Bermuda netball captain Debré Evans and vice-captain Kianté Lightbourne have spoken with pride about the team’s accomplishments at the Battle of Isles.

The Longtails, who returned home last night, marked an end to their eight-year international hiatus by clinching silver in Sint Maarten on Sunday.

Bermuda defeated Sint Maarten and Guadeloupe twice, Sint Eustatius and British Virgin Islands once, with their only defeats, including the 61-32 loss in the final, coming against Canada.

Evans cannot wait for the World Netball rankings to be updated in the coming weeks for Bermuda to earn global recognition.

“I’m extremely proud of my entire team,” Evans told The Royal Gazette.

“We worked hard and will go from no ranking to a good one, but we won’t know for sure until December 1.

“We came out here to get a job done and we did just that, we’re walking away with a ranking. This tournament was not easy with two intense and physical games every day. We were busted, bruised and tested in ways we have never been tested before.

“But we walk away with lessons and memories to last a lifetime. Thank you to everyone who supported us from home since Day 1 and thank you to the new netball fans. We hope you stick with us as we explore the international scene a lot more.

“We also hope to see more faces down the park in November when the domestic league starts. Of course we are all disappointed as we wanted to win, but this only allows us room to grow and strive for better next time.”

Lightbourne was delighted that the team showed enough quality to make it to the final.

“We haven’t competed in international netball in a long time, so to be able to compete in the final was a bonus and a great experience for all the girls,” she said.

“We got to meet some really talented netballers and forge partnerships with our sister islands.”

Evans and Lightbourne were asked to lead the team having not played any international netball at senior level before.

“Being captain is no easy task,” Evans said.

“I took this role very personally and made it my mission to make sure everyone on my team felt their best. I often neglected myself and my own mentality, which took a toll on me, but I learnt to prioritise myself and my team.

“I am only 25 years old and this was my first senior call-up but I don’t want it to be my last. I know I have a lot to work on as do we all, but I want to make sure the next time I touch the international stage, I'm better.”

Evans felt the main difference between Bermuda and Canada was the physical presence of the Canadians on the court.

“I think what set us apart from Canada was the physicality factor as well as fitness,” the Bermuda captain said.

“The entire team come from a basketball background, their feet are fast and the constant knocks were a lot to adjust to. The second time we faced them we did a lot better. Improvement is always a win because that means we learnt from mistakes and did better.”

Lightbourne expressed her desire to reach Canada’s level, which the 28-year-old appreciates will come with a lot of diligence.

“The main difference between us and Canada is that they are very well rehearsed,” the vice-captain said.

“You can tell they have a lot of technical skills and have been working together for a while. How they work on court shows that they always have a back-up plan.

“Right now it feels as though they were just better than us, but I think with time and work we can get to that level.

“We learnt lessons from the first game and I think we came back better in the second game, but I still think we can do more against that side.”

Inshan-Nae Smith, one of three survivors from when the team toured Scotland in 2017, proved her versatility to be named Bermuda’s MVP. The 25-year-old played as goal shooter and goal keeper, depending on where coaches Kimale Evans and Anthony Mouchette needed her.

“I was shocked when I was Announced as MVP for Bermuda because the team itself had a lot of talented people that did a fantastic job while playing,” Smith said.

“My most memorable match was our first game against Sint Maarten. To come back from seven points behind and come out on top with a 12-point margin, especially when they were the No 1 seeds going into the tournament, was truly special.”

According to Kimale Evans, the Netball Bermuda president, Canada were invited to a tournament meant only for islands to help them boost their ranking.

“It was an invitation by the organisers of the Battle of the Isles,” Evans said.

“They invited Canada because the Battle of the Isles is also to try and assist the lower-ranked teams in the Americas region to get ranking points.”