BVI 1 Bermuda 5 Shaun Goater plundered a hat-trick after 10 men of Bermuda got their World Cup campaign off to a rip roaring start yesterday.

Things looked bleak when defender Kentoine Jennings was red-carded for using foul and abusive language after just nine minutes with the score at 0-0 and BVI piling on early pressure.

But when the game settled down, Bermuda's four professionals asserted their class. Goater scored three, one a penalty, while Kyle Lightbourne and Paul Cann chipped in with the others.

Harrisburg Heat team-mates David Bascome and Meshach Wade showed composure and class as they took the midfield by the scruff of the neck. The excellent touch both have developed in the indoor game in the US was useful for keeping the ball under control on a surface which in places resembled pock-marked concrete.

The four-goal cushion almost certainly means that both Goater and Lightbourne will be spared from selection for the second leg to concentrate on their promotion campaigns with Manchester City and Stoke respectively.

Now only a disaster in the second leg at the National Stadium on March 19 would deny the Island a berth in a second round qualifier against Antigua next month.

The game got off to a lively start with both sides almost finding the net inside the first two minutes.

First, a through ball by Wade caused panic in the home defence and BVI goalkeeper Monti Butler won a race for the ball with Lightbourne by a whisker.

But Bermuda's goalkeeper Dwayne (Streaker) Adams had to be at his best to deny the Caribbean side seconds later when he dived to his right to tip wide a dipping 35-yard volley by Prince Williams.

Adams was in action again in the sixth minute when he hung onto Dwight Browne's curling 25-yard free kick.

Just when it seemed Bermuda had weathered the storm, disaster struck when Jennings was dismissed by Bahamas referee Cavdel McNab after the North Village defender swore as he disputed a throw-in decision.

The small but raucous crowd were encouraged as the BVI side upped the tempo, but their excitement soon turned to disappointment as Bermuda seized the iniative with two goals in three minutes. The breakthrough came in the 19th minute when Tokia Russell cut inside from the right flank and played a delightful reverse ball to Cann.

The Dandy Town player struck a superb curling cross, a la David Beckham, which the unmarked Lightbourne leapt to head home with relish at the far post.

Another Lightbourne header was the key to the second goal in the 22nd minute.

Wade played the ball forward and the Stoke man rose high above his marker to nod on for Cann, who hit a low shot on the run which spun into the net off the fingertips of the floundering Butler.

Even with their numerical disadvantage, Bermuda took control of the midfield, where Bascome and Cann constantly probed for openings which were not too difficult to find against the sloppy home defence.

The professional strikers teamed up to create the third Bermuda goal on 34 minutes. Lightbourne's chip forward found Goater, who nonchalantly lobbed the ball over his marker's head before lofting the ball gently over Butler and into the net.

Four minutes later, it should have been 4-0 when Bascome played in Lightbourne but he blazed over the bar from 12 yards with his less-favoured right foot.

Bermuda were not having it all their own way, though, and only two more excellent saves by Adams stopped BVI from pulling a goal back before the interval.

First, Clifford Roberts was caught out by a long ball which put the pacey Peterson Azile in the clear and his scorching drive from 15 yards looked a certain goal, before Adams reacted like lightning to tip it onto the crossbar.

Then Rohan Lennon burst through the visitors' undermanned rearguard and as he waited too long to shoot Adams dived bravely at his feet to steal the ball.

Goater grabbed his second two minutes into the second half. Wingback Stanton Lewis played an inviting cross from the left which Lightbourne poked goalwards but defender Wendall Nichols managed to scramble it onto the post. The rebound fell kindly to Goater who tapped in from a yard out.

Bermuda were now oozing confidence and a subline backheel by Bascome sparked a sweeping move which almost brought a fifth goal. Cann crossed for Goater and his dummy played in Lightbourne who was hounded out by defenders.

BVI hit back with their first-ever World Cup goal on the hour, which resulted from a controversial decision from referee McNab, who awarded handball against Russell, whose back was turned at the time it hit him. Prince Williams converted from the spot.

Three minutes later Bermuda had a penalty of their own, when Bascome's free kick was handled by Donald Smile. Goater sent Butler the wrong way to complete his hat-trick and round off the scoring.

The game deteriorated in the last half hour with both sides giving the ball away regularly, but with five away goals and a big winning margin to take home, it was a case of a job well done for Bermuda.

BVI: M.Butler; W.Nichols, D.Browne, O.Roach, R.Lennon, D.Smile, K.Simmonds (W.Williams 67 mins), P.Azile (G.Ferron 67 mins), P.Williams, M.Savage (D.Thompson 57 mins), R.Salmon.

Bermuda: D.Adams; T.Russell, S.Lewis, C.Roberts, S.Burgess, K.Jennings, M.Wade, D.Bascome (S.Astwood 73 mins), P.Cann (R.Simons 78 mins), K.Lightbourne (K.Roberts 70 mins), S.Goater.

Referee: Cavdel McNab (Bahamas) Men of the match: Peterson Azile (BV), Shaun Goater (Bermuda) Yellow cards: D.Smile, P.Azile (BVI) Red card: K.Jennings (Bermuda).

Photos by Miguel Nichols Sharp-shooter: Shaun Goater sends BVI goalkeeper Monti Butler the wrong way with this penalty in the 60th minute which completed the Manchester City striker's hat-trick in yesterday's 5-1 thrashing of the British Virgin Islands.