Somerset fan Chrysda Smith scored the only goal of the match as Bermuda overcame Jamaica 1-0 to record their first win in women’s hockey at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

The forward registered her second international goal following a brilliant move by the team, with Abigail Brewer providing the final pass for Smith to flick it into the net.

While she will not be witnessing her team attempting to extend their dominance in Cup Match on Thursday and Friday, the 24-year-old felt finding the target made the pain bearable.

“My team-mates and friends know that I’m not too happy about missing Cup Match, as I absolutely love this holiday,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“I’ve never missed it before, so scoring this goal definitely makes missing the holiday sting a little less.”

The match-winner attributed the goal to the hard work she has put into her fitness over the last six months.

“Thank God for allowing me to put on this performance,” Smith said. “Thank you to my family and friends for their unwavering support. This goal was really personal for me.

“Last year the CAC Qualifiers in Mexico was a real challenge for me, as I was unfit. This year, I told myself that I have six months to work on my fitness, so that I didn’t have a repeat of what happened in Mexico.

“So I buckled down on my fitness and, more importantly, my diet and it paid off. In addition to hockey, I usually run in my free time. I also took up spinning, did some walking, and added strength training into my regimen.

“ I had to put in the work to get the result and it paid off. My body was able to keep going until the very last minute of the game, resulting in a goal for my team.

“I am playing with an amazing group of people, with a great coach and management team. We have never prepared like this for a tournament, so we were all keen to see how we could perform here.

““On my way to breakfast this morning, I wrote in my notes on my phone ‘I will score against Jamaica today’, so it’s very crazy how it came about.

“What made it even more special, was playing with my team-mate, Liz Stewart, who will be hanging up her boots for Bermuda at the end of this tournament.”

Bermuda, who started off with a 3-2 loss to Barbados on Sunday, face Cuba in their final group B encounter on Thursday.

In the pool Elan Daley finished sixth in the 50 metres freestyle A final. Daley touched the wall in 25.91 seconds, just 1.02 behind winner Sirena Rowe, from Colombia, and only 0.49 off of the podium places.

Despite not making the A final, there was still something to celebrate for Madelyn Moore, who won the B final in 26.19sec to finish eleventh overall.

It was a good evening session in the water for Bermuda, with Elijah Daley and Sam Williamson finishing first and second in the 200 metres individual medley B Final.

Daley stopped the clock in 2:05.70, with Williamson finishing in 2:07.40

In bowling, David Maycock and LeVinc Samuel finished seventh in the morning session of the men’s doubles with a total score of 2,613.

“I didn't get off to the best start, but I settled in and made some great shots over the last couple of games,” Maycock said.

“I made some key shots at the end of the six-game block to finish with a decent score. LeVinc bowled really well and we matched up great together on the lanes.

“We fed off each other, stayed locked in and kept fighting until the end. A couple of mistakes from both of us ultimately kept us from putting up a bigger score.

“Looking back, there are definitely a few things we could have done differently, but that's bowling. Sometimes you make the wrong guess or don’t quite see the adjustment you need to make.

“After finishing ninth in yesterday’s singles event and missing a medal by 42 pins, it’s all about cleaning up the little things. Overall, it’s been a great first two days at the CAC Games and I’m excited for what’s still to come.”

Meanwhile, Bermuda captain Hadleigh Tucker finished as the top points scorer in the men’s rugby sevens tournament.

Tucker, who was making his second appearance at the Games, scored six tries and booted in 13 of 15 conversions for a total of 56 points. Jhon Urrutia, of Colombia, was second five points behind, while Simon John, from Barbados, was third with 35 points.

Bermuda finished sixth when the rugby concluded on Monday, the same position they occupied in El Salvador four years ago.

“I had a good tournament personally, being the top scorer of the competition with a combined 56 points over the three days,” Tucker said.

“Unfortunately, it is bittersweet as I wanted so much more for us at the CAC Games. Last time in San Salvador there were less teams and a different layout so we see this sixth-place finish as an improvement.

“Given our training conditions I think that we adapted our game plan well in this tournament and if anything some of the teams that ended up on top were lucky to do so against us.

“But playing better rugby doesn’t always mean that you win and we were unfortunate to not be in contention for a medal. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Bermuda delegation and I hope I’ve represented our nation well on this platform.

Jason Hendrie, the Bermuda coach, commended his players for their impressive display, especially on the last day.

“I’m incredibly proud of the boys and the staff for the way they performed throughout the tournament,” Hendrie said.

“I asked the players before we came out here to compete in every single game, regardless of the opposition and they certainly did that.

“I thought we saved some of our best rugby until the final day, scoring some outstanding sevens tries against Guatemala and playing some really exciting attacking rugby.

“While it was disappointing not to get the result against Barbados, there’s no doubt this group has earned the respect of the other nations here. Teams now know Bermuda are capable of challenging anyone when we play to our potential.

“The challenge now is to keep building on what we’ve started. One of the biggest priorities moving forward is finding a training facility that gives us the space we need to properly prepare for the demands of international sevens rugby.

“If we can continue to improve in that area, I’m confident this group can keep taking Bermuda rugby forward.”