Sirens 8
San Ġiljan 11
(4-3, 1-2, 0-5, 3-1)

Apart from prestige, morale, in view of the forthcoming knock-out competition, was at stake as Sirens Ritter Sport and San Ġiljan Tropicana Juices faced each other in their penultimate league match.

A win for either side would have certainly boosted the ego of the players after a lean season. As it turned out, the St Paul's Bay team emulated Neptunes' performance on Friday when contriving a stinker, especially in the third session. This, together with some heroics from Dean Camilleri in the Saints' goal, compounded Sirens' woes.

San Ġiljan, on their part, played with zest and conviction, especially in the third session during which they asserted their domination for a deserved victory.

Italian Federico Pagani was their goal-scoring talisman yesterday with four conversions, with Matthew Zammit scoring three goals and winning a posse of expulsions. No doubt, victory went to the better team.

In a finely-balanced first session, a two-goal Sirens' lead was neutralised, before a conversion at each end made the score 3-3. However, a cute lob from Tamas Marcz on the stroke of time put the northerners' noses in front.

Paul Privitera, Clint Mercieca and Charlie Zammit scored for Sirens, with Pagani, Boris Popovic and Christian Gialanze replying for the Saints. Early in the second session, Paul Fava, who had made it 4-4, was excluded with substitution for dissent.

Goals by Marcz and Zammit left the score level on five-all as the teams changed ends, with Dean Camilleri having denied Attila Baranyi on a penalty throw.

But Sirens came off worse as by then they had three players each hanging on two personal faults.

John Farrugia's team, who had Karl Montfort making a comeback, conceded five goals in the third session through Pagani, three times, Mark Borg Spiteri and Zammit, as the northerners were swamped by the devastating spell from the Saints.

With Sirens messing up four consecutive man-up sets, things became more complicated for them. In the last quarter, Mercieca trimmed down the deficit with Zammit adding another goal for San Ġiljan to make it 11-6.

Two goals by Privitera and Baranyi made no difference except for statistical records.

Sirens: J. Sammut, A. Baranyi 1, A. Galea, P. Privitera 2, R. Scerri, R. Mock, J. Borg, D. Cutajar, K. Montfort, C. Zammit 1, A. Attard, T. Marcz 2, C. Mercieca 2.

San Ġiljan: D. Camilleri, C. Spiteri de Barro, C. Gialanze 1, B. Popovic 1, M. Borg Spiteri 1, M. Zammit 3, P. Fava 1, A. Bianchi, M. Pace, K. Schembri, F. Pagani 4, J. Xerri de Caro, K. Lanzon.

Referees: M. Angilleri, D. Di Raffaele.

Division Two

Ta' Xbiex 17
Otters 10
(5-0, 6-2, 4-3, 2-5)

In the previous match, from the second division league, Ta' Xbiex Mermaid's Paradise had little trouble in seeing off Otters Nivea, whose inexperience was a a telling factor, especially against the thoroughbreds of their opponents.

John Tabone's team were completely on top especially in the first two quarters with the Gozitans limiting the damage in the third session, and going one better in the last quarter which Otters won 5-2. But the final outcome had never been in doubt.

Ta' Xbiex: A. Bianchi, S. Cachia, M. Manara 2, K. Falzon, G. Lubrano, B. Szalma 5, P. Paolella 1, K. Engerer, J. Tabone 1, E. Aquilina 4, A. Tanti, D. Pisani 1, Y. Szeles 3.

Otters: R. Grech, D. Saliba, G. Zammit, S. Grech 3, D. Caruana, P. Szabo 2, K. Mizzi, K. Baco 4, C. Martin 1, L. Cachia, A. Arrigo, S. Scerri, C. Saliba.

Referees: A. DeRaffaele, R. Spiteri.

Next fixtures

Friday: 6.15 p.m. Division Two KO match; 7.30 p.m. Division One Sirens vs Sliema.

Saturday: 5.15 p.m. Division Two KO match; 6.30 p.m. Division One Neptunes vs San Ġiljan.