Bermuda 156 Bermuda suffered their first loss on their Canada tour yesterday, going down to the Canadian Under-23 team by 56 runs at the Laurel Creek Park in Toronto.

Bermuda were without main strike bowler Herbie Bascome, with eight wickets in the first two games, as well as Janeiro Tucker, Clay Smith and Richard Basden as the Canadian youngsters inflicted their first defeat.

Still, there was plenty of batting in the Bermuda team, right down to Peter Philpott at number 10.

At one stage Bermuda were 100-4 in chase of the Canadian total. But the arrival of wrist spinner Askshay Bagai proved fatal for Bermuda as he removed top batsmen Aaron Adams and Albert Steede in the space of 13 runs to put the visitors in trouble at 114-6.

Bagai, one of three players in this Canadian team who toured Bermuda in 1997 for the International Youth Tournament, finished with four for 33 from 9.2 overs.

He bowled Adams for 31, Steede for 28 and then had Lionel Cann caught for a duck before ending the match with the wicket of Mackie Crane after a defiant 16 which came in a last wicket stand of 33 in 33 minutes with Mark Ray who finished on 20 not out.

No other Bermuda batsmen made worthwhile contributions, with Dexter Smith and Dennis Archer scoring 12 and 11 respectively in an opening stand of 16. At Smith's departure, Archer added 26 for the second wicket with Steede before Archer was bowled by captain Andrew Bracht, the opening bowler, for his second wicket.

Steede tried to anchor the innings, staying 96 minutes and facing 72 balls before he was eventually sixth out on 114. Within the space of nine runs, three more wickets went down as the Under-23s moved in on an impressive victory.

Captain Charlie Marshall lasted 14 minutes for his 13, Cann faced just four balls in his duck and Peter Philpott only two balls before he was run out, also without scoring.

Mackie Crane, one of two teenagers taken on this tour, handled himself well with the bat at number 11 before Bagai ended his half-hour stay.

In the Canada innings, opener Damien Mills was high man with 40, coming in a second wicket stand of 60 with Bagai which was the team's best partnership.

Bagai scored 25 before he was run out.

Bermuda had the young Canadians 186-9 before an unbroken last wicket stand of 26 took them past the 200 mark. Bracht, batting at number seven, was 22 not out while number 11 Hariram Sukhdeo scored 20 before the overs ran out.

In Bascome's absence, Crane shared the new ball with Cann. Both picked up a wicket as Crane went for 52 in his 10 overs and Cann for 39 from eight, the two most expensive Bermuda bowlers.

Teenager O.J. Pitcher, picked for his batting, took three for 31 from seven overs of spin while Dennis Archer claimed two for 29 off 10 overs. Philpott bowled economically, taking one for 24 from 10 overs.