Powered by two scintillating performances from opening batsmen Wilden Cornwall, who celebrated his debut appearance with a stroke-filled innings of 126, and captain Stuart Williams, who scored an attractive 82, the defending champions hammered 330 for four off the allotted 50 overs, and then, with the newcomers batting one short and offspinner Anthony Lake enjoying himself with figures of five for 41 off 10 overs, skittled them for 88 in 28 overs..

In a baptism which they will want to forget, the US, after struggling to 40 for one in the 12th over, lost nine wickets for 48 runs on a day during which they also dropped three catches.

The first was when Cornwall, on 51 at 95 without loss, drove at offspinner Richard Staple and Nazir Javed at mid-on muffed the chance, the second when Williams, on 45 at 111 without loss, hit a full toss from right-arm legspinner Javed in and out of the hands of Nazam Hafiz on the midwicket boundary, and the third when Keith Arthurton, on 38 at 269 for two, drove at Dave Hoilett and was dropped by Zamin Amin at extra-cover.

In dropping the catch, Hafiz split the webbing on his left hand, received five stitches, and did not bat.

After losing the toss and sent to bat on a good pitch, the Leeward Islands dominated the game from the start as Cornwall and Williams treated the bowling with disdain during an opening partnership of 187 off 30 overs.

Williams, the West Indies opener who faced 84 deliveries, cracked two sixes and 14 fours before he went to ondrive pacer Richard Louis and was easily caught by Dave Wallace at point. And later on Arthurton, who smashed three fours and hit one six before he was caught on the long-off boundary for 38 off Staple, and Sylvester Joseph who stroked 29 not out also batted well.

The star of the innings, however, was the 25-year-old Cornwall who batted for only 122 deliveries and struck two huge sixes and 14 fours before he drove at medium-pacer Hoilett and was brilliantly caught by Abdul Islam Nazir at extra-cover at 247 for two in the 38th over.

In a lovely display of hooking, cutting and driving - especially off the backfoot, his best offerings were a superb backfoot square-drive off Louis, a front-foot drive over extra-cover for six off Hoilett and a backfoot shot, also off Hoilett, which sailed straight for another six.

Set a runrate of 6.60, the odds were always against the US, and they were on the run from as early as the third over when Curtley Ambrose removed Wallace - caught by Sylvester Joseph at third slip for zero at two for one.

With Ambrose stifling them in a spell of seven overs for eight runs, and Lake's length and spin proving too much for them, the only US batsman who made an impression was Wayne Headley.

Batting at number three, the left-hander hit four fours and one six, all off pacer Carl Tuckett, before he attempted to stroke Lake through the onside and was caught by Sylvester Joseph at cover for 29 at 40 for three in the 12th over.