflect the ability of the players. It's just that they failed to come to grips with the quality of the cricket here".

He pointed out that the ROA had their chances at various stages in most matches but failed to capitalise on them.

"In the last One-Day game (versus Leewards) we didn't bowl or field well and that game got away from us.

"In all the other games we were in there. We got wickets but we just were not able to achieve good totals.

"In the Trinidad game we batted very well, initially. It's not that we were blown away. We had 100 for two (wickets) at lunch. One batsman had 50 and the other 24. We just fell away after that.

"In the second innings again, (Dion) Stovell was batting pretty well. It was just the shot selection and I think that's because they are not accustomed to playing such intense cricket."

That match was very frustrating for Harper who had devised a plan for his players to counteract the pace of Ravi Rampaul who had decimated several batting line-ups.

"We had some tactics which we employed early (in batting) and they worked.

"We wanted to keep him out and the guys used a low backlift and just played straight because he bowls a lot of yorkers and that worked.

"We came back out after lunch and before we blinked we were about 110 for six and that was really disappointing."

Harper has been pointing out the need for "growth and improvement" and "to have objectives going into games" to his players.

"I'm not saying we're going to come out here and beat a lot of teams but we were capable of winning a few games. Also, we wanted to be much more competitive."

Some players, he said, "are trying" while others are "not grasping what is needed to be successful".

The Bermuda national coach also noted that some ROA players were affected by competing in a three-week tour since they are not accustomed to "concentrated cricket over such a long period of time" and in such hot conditions. Some have suffered cramp and fatigue.

Looking ahead, Harper stressed the necessity for greater attention to cricket development in the Americas if the region's cricketers are to be on par with their peers in the Caribbean.

"It's a learning process and a lot of work needs to be done in the Americas to prepare these teams and to try and lift the level of cricket.

"It's unfortunate we had to send this team out here at such short notice.

"It's unfair to some players to have to come to such a competitive environment with just a few days notice. It's unfair to the region too because people will judge us from the cricketers we send and they will think we don't have good cricketers in the region.

"We've got to have a much more professional approach to things like that.

"This team was put together in a few days," said the coach, referring to the rushed manner in which the tri-nation squad was assembled.

The ROA begin their final fixture today versus a buoyant Windward Islands team (who beat Jamaica by eight wickets on Monday) with the odds firmly against them.

Opening batsman, Stovell, is returning to Bermuda to play for Warwick in Saturday's Western Counties final, while two Caymanians head back to university in the USA. One Argentine left earlier in the series.

"We might have 11 players but, with the way we're batting and losing Stovell and Ronald Ebanks, we've got to be careful that we're not embarrassed," noted Harper.

The coach added that the team is using "a local wicket-keeper" because the ROA's gloveman had to withdraw from the tour at the last minute.