Exiles Ferretti 11 Sirens Ritter Sport 16
(2-4, 2-3, 3-3, 4-6)
Sirens were prohibitive opponents to Exiles in this encounter. True, the last time that theses two teams met, a few weeks ago, the result was an even score, but Sirens were improving by leaps and bounds, nitwithstanding the constant change of their coach for the day, due to Bogdan Rath’s skirmishes with the Disciplinary Commissioner.
Except for brief periods, in the first part of the match, Sirens were always in command, and they had no hassle in managing to extend their lead at the top of the new Relegation Pool, accentuating the fact that they could also hold their own in the Championship Pool.
Julian Rizzo Naudi helped Exiles to overturn the score at the start of the game, but Sirens struck three times more till the end of the session, to take another advantage.
Once more Exiles found the means to claw themselves back, as they drew level, in the next session, but again they fell prey to the strong Sirens outfit, and another three goal run had teh St. Pauls Bay side ahead at the interval, on a 7-4 score.
Exiles tried to get abck in the match, after the break, but every time they scored, on three occasions, Sirens always found a reply, and when the last quarter arrived Sirens were still ahead, this time to the tune of 10-7.
Exiles were still grittily trying to drag themselves back, and they went to within a goal of their adversaries twice, helped by man up situations, but the last laugh went to Sirens, who finished off the match with four goals in the last two minutes of play, to amble away from their opponents.
Christian Presciutti netted a poker of goals, with Zak Mizzi helping himself to a hat trick, for Sirens. Exiles had Julian Rizzo Naudi and Kurt Grixti both on hat tricks.
Exiles: I. Bugeja, J. Rizzo Naudi 3, S. Vassallo 1, D. Zammit Lupi , G. Katonas 1, D. Borg , J. Spiteri Staines , K. Grixti 3, L. Sekulic 2, P. Borg 1, B. Lanzon ,S. Galea Pace , K. Lanzon
Sirens: N. Grixti, Z. Mizzi 3, C. Presciutti 4, G. Pace 2, M. Grech 2, C. Kiss 2, M. Caruana , D. Cutajar , J. Napier , E. Aquilina 2, L. Caruana , A. Sammut 1, M. Pisani
Referees: M. Dalli, M. Sponza