Bermuda men’s sevens team kept their hopes of progressing through to the semi-finals of the Central American and Caribbean Games alive after an unbeaten second day of action in El Salvador.

Having endured a difficult start to their campaign after suffering back-to-back defeats against Colombia (33-0) and Venezuela (21-14), Jamie Barnwell’s youthful side responded in the perfect fashion to kick off day two with a convincing 24-7 success over Costa Rica, sealing a first ever victory at the Games.

Building on that historic success, Bermuda looked on course for victory in their second encounter of the day against Jamaica, holding a 14-0 lead at the break, only for the opposition to rally after the interval with two unanswered tries, both converted, to snatch a share of the spoils in a draw.

However, undeterred by the missed opportunity, Barnwell’s side ended the day in style with a thrilling 15-12 victory over Cayman Islands, in which Bermuda battled back from a 12-0 deficit at half-time, scoring three unconverted tries, to complete the impressive turnaround.

Bermuda conclude the first round of pool matches against Mexico today, where victory, as well as results going their way in Venezula’s matches against the same opposition and Cayman Islands, could be enough to see them progress to the final four.

Alternatively, Bermuda will be battling it out for a finishing position between fifth and seventh against the other teams who also miss out on the semi-finals.