Neptunes-Sliema derby sets the ball rolling

The 2009 waterpolo season gets underway this morning when the opening matches from the BOV Winter League will be played at the National Pool, Tal-Qroqq.

The pre-season tournament will be off to an exciting start as rivals Neptunes and Sliema set the ball rolling in the opening fixture at 10 a.m.

Although the Winter League does not rank high on the agenda of local teams, the rivalry dividing these two teams is so intense that any derby, no matter in which category, is always considered a big sporting contest.

Neptunes are the Winter League title holders following a nail-biting play-off against Sliema last year, which the Reds won 7-6.

In the close season, coach Sergio Afric dealt Neptunes a blow when he decided to 'cross boundary' and join Sliema. Neptunes acted quickly, however, and installed a new coaching tandem in Sergei Markoch and his no.2 John Paris.

This will be Russian Markoch's second stint at Neptunes following the one of 1993. He will be here for the National League which starts on May 22.

In other matches today, Sirens take on Marsascala with the St Paul's Bay side looking to put behind them a disappointing 2008 where they failed to mount a decent challenge for the domestic honours.

The other match in programme pits together the 2008 Division Two champions Exiles and San Ġiljan. Both teams share a common ambition as they try to bridge the gap with the big guns and give more playing time to the players coming up ahead of the summer league.

Malta U-20 will also figure in the Winter League as a non-competition side in their build-up for the European U-20 tournament in Malta between April 30 and May 3.