Bermuda 17 Barbados 6

Bermuda's national rugby team finished the Caribbean Championships on a high note after beating Barbados in the Plate Final.

Tries by Eoghan O'Dywer, Greg Garside and Jack Elison saw Bermuda topple the pre-tournament favourites in the third-place final, held in Cayman Islands over the weekend.

The competition doubled up as a 2011 World Cup qualifier with Trinidad and Tobago beating Guyana in the final to progress to the next stage. Bermuda suffered a surprise 25-13 defeat against Guyana in the semi-final, following a 29-13 victory over Bahamas.

Coach Lawrence Bird described his team as "warriors" with three of Bermuda's players playing in the Plate Final despite suffering broken bones in earlier rounds of the competition.

"The guys were immense against Barbados who most people fancied to win the competition," he said. "We came back from six-down and really wore their forwards down in the second half and applied plenty of pressure. That was our game plan and it worked a treat. We had broken noses and wrists out there and the players were absolute warriors."

Young fly-half Ben Petit, who only last year represented his country in the regional Under-19 tournament, put Barbados 6-0 ahead with two well taken penalties, but Bermuda winger O'Dwyer scored on the stroke of half-time to edge them back into the match at 6-5.

Garside struck midway through the second half to put Bermuda ahead and Michael Kane added the two points to make it 12-6 before Ellison put the match out of reach for Barbados with a try in the dying seconds.

"The Caribbean Championships is a competition we have won in days gone by but I definitely think our performances prove rugby is on the up in Bermuda," said Bird.

"There's a lot of local talent on the Island and some good youngsters coming through."

Bermuda have moved up one place to 64th in the International Rugby Board's (IRB) world rankings, and are second in the Caribbean region behind Trinidad and Tobago.

There are no immediate international fixtures scheduled although Bermuda will be involved in a sevens tournament in Bahamas in October, which is also a World Cup Sevens qualifier.