Island Games: Basketball team suffers shock loss (Update 1)

The basketball team opened its defence of the Island Games gold by trouncing Froya 129 to 13, but lost at the buzzer 72 to 70 to Saaremaa.

Player Steven Simons said: “It was a real tough loss.

“We didn't get into our game early and found ourselves down by 14 at the half.”

The team showed a lot of fight and heart and battled back through the third quarter to pull even in the fourth.

Simons said: “We tied it up in the fourth and missed a shot at the buzzer to win.

“This will re-focus us and motivate us in our next game against Cayman. It’s now win or go home empty handed and we don't plan on coming home with anything but a Gold.”

Bermuda’s women lost their opening basketball game 58 to 52 to Guernsey. The team will play the Isle of Wight in their Group A pool in an attempt to make the semi-finals. The Isle of Wight already lost to Guernsey 57 to 30, so it’s promising that the ladies will win and advance.

Tennis

As disappointing as that was Bermuda lost a chance to win medals in both the men’s and women’s team draw.

In the men’s team event, Bermuda lost 0-2 to Menorca in two tough three-set losses.

In the bronze medal match, Jenson Bascome lost 2-6, 4-6 and Gavin Manders had a tough three set loss 2-6, 7-5, 10-6.

The women also lost to Menorca, but 2-1. Tyler Smith lost 4-6, 4-6 while Jackie Lambert went down 1-6, -57. Smith and Tara Lambert restores some pride in the doubles with a 7-6, 4-6, 10-7 victory.

Smith then put Bermuda in prime position to win a bronze by winning the opening Bronze medal match against the Isle of man 6-2, 4-6, 6-10.

Jackie Lambert won her first game 6-4, but then lost 3-6, 2-10.

The rubber match pitted Jackie and her sister Tara Lambert in the doubles final against Laura freely and Karen Faragher but they lost 1-6, 3-6.

Jenson Bascome lost 4-6, 6-2, 8-10 while Gavin Manders fell 6-4, 3-6, 8-10.

In the men’s single draw round of 64, all three of Bermuda’s men had byes so Gavin Manders, Naim Azhir and David Thomas advanced.

Sailing

Bermuda’s sailors have put themselves in good position to medal after today’s races.

Sara Lane Adderley and Jason Saints are tied for second in the Laser Radial Class after four of 10 races. Adderley was fourth and eighth today while Saints moved up the table with a third and a sixth.

They trail Andrew Bridgman of Guernsey by five points and are the same margin of distance ahead of fourth place Savvas Christodoulou from Rhodes.

Results from the Laser class will be in later today but Brett Wright is first and Rockal Evans fifth after two races.

Athletics

Victoria Clarke made it to the finals of the 100m by clocking 12.56 in her semi-final heat. Clarke then turned up the heat in the final by breaking the line in 12.39, but that was only good enough for sixth.

Melissa Clarke has to be considered a medal contender in the 400m after finishing second in her semi-final heat in 58.32, the third fastest time between the two semis.

Stephen Allen, fresh off his team half marathon bronze, was fifth in the 5,000m. Allen broke the tape in 16:18.29, about 18 seconds off the bronze medal pace. Keith gerrard from the Isle of man won with a time of 14:26.74

Badminton

The team lost both of its matches this morning. It fell 4-1 to Jersey with Rohan Pai picking up the lone victory 21-17, 21-12. The squad then lost to Menorca 4-1 with Pai again shining, this time 21-17, 21-11.

Cycling

Neil de ste Croix was 23^rd of 33 competitors in the Mountain Bike criterium.

Squash

The squash team picked up its lone victory in the seventh-eighth playoff match against the Shetland Islands. Bermuda won 3-2 as both Micah Franklin and Chris Stout notched victories in their singles matches and Laura Robinson sealing the win.

Franklin won 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 while Franklin triumphed by going 11-2, 11-8, 13-11. It took four games for Robinson to prevail as she won 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9.

Earlier in the day Bermuda lost to Gibraltar 2-3 with Robinson (11-1, 11-6, 11-4) and Juliette Ferrari-McComb (11-6, 11-4, 11-1) winning.

The squash team was at a disadvantage for the tournament as Bermuda did not have a third men’s single player and had to forfeit that match in every contest.

Shooting

Anthony Evans and Carl Reid finished in ninth out of 10 countries in the ISSF 50m prone smallbore rifle team event. Reid has some difficulty with the first two rounds and was given a zero, which killed any chance of Bermuda placing higher in the standings.

In the sporting team event, James McPhee and Brian Mello were 15^th out of 15 on 91 points as they made their Island Games debut.

Volleyball

The women’s team rebounded from yesterday’s loss to down Gibraltar 25-12, 25-18, and 25-17. They are currently in second based on the points ration tie-breaker ahead of Gotland and hitra who also have a 1-1 record. The squad plays Hitra and Gotland tomorrow in two critical matches before finishing up versus Faroe on Wednesday.