Premier

Sliema Frank Salt    14   

Exiles Ferretti               9

 (4-2, 5-3, 4-1, 1-3)

Sliema obtained their opening league win, after their two early setbacks. It was not so rosy as the final scoreline suggests, with both sides guilty of wayward play. Sliema also nearly made it three times running without a goal in the last quarter, but managed a late one, seconds from time. The modest Exiles outfit were addedly ham- pered with the absence of Julian Rizzo Naudi and Simon Vassallo, and Sliema had Edward Aquilina starting his two match suspension, after his dismissal against Neptunes.

Timmy Sullivan opened the score for Sliema, against his ex-side, with Kurt Grixti replying for Exiles. Sliema then opened up their advantage, with strikes from Samir Barac, Jerome Gabarretta and Nikolai Lubrano, before Roamain blary, who was a thorn in the Sliema rearguard, reduced the arrears. In the next session Exiles went close again, as Kayne Lanzon brought them nearer. Gergely Kiss took Sliema to a double lead, but Vojoslav Cupic scored for Exiles.

Barac struck again for Sliema, but Exiles were still hassling, and Blary made it a closer score. Sliema then pulled away till the interval, with goals from Michael Spiteri Staines, and late strikes from Gabarretta and Kiss, for a better 9-5 lead. After the break Blary obtained his hat trick, but Sliema made the issue safe, with a four goal blast, from John Soler, Sullivan, Mark Meli and Gabarretta, to go into the last session on a winning 13-6 score.

Sliema’s failings were again in evidence, missing their man ups, and allowing Exiles to creep back, for a more respectable score, with goals from Cupic, Blary and again Cupic, before Soler’s late strike, had Sliema finally scoring in the last period. It was only two out of seven man ups for Sliema, with Exiles not faring much better, with three goals from eight occasions.

 Sliema:R. Coleiro, J. Gabarretta 3, N. Lu- brano 1, T. Sullivan 2, M. Meli 1, J. Soler 2, C. Cluett, J. Brownrigg , S. Barac 2, D. Paolella , M. Spiteri Staines 1, D. Abela Exiles: I. Bugeja, N. Paris , M. Magri , D. Zammit Lupi , R. Blary 4, N. Portelli ,J. Spi- teri Staines , V. Cupic 3, K. Grixti 1, P. Borg, S. Galea Pace , D. Borg , K. Lanzon 1 Referees: M. Dalli , M. Calabro’.

Sirens Ritter Sport     8    

Neptunes Emirates    16

(0-3, 3-6, 1-4, 4-3)

It was another day at the office for Neptunes, as they turned over another good performance, to sweep aside the Sirens outfit. The champions’ strong play always had Sirens in difficulty, and they continued to pull away in the course of the first three sessions of play. Sirens then were more in evidence in the final quarter, when Neptunes began to ease off, and the score became a somewhat more respectable one.

 Jurgen Borg was still suspended for Sirens, in this match. The champions began the game with a three goal spurt in the opening period, without any reply from Sirens, as Jordan Camilleri, and his brother, Steve, scored the goals. The St. Paul’s Bay side opened their account in the second period, through Arpad Babay, but Alex Ciric and Steve Camilleri replied for the champions. Csaba Kiss converted a penalty throw for Sirens, with Tamas Molnar and Ciric increasing Neptunes’ advantage. Stephen Micallef obtained Sirens’ third goal before Neptunes netted another brace, from Jordan Camilleri and Molnar. At the interval the score stood at 9-3 for the champions. After the break Neptunes continued with their two goal pace, from Molnar and Steve Camilleri. David Cutajar squeezed a shot via Borg Cole’s hands, to score Sirens’ fourth goal, but Neptunes put in their customary two strikes, with a Steve Camil- leri penalty and Michele Stellini, and the last quarter began on a 13-4 Neptunes lead.

Andrea Sammut went in goal for the champions, and he was beaten by another Cutajar goal. Niki Lanzon broke away to net a Neptunes goal, but Alex Attard replied quickly for Sirens. Molnar flicked in for the champions, and Sirens took advantage of some Neptunes’ slack marking, to net twice, by another Kiss penalty and Cut jar’s third. The match ended with Steve Camilleri’s sixth strike, as in his last match, against Sliema. Sirens failed in their first three man ups, but netted their next two. Neptunes had a healthy average, with five goals from seven expulsions.

Sirens: A. Grech, Z. Mizzi, M. Grech, J. Napier, A. Babay 1, C. Kiss 2, A. Camenzuli, D. Cutajar 3, A. Zarb Cousin, A. Attard 1, S. Micallef 1, G. Debono, J. Cremona.

Neptunes: A. Borg Cole, N. Lanzon 1, A. Sammut, M. Stellini 1, T. Agius, A, Ciric 2, S. Camilleri 6, J. Camilleri 2, G.

Pace, S. Gravina, B. Lanzon, T. Molnar 4, C. Mercieca Refe

Division 1

M’scala More 12     Marsaxlokk     9

(3-2. 3-3, 3-3, 3-1)

M’scala followed up on their victory over Valletta, a few days ago, but they left it very late to get the better of a fighting M’xlokk side. The latter kept pace for most of the match, but floundered in the closing stages, as M’scala finally broke through, to register their win. M’scala have to make do without John Licari for the rest of the season, after his facial injury against Valletta. M’xlokk led briefly in the opening ses-sion, but M’scala overturned the score. M’xlokk twice levelled the score in the second period, but strikes from their foreigners took M’scala into their first double lead. M’xlokk reduced their deficit till the interval, on a 5-6 score. In the third session M’scla were once more two ahead, but M’Xlokk tied the score.

M’scala failed to go ahead, after miss- ing a penalty, but then scored a brace of goals more, with M’Xlokk getting one in between, as the score stood at 9-8 for M’scala. M’Xlokk once more were on level terms, but after a period of stale play, M’scala made sure in the closing stages of the encounter, finding their opponents’ net three times, as they pulled away, with M’xlokk missing their chances on three man ups. M’scala scored twice3 form six man ups, and M’xlokk had nine extra player occasions, but scored only three of them.

M’scala: K. Schembri, K. Rizzo Naudi 1, M. Pace , B. Muscat , J. Kayes 4, L. Grixti 2, J. Cremona 2, J. Ross 2, A. Sammut 1, D, Cassar , C. Micallef, L. Caruana M’Xlokk:: A. Xuereb, A. Bajada , M. Agius 1, E. Meli 1, K. Grech 2, K. Mock , A. Galea 1, C. Bugeja 1, R. Kovacs 1, P. Ko- vacs 2, M. Grima , T. Camilleri, G. Zammit

Referees: M. Angileri, A. DeRaffaele

Otters Nivea     11   

 Valletta United     17

(3-4, 1-7, 1-4, 6-2)

Valletta returned to winning ways, after their odd goal defeat by Marsascala. They made short shrift of a strangely subdued Otters outfit, and by the interval the match had already been decided. Second session brought all the damage to the Gozitans, as they conceded no less than seven goals, to fall too far behind. The Citizens continued to increase their advantage in the next period, and it was only in the last quarter that Otters could make an impact, besides the start of the match, when they had managed to keep pace with their opponents. Otters lost Andrei Edward, midway through the second session, and from then on their play deteriorated, and Valletta could continue to impose their style of play.

The Citizens’ scoreline was further enhanced as they managed to convert all of their five man ups, whilst the Gozitans had seven expulsions in their favour, but could only score twice. Milos Korolija obtained a nap hand score for Valletta, as did Ionut Necsulescu at the other end, for Otters. Ryan Mock scored a poker of goals for the Citizens, and there were hat tricks at either end, with Ranier Scerri for Valletta and Keith Grima Scott for Otters.

Otters: N. Grixti, G. Attard, G. Zammit, A. Azzopardi, M. Dimech, A. Cachia, K. Scicluna 2, D. Schembri 1, A. Edward, S. Dimech, C. Martin, I. Necsulescu 5, K. Grima Scott 3 Valletta: R. Sciortino, S. Meli, R. Calleja, M. Korolija 5, M. Cordina 1, S. Cachia 2, R. Mock 4, N. Bonello Ghio, C. Debono, R. Scerri 3, A. Arrigo, D. Filipovic 2, Z. Sciberras