Bermuda?s weakened Under-23 cricket team failed to make it through to the semi-final stage of the TCL West Indies Under-19 championships in Jamaica last week after losing all three of their group games.

Coach Allan Douglas said last week he was ?extremely disappointed? that most of Bermuda?s best under-23 cricketers, including OJ Pitcher, Delyone Borden, Mackie Crane and Stephen Outerbridge, decided not to make the trip.

And their absence seems to have cost the Island?s Caribbean campaign dear, with the team enduring a 90-run defeat against Barbados, a six-wicket loss to hosts Jamaica and a narrow four-wicket failure against the Leeward Islands.

In all three games it was the batting that failed to fire, with Bermuda passing 150 on only one occasion.

Last Tuesday, Barbados won the toss and batted first, amassing 218 all out in the 50 overs. George O?Brien finished with figures of three for 32 off his ten overs while young medium pacers Steffan Kelly and Allan Douglas Jnr. chipped in with two wickets apiece.

In reply, Bermuda found themselves floundering at 70 for six before an hour long rain shower halted proceedings. Applying the Duckworth/Lewis formula, Jekon Edness? side were set 140 from only 15 overs and with so few wickets in hand, never really looked like keeping up with the run-rate. Bermuda were eventually dismissed for 120.

The following day against Jamaica, Bermuda once again struggled on the pacy surface and were rolled over for 103.

Captain Edness (24) and Allan Douglas Jnr (21) saved the team from the embarrassment of not reaching triple figures, as a succession of poor shots and two run-outs scuppered the Island?s chances of reaching a competitive total.

The hosts reached their target with relative ease in 34.2 overs, losing only four top-order wickets in the process.

With qualification for the knockout stage an impossibility, Bermuda went into the final group game against the Leeward Islands with only pride to play for and were desperately hoping to improve on two disappointing displays with the bat.

But, after winning the toss on a quick, bouncy wicket and electing to bat, Bermuda once again failed to reach a score over 200, and were all out in the 48th over for a paltry 162.

A captain?s innings from Edness of 45 pushed the score painstakingly above 150, but the continual failure of one batsman to go on and make a big score would again cost the team.

Allan Douglas (17), Arthur Pitcher (30) and Derek Brangman (14) all made positive starts, but were unable to seize the initiative once set at the crease.

In reply, Leewards were made to work hard for the runs in the face of an excellent fielding display and two impressive spells of bowling from Kelly (2 for 43) and Douglas (1 for 38).

Though at 100 for five the match hung in the balance, the pressure could not be maintained and the Leewards reached victory with five overs to spare.

Speaking to from Jamaica yesterday, assistant coach Andre Manders refused to be downcast about the hat-trick of defeats.

?There were a number of positives that we can take from the games,? he said.

?Certainly we never really batted well enough and we never managed to muster a total batting first which would put pressure on our opponents. But given that we were defending such low totals, our bowling displays and allround fielding were excellent. The guys have also learnt a hell of a lot about playing on wickets with a little bit more bounce and pace than they are accustomed to and against bowlers who get it through at a speed none of them have really faced before.?

Manders singled out seam bowlers O?Brien and Kelly for special mention, the latter clearly improving by leaps and bounds as a result of his cricketing scholarship at Oakham School in the UK.

?Both of these guys were impressive in all three games,? he said.

?There was always a lot of pressure on them because they were not being backed up by the batsmen, but they responded admirably to the challenge and really deserved their success.?

On a more unsavoury note, however, allrounder Dion Stovell was given a one match ban during the limited overs tournament after showing dissent to an umpire.

Attempting to hook a short ball against Jamaica, the official at the bowler?s end was convinced that Stovell had got a thin edge through to the wicketkeeper.

Adamant that the ball had shaved the top of his helmet and not the bat, Stovell remained at the crease for several seconds after he was given out and was deemed by the match referee to have brought the game into disrepute.

?He felt the decision was a harsh one,? said Manders.

?But at this level, hanging around after the umpire has given you out is just not acceptable and I think Dion has learnt his lesson.?

Meanwhile, after several days of rest Bermuda now move on to a trio of three-day matches, starting tomorrow, against Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and the Leeward Islands.

Failure to qualify for the knockout stage, will mean the squad will return home on August 14.

Barbados and hosts Jamaica yesterday contested the limited overs final at the Melbourne Oval in Kingston, although the result was not through by Press time.

The Bajans narrowly defeated Guyana by four runs in the first semi-final while Jamaica scraped past Trinidad by only one wicket.