Neil Dent
With week 16 completed, only two weeks of regular play remain in the current MSV Life National League at the SuperBowl, before the top four teams break away to play a three week Championship Round between them.
With 16 points still up for grabs before that happens, okmalta.com’s Division I lead has been cut to just six points after they drew with Royal Shock this week, and second placed Ramis took a six point win over The Clan.
Fina were also majority winners against Grolsch (6-2), as were Turu’s Knights in their match against Gladiators. Bottom team Middlesea Insurance pulled of the surprise of the week, beating Salitos 8-0.
Top side okmalta.com have dropped eight points in two matches thanks to consecutive 4-all draws, sharing the points this week with Royal Shock. It was a close run affair, with Royal Shock’s opening 716-675 win providing the biggest advantage of the series, as okmalta.com then came back to win game two 794-803, and game three 742-747.
Royal Shock’s initial win meant they held on for the draw as they took the series points by 27 pins (2252-2225). Dennis Mercieca (okmalta.com), 584. Clive Farrugia (Royal Shock), 544.
Ramis crept ever closer to the top spot thanks to their 6-2 win against The Clan (sixth), which puts them just six behind the leaders. Ramis started strongly with a solid 825-759 game one win, but then stumbled to a 736 in game two, allowing The Clan to draw level with their 776 effort.
Ramis then pulled it back together in the last of the set, winning that 822-768 to make sure of the majority victory. Rankin Camilleri (Ramis), 665, male bowler of the week. Giancarlo Tolu (The Clan), 573.
Fina also bagged six points in week six to stay in with a chance at the title, with Grolsch (eighth) finishing on the losing side. Fina had an easy time of it in the first two games, opening the scoring with a 748-821 win, and then shooting the game of the week to win the second 739-894.
That meant the match practically belonged to Fina, in spite of their losing game three 842-736 (series 2,329-2,451). Sue Abela (Fina), 638. Melissa Swift (Grolsch), 648, female bowler of the week.
Middlesea Insurance must have been as surprised as anybody with their 8-0 thrashing of Salitos, which was just their third win of the season, and their only full point victory. Game one was poor, falling 670-655 to Middlesea, but they showed much better form in game two to win that 775-664. ,That was a big boost for the relegation candidates, and they improved again for an emphatic 815-676 final win to make sure of all eight points. Cole Cooper (Middlesea Insurance), 583.
Turu’s Knights picked up six against troubled Gladiators and are now mathematically sure of Division I survival as a result. It was the Gladiators who took the early lead however, winning game one 693-796, but they were quick to level things with their own 804-685 win in game two.
They took the deciding third game almost too easily, 873-667 was the game score to clinch the match. Ryan Grech (Turu’s Knights), 610. Nikolai Borg (Gladiators), 523.
Bowlers of the Week
Rankin Camilleri (Ramis), 665; Melissa Swift (Grolsch), 648
Standings Div. I Week 16
okmalta.com-102, Ramis-96, Fina-84, Royal Shock-75, Turu’s Knights-59, The Clan-56, Salitos-52, Grolsch-42, Gladiators-42, Middlesea Insurance-32
Standings Div II, Week 17
HSBC-110, MIA-88, Spare Me PLZ-84, Blitzkrieg-75, Supreme-72, BOV-64, Vintage-56, J Grima & Co-54, One4All-48, Touch of Class-29