Lalov leading Div. One table

The Division One championship from this year's H2Only League is now nearing its end. Four players are competing for the title, facing each other over two rounds.

With each participant having played five matches so far, Bulgarian Boris Lalov (Msida Arrows BC) is leading the provisional standings with eight points. He has an unbeaten record, having won three of his fixtures and drawn the other two.

Stefan Salomone (Birkirkara BC) lies two points adrift of the leader, with two wins and two draws and a single defeat sustained in his recent direct encounter with Lalov.

Before their clash, Salomone and Lalov headed the table with equal points. Both contenders played their hearts out in an encounter characterised by high-level play.

They adopted an attacking game in a bid to secure a victory, as a drawn result would have been of little use to either one of them.

Lalov started well by taking the first set 21-12. Though Salomone reacted strongly in the second one, Lalov still managed to come out on top, clinching the set 21-16.

In the other match of the day, Kenneth Vella (Pawla Wolves Schtag) and Aldo Polidano (Birkirkara BC) drew their fixture at the end of a balanced encounter.

It was Polidano who drew first blood, by taking the first set 21-17. However, Vella reacted promptly to this initial setback by winning the second one 21-14.

With a single fixture left to play, the Division One table presently reads as follows: Boris Lalov - 8 points; Stefan Salomone - 6; Kenneth Vella - 5; Aldo Polidano - 1.

The next fixtures in this division are scheduled for June 27. Lalov will face Polidano, whom he has already beaten in the first round. A drawn result would be sufficient for the Bulgarian to take the title.