Easy wins for top three
Ta' Xbiex surprise San Giljan
The 2004 national championship got underway yesterday and true to expectation the fancied teams of Neptunes Vodafone, Marsascala Breakers and Sirens Go Mobile all registered easy preliminary round victories over inferior opponents.
Champions Sliema Burger King were not in action as their match against Otters was postponed to next month.
Yesterday's outcome looked very much like the opening phase of the Winter League which was completed last weekend.
Coaches from the elite sides opted to give players from their junior strings a longer stay in the pool, a move they can ill-afford to do when the action hots up in the later stages of the summer competition.
In the first match, Winter League champions Neptunes did not take too much time to impose their superiority on Marsaxlokk Free-port. In fact, the difference between the two sides was clearly evident even though the score after the opening two sessions was still close on 6-4.
The south-seasiders were never in the game after the change of ends. But again, as so often happens in such encounters, the stronger team prevailed as the Reds romped home to a 14-6 win, skipper Niki Lanzon scoring four times for his side.
As happened in the Winter League, another notable difference between these two sides was that while Marsaxlokk visibly tired out in the last sessions, the team from Balluta Bay played their most effective waterpolo towards the end.
It was also plain-sailing for Marsascala who showed better ideas when faced by Exiles. Pierre Borg's side won 10-2, their best player being veteran Paul Privitera, scorer of three goals.
It was a much easier outing for Sirens against Valletta Fortina Spa, who were making a comeback.
Joe Attard's Sirens were superior in all sessions as Valletta, led by Anthony Farrugia, were out of their depth and emerged from the water at the wrong end of another massive scoreline - 20-1.
Attard and Farrugia, like their counterparts Neptunes' Dirk Dowling and Aldo Scerri of Ta' Xbiex, all started their playing days with Valletta at the pitch in Marsamxett harbour.
Perhaps, the first upset of the summer season was San Giljan's setback to Ta' Xbiex in yesterday's last match.
It was Ta' Xbiex's only win so far this year and the first loss for the off-form Saints against opponents of the same category in two years.
Scerri's team won 5-3 with Peter Paolella's goal 20 seconds from time sealing the issue in a match that Ta' Xbiex deservedly won.
Yesterday's summaries
Neptunes 14
(3-1, 3-3, 4-0, 4-2)
Marsaxlokk 6
Neptunes: N. Gouder, N. Lanzon (4), S. Camilleri, K. Galea (1), E. Cachia (1), J. Brownrigg (1), S. Gravina, C. Zammit, David Camilleri (1), M. Azzopardi (1), Dean Camilleri, M. Stellini (3), M. Pisani (2).
Marsaxlokk: R. Bonnici, S. Cachia (2), R. Calleja (1), K. Incorvaja, N. Kerr, C. Bugeja (1), R. Cutajar, M. Fava, G. Ghirxi, C. Enriquez (1), D. Cassar, L. Cachia (1), A. Privitera.
Refs: DeRaffaele, Ancilleri.
Exiles 2
(0-2, 1-2, 0-4, 1-2)
Marsascala 10
Exiles: A. Grech, M. Grima, M. Zarb, D. Pace Lupi (1), K. Rizzo Naudi (1), K. Camilleri, J.J. Tabone, J. Cremona, D. Sullivan, J. Cuschieri, A. Arrigo, J. Vella, M. Calleja.
Marsascala: I. Bugeja, C. Spiteri DeBarro, T. Galea (2), P. Privitera (3), C. Gialanze, J. Xerri de Caro (2), J. Licari (2), L. Grixti, S. Micallef, K. Lanzon, P. Fava, M. Borg Spiteri (1), D. Ciappara, S. Farrugia.
Refs: Balzan, Sciriha.
Valletta 1
(0-3, 0-3, 1-6, 0-8)
Sirens 20
Valletta: P. Bonnici, G. Sammut, M. Camilleri, M. Camilleri, D. Degiorgio, K. Hyzler, A. Galea, J. Farrugia, D. Shaw, C. Saliba, K. Bruno, E. Mifsud (1), M. Micallef, A. Cassar, E. Arrigo.
Sirens: N. Imbroll, M. Vella (2), M. Zammit (1), C. Cauchi (3), J. Valletta (5), J.L. Borg, D. Cutajar (1), K. Montfort (1), R. Attard (1), J. Farrugia, N. Cassar (6).
Refs: Fenech, Ancilleri.
San Giljan 3
(1-0, 1-1, 1-3, 0-1)
Ta' Xbiex 5
San Giljan: K. Schembri, K. D'Ugo, S. Mercieca, C. Bonello (1), P. Cachia, M. Zammit, I. Azzopardi (1), I. Camilleri, G. Farrugia, Anthony Borda, S. Borg, M. Pace, K.G Scott (1), Ad. Borda, J. Spiteri.
Ta' Xbiex: D. Debono, G. Attard, E. Pisani, K. Sciortino, C. D'Ugo, P. Paolella (2), J. Zammit, D. Schembri (2), T. Boyd, S. Balzan (1), W. Privitera, F. Testa, C. Sciortino.
Refs: Caruana, Dalli.
Next Fixtures:
(Friday) 6 p.m. Otters vs Valletta; 7 p.m. Sirens vs Exiles.
(Saturday) 5 p.m. Marsaxlokk vs Sliema; 6 p.m. Marsascala vs San Giljan; 7 p.m. Ta' Xbiex vs Neptunes.