As the Middlesea Valletta Life National league nears the end of round one, week nine saw Sagio Investments carry off a sound 8 - 0 victory against Vintage and move into third place. They replace Sammy’s Embroideries who were dealt a massive 8 - 0 beating by leaders Fina First, while there was a similar win for high scoring Aercomms (2nd place) in their rescheduled match against eighth placed Royal Shock. Redwell Heating have improved steadily after their poor start to the season, bagging a 2 - 6 win against Right Deal (10th) to go sixth, just ahead of Ramis who lie seventh after a 2 - 6 win against bottom side Faces. The match between HSBC and La Spigola ended in a four-all draw.

Sagio Investments overtook Sammy’s Embroideries to go third thanks to their easy full point win over Vintage. Sagio took game one by a comfortable 122 pin margin (733 - 611) to open the scoring, and it was soon 4 - 0 after they took game two 786 - 683. This put Sagio Investments ahead by no less than 225 pins, snuffing out any hopes Vintage may have had of at least a draw. Game three was very close by contrast, but Sagio clinched it by just five pins (768 - 763) to complete the whitewash. Malcolm Pace (Sagio Investments), 571. Lawrence Bonnici (Vintage), 519.

Fina First had no trouble in grabbing all eight points against Sammy’s Embroideries in another one-sided encounter, keeping a tight grip on their Div I lead. Game one fell to Fina 820 - 746 to set the pace for the match, and they doubled their points with a 795 - 739 win in the second of the set. Sammy’s Embroideries never looked like creating problems for their opponents, and with an 829 - 703 result in game three, Fina easily claimed the 8 - 0 victory. Matthew Caruana (Fina First), 705. Sammy Borg (Sammy’s Embroideries), 566.

Aercomms rolled a fantastic 2549 series as they demolished Royal Shock 0 - 8, in a match characterised by a brilliant series from Aercomm’s Rankin Camilleri (259-222-254). The defending Champions opened with a huge 724 - 891 win in game one and then doubled their lead with a 768 - 825 win in game two. Game three was little more than a formality for Aercomms, ending 760 - 833 to finalize the rout. Rankin Camilleri (Aercomms), 735, bowler of the week. Clive Farrugia (Royal Shock), 565.

Redwell Heating are now sixth after their 2 - 6 win over Right Deal in week nine, but they would have taken all eight had it not been for a poor final game. They won the opener 744 - 789 and then also the second 778 - 798. Buoyed by their four point advantage going into game three, Redwell dropped their guard somewhat, losing it 720 - 705 to just miss out on the full-point victory. Neil Sullivan (Redwell Heating), 640. Danial Swift (Right Deal), 579.

Ramis picked up six points in their clash with bottom side Faces, and move up two spots to seventh with the result. There was a glimmer of hope for Faces as they won the first of the series 705 - 669, but that hope was short-lived as Ramis levelled the match with a 641 - 693 win in game two. With the match up for grabs in the deciding third game, it was Ramis who took control to win it 749 - 786, and clinch the series points by 53 pins (2095 - 2148). Roy Swift (Ramis), 507. Joseph Barbara (Faces), 512.

The postponed match between HSBC and La Spigola finished in an uneventful 4 - 4 draw. HSBC opened the scoring with a 720 - 609 win, La Spigola’s abysmally low game proving crucial as the match developed. They equalised with a narrow 752 - 757 win in game two and then won the third by no less than 96 pins (689 - 785), but still missed out on the series points by just ten pins (2161 - 2151), and so settled for the draw. Tiziana Carannante (La Spigola) bowler of the week, 593. Ernest Agius (HSBC), 558.

Standings - Fina First - 58, Aercomms - 50, Sagio Investments - 42, Sammy’s Embroideries - 37, HSBC - 36, Redwell Heating - 34, Ramis - 34, Royal Shock - 34, Vintage - 30, Right Deal - 27, La Spigola - 26, Faces - 24

Bowlers of the Week

Rankin Camilleri (735) Aercomms

Tiziana Carannante (593) Fina First