Michael Caruana Smith, the versatile Sliema Hs midfielder, was awarded the HAM Player of the Year for season 2004/05 thus following in the footsteps of Raymond Bezzina and Luke Mallia and becoming the third player from this club to take this award. Winning the award was no mean feat considering the rather more season than Sliema Hs went through.

Son of Sliema Hs founder and long standing coach, Tony, it was inevitable that Michael would pick up a hockey stick at an early stage. At 15 he was already part of the Senior squad with whom he won he has won the Challenge Cup, League title and Knock Out. One should also mention various U-14 and U-16 titles. Caruana Smith was also awarded the U-16 HAM Player of the Year at the end of seasons 1994/95 and 1995/96 as well the Sliema Hs Player of the Year 2002/03.

At 25, he has become a mainstay of the national squad and, at the moment, forms part of the squad that is preparing to take on Cyprus, Turkey, Denmark and Azerbaijan in the European Nations Challenge 11 (Men). This tournament will be played at Kordin between the 5th and 10th September.

Some of his father’s coaching skills also seem to be rubbing of as he coaches the Sliema Hs junior squads and has both the U-14 and U-16 titles.