January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Under-18s rugby
"The Young Byes" defeated Oakville Crusaders 25-17 in their opening encounter on Friday night and followed it up with a 54-0 trouncing of Burlington Centaurs on Sunday afternoon.
Coach James (Herbie) Adderley said: "I could not be happier about the results and the overall success of the tour. The team has done a great deal of work to prepare for this and you could see it in their attitude on the trip.
"It was rugby all the time with training sessions and video sessions each day and the boys responded to the challenge perfectly. The game was against Oakville was their first proper game since Easter and the first time some of them had ever played but they took the field like a group of seasoned veterans.
"Oakville was a strong side playing at home and I think they thought they were going to beat us but it was their team that was reeling by the end of the first half. They responded with a much tougher display in the second half time but Bermuda withstood their challenge to seal the victory."
Coach Anthony (Church) Cupidore continued: "After that game we got together as a team and analyzed what we had to do better. Saturday was technically a day off with a team visit to the CNN tower and the Sky Dome in Toronto to see the Blue Jays play but that night some of the team went out to practice on their own.
"The next morning they were raring to go again and it showed in the match against Burlington. They fixed some of the problems that plagued them in the match against Oakville and were up by 30 points at the end of the first half.
"This kind of effort and these results bode well for the future of this team."
Tour Manager Heath (Butch) Robinson added: "The boys' attitude to this trip was reflected by their performances on the field and the feedback we received about their behavior off it. The hotel staff were highly complimentary about the boys and stressed to the coaches and I how they were the best sports group they had ever hosted. The 'Young Byes' filled their roles as ambassadors for Bermuda admirably."
The team will now take some well-deserved time to rest and heal while plans proceed to bring teams to the Island in November, January and April to assist with the preparations for the Under-19 Caribbean Championships that are scheduled for next summer.
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