In the Premier Division of the H2Only Mixed League, the top two local clubs – Pawla Wolves Schtag and Birkirkara BC – are playing each other five times over a three-month period in order to determine the overall winner of the team championship title.

Two fixtures have been played to date, and both have gone the Paolites’ way.

Following their opening 4-1 win over their adversaries, Pawla Wolves Schtag made the most of the psychological advantage they held over B’Kara BC to win also the second encounter, this time with a 3-2 final scoreline.

This second successive victory puts the Wolves on velvet. All they require at this stage is a single win from the remaining three matches in order to clinch the coveted national title, which is now definitely in their sights.

B’Kara showed a marked improvement over their first outing. However, this second successive defeat signifies an uphill struggle since they must now win all the three remaining fixtures against a clearly determined Pawla Wolves side if they are to top the league.

The Wolves made their intentions clear from the outset by opening up a 2-0 lead provisional lead.

Yogish Mistry, their Indian player, won his opening Men’s Singles over Robert Salomone at the end of a three-set thriller. After taking the initial set 21/17, Mistry succumbed to Salomone’s reaction in the second one to lose 15/21, before recovering sufficiently to win the third one 21/16.

Didi Rasamayii, the Wolves’ Dutch player, followed in his footsteps when she won her Ladies’ Singles against Maria Borg 21/14 – 21/6.

With the match clearly slipping from their grasp, B’Kara reacted strongly and pulled one back through Stefan Salomone / Aldo Polidano who won their Men’s Doubles game 21/16 – 27/25 against the Wolves' duo Kenneth Vella / Yogish Mistry.

However, the Wolves soon put the match beyond their opponents’ reach by going 3-1 ahead in the Ladies’ Doubles, in which Catherine Dimech / Didi Rasamayii defeated Maria Borg / Fiorella Farrugia in two clear sets: 21/8 – 21/14.

On their part, B’Kara made the final score more respectable by taking the remaining Mixed Doubles, which Stefan Salomone / Fiorella Farrugia similarly made their own over Kenneth Vella / Catherine Dimech in two sets: 21/17 – 21/15.

The third, and potentially decisive, encounter between these two sides is now scheduled for the 28th February; more information can be sourced from the website of Badminton Malta: www.badmintonmalta.org