Neptunes moved to the top spot in the standings after beating neighbours San Giljan who were on a high after scoring an important win over then leaders Sliema a week ago.

The reigning champions are now two points ahead of their rivals and these two teams will clash in next week's top game.

In yesterday's Balluta derby, a 4-0 break by Neptunes in 10 minutes in the third session were the crucial moments of the game. Remarkable is the fact that the first, second and fourth sessions all ended in an identical 3-2 score for the winners.

However San Giljan had a good start when they managed to forge 2-1 ahead in the third minute despite John Brownrigg's early opener (he scored an eventual hat-trick in the game) for Neptunes after just 16 seconds of play.

After Serb Vujasinovic produced a gallant defensive effort to thwart Zammit from close from close range, it was Kayne Lanzon who made it 1-1 with a 5-metre shot that crossed the imaginary line off the crossbar.

Forty seconds later Marco Cuk scored a gem of a goal after a powerful shot fired from over seven metres from goal.

Neptunes replied with four consecutive goals netted in the next 10 minutes of play to overturn the score to 5-2 in their favour.

Steve Camilleri scored his first with a shot to the right corner despite De Caro's defence and then, after the Saints missed on a Stellini man-up, the same Camilleri made it 3-2 after freeing from Cuk's marking.

Vladimir Vujasinovic broke free on the left on a 3 against 1 break and netted his only goal in the match (the Serb was at times quite unlucky later in the match with a number of shots hitting the woodwork) and then it was Brownrigg who scored, off the left post, the reds' fifth goal on a Zammit man-up.

After 10 minutes without a goal, San Giljan scored once again and it was Cuk who made good use of an S. Camilleri man-up and then, 40 seconds later, made it a tight 5-4 scoreline with an accurate shot to the right corner despite Pisani's efforts to block him.

However, a minute form the session's end, Matthew Pisani scored (after Gravina had a shot off the bar) on a Cachia exclusion.

Seconds from the change of ends, San Giljan protested for a Zammit close range effort which was judged not to have surpassed the imaginary line.

The third session was the pivotal point in the match as Neptunes managed to open a four-goal lead. Both sides missed an initial man-up but then, on a De Caro exclusion, Pisani grabbed his brace and then Camilleri scored from close range on a break after a great assist from captian Lanzon. The latter had also been fed an accurate long range pass by Vujasinovic.

Although San Giljan opened the last session with a Matthew Zammit goal off a Brownrigg man-up, Neptunes were in command and then replied with three goals to go 11-5 ahead. Brownrigg scored on a Cuk exclusion, S. Camilleri converted a penalty after a K. Lanzon foul on Stellini and the latter scored Neptunes' final goal in the match.

Seconds from the end, Zammit registered his personal brace for a final 11-6 score.

Neptunes: N. Gouder, N. Lanzon, J. Camilleri, M. Stellini 1, J. Brownrigg 3, V. Vujasinovic 1, S. Camilleri 4, L. Attard, D. Camilleri, S. Gravina, R. Sciortino, T. Agius, M. Pisani 2.

San Giljan: K. Schembri, C. Spiteri de Barro, A. Galea, C. Bonello, E. Cachia, M. Zammit 2, M. Cuk 3, D. Camilleri, M. Pace, S. Borg, J. Xerri de Caro, K. Lanzon 1.

Refs: A. Severo, M. Dalli.

* * *

Marsascala 7-Up 9

Marsaxlokk Freeport 6

(2-1, 1-1, 4-3, 2-1)

Through more consistent swimming and effectively blocking out the offensive threat of Belorussian Sergey Frolov, Marsascala managed to register an important victory to move to the joint top spot in the standings together with Ta Xbiex and Exiles, although the latter have a game in hand.

The greens opened an early 2-0 lead, despite missing a Schembri man-up in the third minute, through an initial goal from Italian Fabio Valenti in the fourth minute followed by a Stephen Micallef netting 16 seconds from the first session's end.

This lead was however neutralised when Duncan Schembri opened Marsaxlokk's goal account just two seconds before the end of the first session and then Keith Grima Scott made it 2-2 14 seconds from the end of the second session.

Marsascala replied almost instantly when Valenti grabbed his second, a mere 0.2 seconds from the session's end, and thus made it a 3-2 game at the change of ends.

The third session produced seven goals with Mario Zammit's boys just pipping their southern neighbours with the odd goal to increase their lead to 7-5 eight minutes from time.

Schembri momentarily made the score level once again with a shot from a central position in the third minute of the third session but M'Scala opened another two-goal lead within a minute and a half through Valenti's second and a Mark Borg Spiteri goal. In the last three minutes of this session, the two scored twice respectively. It was first George Attard who found the M'Scala net, from the left, off a Frolov assist.

On the opposite end M'Scala scored two goals through Valenti, who thus registered his personal poker, and Ryan Cutajar before Frolov scored his only goal in the match seven seconds from time.

Early in the final session, off a Grima Scott exclusion after being judged to have fouled Valenti, Duncan Cassar scored his first of two goals in the same session.

There was an instant reply by M'Xlokk as Glen Ghirxi scored on a Borg Spiteri exclusion but, despite the efforts made by Anthony Farrugia's side, M'Scala controlled the tempo and safeguarded their posts before ascertaining victory with Cassar's brace 22 seconds from time.

M'Scala: I. Bugeja, J. Cutajar, S. Farrugia, A. Galea, M. Borg Spiteri 1, L. Grixti, F. Valenti 4, S. Micallef 1, R. Cutajar 1, D. Cassar 2, M. Spiteri, D. Ciappara.

M'Xlokk: A. Sammut, S. Cachia, R. Calleja, A. Farrugia, K. Farrugia, C. Bugeja, E. Pisani, D. Schembri 2, S. Frolov 1, K. Grima Scott 1, G. Ghirxi 1, G. Attard 1, R. Bonnici.

Refs: I. Sciriha, M. Caruana.