Only Fina First managed a full point victory in week 15 of the Middlesea Valletta Life National League at the Eden SuperBowl. Weakened opponents Redwell Heating opted to play one man short rather than recruit a substitute for the match.
Fina are now just two points adrift of leaders Aercomms, who won six points against Right Deal, as did third team HSBC against Vintage. Royal Shock also clinched a 6-2 win against La Spigola, while the match between Sagio Investments and Ramis ended in a 4-all draw.
Redwell Heating are suffering from limited player availability, but raised a few eyebrows by showing up one bowler short for their clash with Fina First, rather than taking on a substitute from another division in line with league rules.
This gave Fina First little to do to achieve a win, along with a blatant advantage, as they opened with an easy 834-638 win in game one. Game two was another Fina pushover, 772-695 the score, as was the last of the series which ended 739-651. Brian Farrugia (Fina First), 636. Neil Sullivan (Redwell Heating), 532.
Aercomms stay top, but saw their lead cut to a mere two points thanks to Fina’s full point win, and their own 2-6 win against sixth placed Right Deal. Aercomms took the early points with a 742-810 win in game one, but then dropped to a low 687 as Right Deal drew level with their 780 effort in game two. This gave Right Deal a 25 pin advantage going into game three, which went to Aercomms 660-801, giving them the series points by 116 pins (2,182-2,298). Kenneth Arpa (Aercomms), 618. Danial Swift (Right Deal), 542.
HSBC consolidated their trophy position, winning 6-2 against Vintage (11th) to edge ahead of the pack in third place. Games one and two were low for both sides, HSBC drawing first blood with a 681-676 opening win, before Vintage made it 2-2 with a 678-707 equaliser in game two. The match was up for grabs as game three began, and it was HSBC who bagged the majority share of the points with an 823-727 win, taking the series points with an advantage of 72 pins (2,182-2,110). Helenio Grech (HSBC), 563. Lawrence Bonnici (Vintage), 527.
The clash between Ramis (4th) and Sagio Invesments (5th) ended in a 4-4 draw, allowing the top three to push slightly further ahead. Sagio Investments must have been confident of picking up at least a 6-2 victory on the night, after taking the first of the set 720-711, and then game two 724-720 to take a 4-0 lead going into game three.
It was then that Ramis pulled a miraculous 920 game out of the bag against Sagio’s 716 effort, making it all square on the series, Ramis’ monster finale giving them a 191 edge on the series (2,160-2,351). Leli Baldacchino (Ramis), 593. Clive Saliba (Sagio Investments), 572.
Sammy’s Embroideries beat bottom side Faces 6-2 to give themselves better survival chances, while their opponents slip closer towards a swift relegation to the second division.
Faces were the early leaders with a 770-801 initial win, but Sammy’s were level after game two, winning it 747-699. They then claimed the match with a 794-706 win in game three, earning the series points by 105 pins (2,311-2,206). Emmanuel Saliba (Sammy’s Embroideries), 559. Giancarlo Tolu (Faces), 583.
La Spigola lost out 6-2 against Royal Shock in the final match of the week. La Spigola were 0-2 down after losing game one to Royal Shock 767-661, but were soon on an equal footing after taking game two 780-787. Royal Shock made it 6-2 with a 752-661 win in game three, clinching the series points by 190 pins (2,299-2,109). Joe Cassar (Royal Shock), 567. Philippe Vancell (La Spigola), 531.
Standings - Division I, Week 15
Aercomms-86, Fina First-84, HSBC-66, Ramis-62, Sagio Investments-62, Right Deal-61, Sammy’s Embroideries-58, Royal Shock-58, La Spigola-54, Redwell Heating-49, Vintage-48, Faces-32
Bowlers of the Week: Brian Farrugia (Fina First 636); Amanda Cini (Redwell Heating) 526