Bermuda fought well to secure the runners-up position at the Battle of the Isles when they went down 61-32 to 47th-ranked Canada when the tournament concluded in Sint Maarten last night.

It was only Bermuda’s second defeat of the five-team competition, which marked the island’s return from a self-imposed international hiatus.

Jahkenya Trott, who was introduced at half-time, scored 12 goals, the same as Zakiyah Durham scored, while Inshan-Nae Smith, Bermuda’s tournament MVP, contributed eight points.

Anthony Mouchette, the Bermuda co-coach, stated that while the final did not go their way, the team’s goals for the trip were realised.

“Our mission was accomplished before playing the finals,” Mouchette said.

“Our aim was to secure victories against ranked teams to build up points. We accomplished that with victories over Sint Maarten twice, British Virgin Islands and Sint Eustatius, who were all ranked teams.

“We should be ranked between 30th and 40th when the rankings are updated; anything better than that would be a bonus.

“The coaching staff appreciate the effort and dedication of all our players. We worked hard to get here and we have reaped the rewards. Well done to Netball Bermuda.”

Mouchette added: “We knew that Canada would be tough opponents. While we played some brilliant netball throughout the tournament, we could not match the Canadians.”

In the final, Canada surged to a 28-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bermuda defence held firm in the second quarter, with only four goals conceded as the Canadians went to the break 32-14 up.

After letting in 16 goals in the third quarter, Bermuda had their most productive time in the last 15 minutes when they found the target 11 times, two short of what Canada managed during that period.

Before facing Canada in the final, Kimale Evans and Mouchette’s side defeated Guadeloupe 83-6 in their seventh encounter of the tournament. The fixture was arranged for Bermuda to finish with the eight matches required to become eligible for inclusion in the World Netball rankings.