Rabat 2

White Hart  1

Umpires  Paul Brincat, John Williams

After a quiet start the game burst into life with Rabat taking the lead in the 7th minute when Mario Galea finished a well-orchestrated move.  

Both teams created chances but either side were unable to score until half time. 

Rabat piled on the pressure early in the second half and after having a shot cleared, in extremis, in the 9th minute the ball went down the other end and Paul Torpiano leveled the match in the 10th minute after an elaborate White Hart move inside the D.

This prompted a period of fast flowing hockey with the teams now extended and chances being created at both ends.  He deadlock was broken in the 67th minute when, after a swift counter attack, Michael Galea scored the winner to clinch a hard won victory for Rabat.

Hotsticks 2

Qormi  1

Umpires Reno Cremona, Edward Hughes

This game produced what can be considered an upset when Hotsticks beat Qormi by two goals to one in an intriguing game which could have resulted in a higher score had both teams taken their chances had the ball run more kindly for them.  

A quiet first half with Qormi forcing four short corners to Hosticks’ three and no team managing to pull ahead although both had chances to do so.

In the second half the game suddenly came alive after weathering a couple of short corners, Hotsticks won a penalty stroke in the 45th minute and Domingo Guiterrez made no mistake to put his team ahead.  

Qormi reacted strongly but after they had a shot which just went wide in the 61st minute Shaun Grima locked onto a through ball after a defensive lapse and put Hotsticks two up. 

Two minutes later Jonathan Borg pulled one back for Qormi from a a short corner action.   After surviving another scare from a Hotsticks short corner Qormi piled on the pressure and laid siege on the Hotsticks goal, but to no avail. 

They will rue the number of chances they did not convert which in the end lead Hotsticks to  a meritorious 2 -1 victory.