In week thirteen of the MTBA National League being played at the Eden SuperBowl, Sammy’s Embroideries have pulled off another unbelievable win, this time beating runaway leaders Fina First by eight points to nil.

The win came just one week after their 6-2 win against defending champIONs Aercomms, who managed a 2-6 victory over O’Casey’s this week to put them back in title race. There was an also a full point win for sixth placed Globalair Travel against Alley Catz, while it was also easy pickings for third placed New Blood who took all eight from unlucky Fireballs. Elsewhere Storm II won 6-2 against Fina Excel and there was a 4-all draw between Ramis and Right Deal.

Sammy’s Embroideries have done it again! This time they went one better than their previous 6-2 beating of Aercomms, putting the mighty Fina First to shame in an 8-0 slaughtering. Sammy’s command of the match belied their relegation zone status, as they rolled off the highest team season of the week (2,410), adding a measure of humiliation to their hammering of their formidable opposition who put in one of the lowest scores in Div I. The underdogs opened with a good 774-744 winner, before improving to an 811-678 win in game two and then playing their best of the set as they took game three 825-747 to finish their destruction of the league leaders. Sammy Borg (Sammy’s Embroideries), 609. Sue Abela (Fina First), 591.

Aercomms managed to gain ground on Fina First thanks to their rivals’ misfortune, and their own 2-6 victory over struggling O’Casey’s, whose own inconsistency is proving their downfall in this, their first taste of top flight competition. There were tit-for-tat wins in the first two games, with Aercomms easily taking the opener 631-797 before O’Casey’s drew level with a 760-705 win in game two. Aercomms claimed the majority win by taking game three 651-727, easily taking the series points (2,042-2,229). Ray Falzon Reale (Aercomms), 629. None of the O’Casey’s side managed to breach the 500 pin mark.

New Blood took all eight against bottom side Fireballs in week 13, moving into third place with the result ahead of Fina Excel. Fireballs went down 699-745 in game one, and were then very unlucky, losing game two in spite of a strong 781 effort as New Blood were ten better on 791. Game three’s 701-803 score line rounded off the rout, leaving the frustrated Fireballs outfit pondering the ever-growing prospect of a quick return to Div II. Lawrence Bonnici (New Blood), 570. Keith Bugeja (Fireballs), 604.

There were also eight points for Globalair Travel in their mid-table clash with Alley Catz. Globalair were never tested by the generally poor display from the Catz, as they claimed game one 759-704, then game two 726-683 before finishing the three game series with a high 807 against a 737 from the losing side. Clive Saliba (Globalair Travel), 610. Peter Mallia (Alley Catz), 531.

Fina Excel lost out to Storm II in another 6-2 match which boosts the latter’s survival hopes. Storm II’s match win got underway with a 765-734 victory in the first game, before Fina Excel squared the match with a very tight 761-764 equaliser in the second. This left the match wide open going into the final game, which was where Storm II took charge with a big 809-725 win to claim the match. Neil Sullivan (Storm II), 666. Mark Spiteri (Fina Excel), 632.

The final confrontation of the week was an uneventful draw between Ramis and Right Deal, with Ramis taking game one by 30 pins (755-725). It was 2-2 after Right Deal managed to clinch game two 689-707, and they went on to take the third 739-747. Two wins out of three for Right Deal but not enough to win the match, as Ramis took the series points by a mere two pins (2,183-2,181) to force the draw, 4-4 the final result. Vicky Camilleri (Right Deal), 571. Charles Farrugia (Ramis), 570.

Standings – Div. I

Fina First-86, Aercomms-72, New Blood-70, Fina Excel-65, Ramis-60, Globalair Travel-59, Alley Catz-56, Right Deal-42, Storm II-41, Sammy’s Embroideries-32, O’Caseys-24, Fireballs-17

Bowlers of the week

Neil Sullivan (Storm II) 666; Sue Abela (Fina First) 591.