Hammers end well in Bermuda

Blair Turgott and Dylan Tombides both helped themselves to hat-tricks as West Ham United ended the Clyde Best Invitational Tournament with an 8-2 victory over Bermuda Grey.

Republic of Ireland Under-16 international Kieran Sadlier also netted a brace as the Hammers finished as runners-up to French club AS Saint-Etienne in Bermuda.

West Ham's final game was played on Monday evening after high winds forced the match to be postponed on Saturday.

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Academy Director Tony Carr, a former youth team colleague of Best, was happy a productive trip to the Atlantic island - that also saw a partnership agreement struck between the club's International Academy and the Bermuda Football Association - finished on a high.

"We put in a very accomplished performance in our final match to win 8-2. Blair scored a penalty within the opening minute and we went into half-time 2-0 up. In truth, we should have been much further ahead, but we missed a few chances and their goalkeeper made some good saves.

"Blair, Dylan and Kieran all netted for us to put us 7-1 up before they scored a second following a debateable penalty decision.

"We finished as runners-up to a very professional French side, while the matches against two Bermudan sides served to provide good experience to both sets of players.

"The first local team we played against, Bermuda Red, were the Bermuda U16 side, and they were preparing for their forthcoming FIFA U17 World Cup qualifiers. They had some promising players, but obviously were not quite up to the usual Academy League standard.

"That said, coming to Bermuda provided a great experience for the young boys and they will have taken a lot from it, as will the local players here from playing against us.

"I would like to thank Clyde and the Bermuda Football Association for extending the invite to us to come out here for the tournament, and for providing the funding to enable us to travel to Bermuda.

"We have agreed in principal to send a team out for the tournament on an annual basis, which may mean sending different age-group sides in future years.

"We have also agreed with the Bermuda FA to allow them to send coaches over to Little Heath to watch training and study alongside our own coaches to give them an idea of what we do on a first-hand basis."

The bad weather also allowed Carr and his charges to enjoy some of Bermuda's other charms, including a swimming excursion to the island's famed Grotto Bay.

"The postponement allowed us to go to a huge cave where the boys were able to swim inside, which was another great experience for them, and for us too.

"I had never been to Bermuda myself, so not only was visiting the island a fantastic experience for myself, but it also enabled me to catch up with an old pal in Clyde, which was fantastic."

West Ham began the tournament with a 2-0 defeat by Saint-Etienne on Friday, followed by a 5-0 victory over Bermuda Red on Sunday and Monday's 8-2 win over Bermuda Grey.

The full West Ham United squad to travel to Bermuda was: Jake Larkins, David Wootton, Dymon Labonne, James Yeboah, Leo Chambers, Ryan Coughlan, Che Alexander, Kortney Hause, Blair Turgott (captain), Kieran Sadlier, Taylor Miles, Jack Powell, Mathias Fanimo, Charlie Adams, Elliott Lee and Dylan Tombides.