Aercomms are still leading the pack in the Middlesea Valletta Life National League at the Eden SuperBowl, and with the only full-point win of the week against Globalair Travel, they also managed to extend their slim lead.
In this the fourth from a total of 23 fixtures in the current season, Right Deal advanced to third place after another win, this time to the detriment of Ramis (2-6). Fina First remain second having also won 2-6 against The Rascals, and there were also wins for Storm against Alley Catz, Veltins against Fina Excel, and the Blues Brothers remain bottom in spite of picking up their first six points of the season against Royal Shock.
Aercomms are three points ahead now after their 0-8 victory over tenth placed Globalair Travel. Game one was the lowest of the set, going to Aercomms 694-738, while the second was closer finishing 746-762. The whitewash was complete after a 722-779 result in game three, Aercomms better by 157 pins on the series. Raymond Falzon was best for the winners with a 637 series, and Globalair’s Clive Saliba managed a 549.
Fina First stay second with the one of five majority wins this week, having totally outplayed opponents The Rascals in the 2-6 match, apart from a costly low losing score in game three. The Fina side looked set to romp home to an easy 100% win as they ripped The Rascals apart with a big 700-810 defeat in the opening game, going on to back that up with an even bigger margin of victory in game two which ended 683-836.
The final game was in stark contrast with the first two, staying tight all the way and falling to the underdogs by just eight pins (716-708), but Fina First easily claimed the series points thanks to their 255 pin overall advantage (2,099-2,354). Matthew Caruana was high man for the winners on 631 pins, and Philippe Vancell topped the Rascals foursome with a 527 series.
Right Deal are making a good impression on the classification, jumping another two spots to third after their up-and-down 2-6 result against Ramis, who are now sixth. Right Deal drew first blood with a comfortable 749-801 initial win, but then slumped to a low 682 in game two against a 729 which brought Ramis level. The set swung back firmly in their favour as they claimed the final game 687-789, thus winning the match thanks to a 107-pin advantage (2,165-2,272). Colin Attard came out on top for Right Deal thanks to a 584 tally, while his opposite number was Harold Caruana with a 569 effort.
Veltins improve one place to fifth after their 6-2 beating of Fina Excel who drop from third to fourth after this defeat. There was never much daylight between the two sides throughout the encounter, with the first game going to Fina Excel by just seven pins (785-792). Veltins evened the odds by winning the second 830-815 for a marginal advantage, and then snatched the third 759-733 to claim the series points by 34 pins (2,374-2,340), and pick up the extra glory for the highest team set of the week. Sue Abela certainly can’t be called the ‘Man’ of the match, but she showed her male team mates how it’s done with a high 592 total. Brian Farrugia took the honours for Excel with his score of 620.
Storm are now seventh after their 6-2 victory against Ally Catz, while the latter stay in the penultimate spot. Game one was tight, going to Alley Catz by only four pins (786-790), but Storm quickly gained a small advantage by taking game one 757-716. They then held on by just ten pins in the low-scoring decider, winning 679-669 to take home the lion’s share of the points. A 603 from Paul Gray was the best the winners could manage, and Rankin Camilleri rolled a 550 for the losers.
Eight-placed Royal Shock lost out 2-6 at the hands of the bottom side Blues Brothers, who will be glad to finally get onto the scoreboard this season. As was the typical pattern this week, it was tit-for-tat sparring in games one and two-Royal Shock taking the first 743-674, before taking a 715-823 beating in the second. The Blues Brother seized their chance, bolstered by clinching their first two points from four weeks, and went on to take the third game 745-798, thus winning the series points by 92 pins (2,203-2,295). Ray Cossai rolled a 556 for Royal Shock, and Manwel Saliba took 607 for the Blues Brothers.
Standings-Middlesea Valletta Life Division I, Week 4
Aercomms-29, Fina First-26, Right Deal-20, Fina Excel-18, Veltins-18, Ramis-16, Storm-14, Royal Shock-13, The Rascals-12, Globalair Travel-12, Alley Catz-8, Blues Brothers-6
Bowlers of the Week
Ray Falzon (Aercomms) 637; Sue Abela (Veltins) 592.