HSBC advance to fourth place after their easy 8 - 0 win over relegation candidates Faces in week ten of the Middlesea Valletta Life National Leagues at the Eden SuperBowl. Elsewhere there was a shock 0 - 8 defeat for leaders Fina First at the hands of a mediocre Vintage side, and Aercomms were held to a tight draw by Sagio Investments, as were Ramis against Right Deal, while there was a good full point win for La Spigola against Redwell Heating, and Royal Shock took six from Sammy’s Embroideries.

HSBC enter the fray for the silverware, thanks to their 8 - 0 pummelling of Faces, which lifts them to fourth place. They took the first of the series by 102 pins (805 - 703), and were soon another hundred pins to the good after winning game two 735 - 635. HSBC would surely claim the match, but Faces came close to stealing a two point share in game three, just missing out by 12 pins as HSBC made it 8 - 0 with a 743 - 731 winner. Helenio Grech (HSBC), 574. Giancarlo Tolu (Faces), 619.

Vintage served up a humbling beating to Fina First, the latter going down 0 - 8 in the most unlikely result of the week. Fina may have thought Vintage’s 740 - 763 opening win was a lucky fluke, but they were left reeling by a second narrower loss in game two which ended 719 - 724.

Vintage were riding the wave, four points up on the mighty Fina, and gave a spectacular finale by taking game three 767 - 837 for their historic win. Lawrence Bonnici (Vintage), 599. Matthew Caruana (Fina First), 623.

Last season’s champs, Aercomms faced Sagio Investments this week, and drew first blood with a tight 792 - 800 game one victory. Sagio bounced back to level it by taking game two 810 - 759 and take a slight pin advantage into the decider. Again the tables turned and it was Aercomms who won it 727 - 760, but two game out of three wasn't enough for the match, as Sagio clinched the series points by a mere ten pins (2329 - 2319) to force the draw. Mark Bugeja (Sagio Investments), 615. Dennis Mercieca (Fina First), 645, Bowler of the Week.

Strugglers La Spigola scooped a helpful eight points against an unpredictable Redwell Heating outfit. Game one was close, La Spigola taking it 708 - 720, but they blew Redwell away with a more convincing 701 - 839 win in game two. A 724 - 731 game three winner was the cherry on La Spigola’s cake, securing all eight points to aid their survival campaign. Alan Sammut (La Spigola), 586. Amanda Cini (Redwell Heating), 578, Bowler of the Week.

Royal Shock claimed a majority win of 2 - 6 over Sammy’s Embroideries, lifting themselves up to fifth place with the result. It wasn’t a pretty encounter, Royal Shock taking the first of the set 666 - 685, before Sammy's made it 2 - 2 with a 755 - 735 reply in game two. Royal Shock took game three by just two pins (715 - 717), and amazingly, claimed the series points by a solitary pin to claim the match (2136 - 2137). Clive Farrugia (Royal Shock), 569. Tony Paris (Sammy’s Embroideries), 572.

The match between Right Deal and Ramis ended with equal four point shares, thanks to Right Deal’s comparatively more consistent performance. Ramis took game one 768 - 785 before Right Deal pulled back with a 790 - 680 win in game two. They were thankful of that considerable game winning margin as Ramis then took game three 780 - 813, but Right Deal clung on to the series points by 60 pins (2338 - 2278) to make it 4 - 4. Leli Baldacchino (Ramis), 604. Franco Ricci (Right Deal), 604.

Standings - Middlesea Valletta Life National Division I, Week 10

Fina First - 58, Aercomms - 54, Sagio Investments - 46, HSBC - 44, Royal Shock - 40, Sammy's Embroideries - 39, Ramis - 38, Vintage - 38, Redwell Heating - 34, La Spigola - 34, Right Deal - 31, Faces - 24

Bowlers of the Week

Dennis Mercieca (645) Aercomms, Amanda Cini (242) Redwell Heating