Bermuda?s men needed to beat hosts Gibraltar 3-0 yesterday to claim an Island Games silver ? and the team did just that despite a partisan crowd cheering on the hosts.

Having lost to Guernsey in agonising fashion on opening day, the men more than made up for it with a hard-fought victory over Cayman on Monday and then yesterday?s win which, combined with Guernsey?s win over Cayman, gave the Island side their sparkling medals.

?It feels great,? said Andy Bray, who beat a former Mexican Davis Cup player two days ago before triumphing again yesterday.

?We came a long way to win this and it was a great way to do it. We knew what we had to do and then the team went out there and did it. There was a lot of cheering and supporting each other ? classic team tennis.?

Bray was frustrated, however, by his defeat in the singles against Guernsey, a loss that came courtesy of the super tie-break that follows games that are tied at one-set all.

?Both James and I lost the same way,? continued Bray, who revealed the team had been left with just five hours sleep after organisational problems plagued their first day.

?It was a shame to lose in those super tie-breaks, they are just a lottery and we both would have won if the matches had gone to a third set.

?Those wins would have given us gold but we have to be happy with silver ? hopefully we can go and get golds in the individual competition.?

James Collieson, who will lead the tennis side in the Davis Cup in Costa Rica almost as soon as they return from Gibraltar, is also hopeful of more medals.

?I think we are certainly very competitive here,? said Collieson, who proudly stated he had won a medal once before, a bronze in the ?Atlantic Coast Games? when he was 14.

?It wasn?t as intense as Davis Cup at the beginning but by today (yesterday) it got that way. It was really entertaining stuff against Gibraltar, some arguments, some dodgy calls, lots of shouting and lots of team support.

?It was great and hopefully we can go on and win more.?

Collieson was victorious 6-3, 6-3 in his singles first round in the individual competition with Gavin Manders joining him in the next round with a 4-6, 6-3 (10-7) win over his opponent from Alderney. Jenson Bascome was beaten 6-3, 1-6 (8-10).

On a personal level, Collieson believes his game has improved ? ?although nothing spectacular? ? by being away from Bermuda and the rigours of junior coaching which he freely admits harms his competitive game.

?It is good to be away,? continued the former Island number one.

?It helps my game, I think. I think I have played the coaching out of my system now. Hopefully I can do something here although the hard courts and the way they do these super tie-breaks makes it all a bit of a crapshoot.?

Both players are also enjoying the camaraderie of the Island Games tournament, which saw them lend support to the ladies team that earned bronze the day before as well as supporting their taller fellow athletes.

?We went to the basketball the other day,? said an enthusiastic Bray, who admitted before the tournament that he was desperate to to do well for Bermuda, ?the Island I love and now call home?.

?It was great, there must have been about 900 people there and it was a fantastic atmosphere. I don?t know much about basketball but there was a guy called Sullivan Phillips and he was just on another level ? he was brilliant.?

Bray was referring to the opening victory over Gibraltar and Phillips, a pro with the London Towers, helped inspire the men?s team to a second successive victory yesterday, this time over Cayman who they beat 84-74 to all but ensure a place as number one seed going into the medal round. Charles Peters scored 24 points in the victory.

The ladies team, however, faced a second successive loss, going down 71-43 to the Cayman.

Both Bermuda sides take on Isle of Man today in the final round-robin games.

In other tennis results yesterday, Sasha Fisher and Zarah de Silva won through in the ladies doubles 6-1, 6-1 while Tara Lambert and Morgan Lightbourne fell 3-6, 4-6.