Kavallieri beat Stompers after strong showing

Stompers TGI Fridays 17
Kavallieri Blue Label 34

Kavallieri Blue Label are the winners of the 2007 MRFU Cup after beating Stompers 34-17 in a hard-fought final played in front of a sizeable crowd at the Marsa Sports Ground last Saturday.

Having lost three of the last four clashes against Stompers, Kavallieri had something to prove against the favourites and soon showed that they had sharpened their skills for this final.

As play flowed back and forth, both teams attacked and defended meticulously, matching each other blow for blow and showing why they are the top two sides in Malta.

Then, Kurt Psaila Montfort threw himself over the line to score Kavallieri's first try.

Stompers were stunned and were given no respite as suddenly they were being assaulted from every side.

Daniel Grima struck again for Kavallieri and things looked grim for Stompers.

Kavallieri were very sharp in their passing and had excellent defensive tackling, keeping Stompers frustrated at every turn. Then, disaster struck as Kavallieri picked up two yellow cards, one for Anthony Grech Sant and the other for Michael Bonavia.

Stompers did not let the advantage slip and American Noah Hardie's try just before half-time put them back in the reckoning.

Stompers seemed to pull together at the start of the second half, making some incisive runs and coming very close to scoring.

Discipline seemed to waver in the Kavallieri lines and it looked as though they might pick up another yellow card and collapse.

The turning point came when Sean Doublesin scored Kavallieri's third try after a quick counter-attack to put his team back in the driving seat.

Chris Vassallo, deputising for unavailable kicker Roderick Attard, kicked Kavallieri's first conversion.

Getting the scent of victory, Kavallieri began to pile on the pressure and were rewarded when David Borg scored another try before Michael Bonavia burst over the line for a try that was converted by Vassallo.

As tempers flared, Kavallieri lost Reuben Vella to a red card while Hardie was yellow-carded.

Stompers refused to throw in the towel and Matthew Mirabelli scored a try to put a few extra points on his team's scoreboard.

But Kavallieri responded with Bonavia strengthening his team's grip on the cup with another try.

Stompers' only consolation late on was John Attard's try which was converted by Malcolm Attard. But that was too little too late as Kavallieri went on to celebrate a deserved success.

Stompers: L. Mifsud, M. Spiteri, D. Cerketa, D. Mascena, D. Gasan, C. Diamantino, J. Corntwaite, L. Wynne, M. Mirabelli, P. Satariano, N. Hardie, C. Morton, M. Attard, J. Zammit, M. Fountain.

Kavallieri: J. Pace, I. Borg, I. Borda, A. Grech Sant, J. Cutajar, D. Grima, P. Azzopardi, P. Mangion, S. Doublesin, M. Bonavia, R. Bonavia, C. Vassallo, R. Vella, K. Psaila Montfort, O. Caruana.

Referee: Steve Busuttil.