With all three top positions already confirmed before the nineteenth and final Div I fixture of the season, the last clash between top two Fina First and Aercomms was a mere formality, ending with them sharing the points in a four-all draw.

The struggle for survival at the other end of the table was lost by HSBC who, in spite of beating bottom side The Clan 6-2, join their opponents in the drop to the second division.

Fina First remain by far the all-time top outfit of the local tenpin bowling scene, with only arch nemeses Aercomms coming close to their calibre in recent years.

This most recent victory was perhaps a more rewarding one than other for Fina, as they basically retained an identical four-bowler format throughout the entire season, that of team Captain Sue Abela, Malta’s most talented and prolific bowler ever, backed up by Justin Caruana Scicluna, Mark Spiteri and Brian Farrugia.

The team is an excellent mix of talent and experience, as well as youth in the form of Caruana Scicluna who at eighteen years of age bears all the trappings of a future Champion.

Fina First were declared Middlesea Valletta Life National Champions with a 122 point tally, which means an incredible win record of more than 80%. Aercomms settle for second place on 108, while Globalair Travel finished third on 90 points after a great mid-to-late season surge.

They were followed by Turu’s Knights in fourth place on 75, and then PharmaVet, Royal Shock and Ramis all tied on 72 points.

The only thing left to be decided on the final ‘position’ night was who would be joining The Clan in the drop to Division II, the two protagonists being Inlusion on 57 in eighth place, and HSBC who were ninth on 52. The numbers favoured Inlusion who needed three points from their clash with PharmaVet, and their luck seemed to be in as they won the opening game 744-765. PharmaVet rose to the challenge, however, winning game two 813-674 to go level and then taking the match 6-2 with a close 727-719 game three win.

HSBC needed all eight against The Clan to survive, and they worried Inlusion by going 4-0 up with consecutive wins of 772-716 and 713-735. The fate of the two teams rested on HSBC’s final game, in which The Clan rallied to clinch an impressive 735-821 win for a 6-2 match result, condemning HSBC to relegation much to the relief of onlookers Inlusion.

Division II has also now been concluded, wherein teams Active and NINE had been in a long neck-and-neck race for the title. In the end it was Active who prevailed, winning the division with 104 points against NINE’s 102 total which left them in second place, but promoted to Div I nevertheless.

The final positional match between the two ended 4-4, enough to make sure of promotion for them both, while Supreme took third place thanks to a 2-6 victory over Wasodol, the latter slipping to fourth, their promotion hopes dashed by the pattern of week nineteen’s results.

Highlanders and Atlas Insurance are the Division II teams relegated to Division III for next season.

Bowlers of the Week

Dennis Mercieca (Aercomms), 675; Sue Abela (Fina First), 657

Standings Div. I, Week 19

Fina First-122, Aercomms-108, Globalair Travel-90, Turu’s Knights-75, PharmaVet-72, Royal Shock-72, Ramis-72, Inlusion-59, HSBC-58, The Clan-32

Standings Div II, Week 19

Active-104, NINE-102, Supreme-98, Wasodol-96, J Grima & Co Ltd-78, Gladiators-64, Blitzkrieg-58, Vintage-56, Highlanders-55, Atlas Insurance-41