BERMUDA’S golfers did the island proud at the Island Games in Rhodes when William Haddrell and Laura Robinson both captured the gold medal in the individual event yesterday. Nick Mansell also took the bronze in the men’s individual stroke-play tourney. And then to top it off the men (Hardell, Mansell, George Burch and Blair Marshall) won the gold in the team event while the women’s team (Robinson, Yana Ballantyne, Katrin Burnie and Katyna Rabain) won the bronze medal in the women’s team event.Bermuda’s Island Games chief, Jon Beard, said this week from Rhodes: “Our golfers, although yearning for the beauty of our courses, have proved their worth again on a dusty Greek course.”

Yesterday Bermuda’s women’s football team won the bronze medal.

With the Games winding up tonight Beard — a veteran of three Island Games — said: “Whilst some of the organisation is not of the standard of previous Games, I think it was a question of Rhodes not fully appreciating the real demands of putting on an event for 4,000 people. These Games have more athletes than the Winter Olympics!”

While Bermuda have always wanted, and always will want, to host the Games, Beard said seeing how much is involved puts everything into perspective.

“The one thing it has done is to focus us on the reality of hosting the Games. Not that we are reconsidering — rather that we have to ensure that every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed! The very real challenge of having to move 1,000 athletes every morning to their events is not something easily dismissed. I believe that we have better infrastructure than Rhodes and can indeed put on a fantastic Games — but the whole island will need to be involved in one way or another — even if it is just support at the venues.”

In Rhodes not everything has gone to plan.

In fact Beard said: “The organising committee have been pilloried in the local and overseas press — and some of this has been to the extreme. Sadly it has done little for the reputation of Rhodes. Much of this criticism is unwarranted, but it has to be agreed that poor organisation by middle management has created some interesting situations.”One of those situations was that the final cycling event was passed to a combine of Bermuda and Guernsey!

Of Bermuda’s athletes, Beard said: “The athletes and officials have been superb and there have been some really notable successes. There has been a welcome return to the medals in swimming led by the efforts of Ashley Aitken who is competing in her second Games. Also Jeanne Butterfield did very well to reach the quarter-finals in archery and our basketball teams have had some stiff competition, but have looked in great form. The same can be said of our volleyball teams. All of them are well coached and well prepared teams and are in their third Games.

“Tennis are in their first full games and have really gone from strength to strength, led by Andy Bray and Zara DeSilva.”

And Stevie Dickinson, who has just been selected to represent Bermuda at the Pan American Games, won the silver medal in the Laser Radial class this week. “Stevie really showed his ability in the Games,” said Beard.

He added: “Our cyclists have again been in great form. Led by Dee McMullen in her third Games, but missing Lynne Patchett, our cyclists have again shown that their professional approach reaps rewards.”

Beard has never made it a secret that Bermuda should send a track and field team to the Games. And so for the first time this year a team was sent to Rhodes. And it has paid off with Terrance Armstrong winning the gold in the half marathon and his good friend Jay Donawa winning the bronze. Dawn Richardson won the bronze in the women’s half marathon. those results came at the beginning of the Games.

But the track athletes were not finished there.

Xavier James, who competed for Bermuda in the 2004 Olympics in Greece, won the bronze medal in the 100 and 200 metres while Melissa Clark went one better winning the silver in both the 100 and 200 metres while Shianne Smith won the silver in the 400 metres.

Beard said of those coming to the Games for the first time: “All have done very well. It has given coaches a chance to gauge the level of the Games and determine the level they want to come up against. Most of the athletes are good club level, and some are good international level. For instance the Cayman woman’s 200 metres runner was fourth in the world while Guernsey’s Dale Gardner is a Commonwealth Games athlete for Britain.

“I’m sure the Games have proved to be an excellent yardstick for performance and have begun the education of being part of a team of athletes in such events, rather than being at an event that only involves their sport.

“All in all I am delighted with this Team Bermuda — I would have been delighted with a few more medals, but that is the long-term plan, as we prove ourselves to be an island of sport. We will get there as more of our youngsters get the opportunity.”

Golfers grab gold at the Island Games