Judging from the top-quality fare produced by Sliema Frank Salt Real Estate and San Ġiljan Sir Alex in yesterday’s Premier League match, the local water-polo followers should be in for an exhilarating season.
The duel which could have gone either way left the sizeable crowd on edge before San Ġiljan sealed a dramatic win and thus make an encouraging start to the competition.
Peter Biros and Gergely Kiss were the outstanding players for both teams in a pleasant encounter with Sliema conduct-ing the scoreline except for the first few minutes but with the Saints managing to keep on their heels before finally scoring a late winner through Jean Claude Cutajar.
The opening session was a seven-goal ding-dong affair after San Ġiljan had taken a 2-0 lead. Sliema edged 4-3 in front with Nikolai Lubrano scoring the last two goals.
The second quarter was just as exciting with Kiss making it 5-3 and Christian Gialanze scoring a spectacular goal for a 5-4 score.
Sliema scored twice through Timmy Sullivan and Samir Barac before Claudio Spiteri de Barro made it 7-5.
It was still end-to-end stuff with both sides employing press tactics. A good spell by the Saints helped them draw level on 7-7 but the Blues restored their two-goal lead on 9-7.
Paul Fava made it 9-8 before a goal at each end by John Soler and Biros made it 10-9 in Sliema’s favour before the last session started.
An early goal in that last quarter by Dino Zammit levelled matters before Cutajar brought joy to the Saints when he converted his team’s extra-man set.
Earlier, a high-scoring First Division duel, between Marsascala Mor€ and Ta’ Xbiex Amigos was resolved in favour of the latter team on a 18-14 scoreline.
The main protagonists for the winners were versatile newcomer Peter Markoch (three goals) and chief goal scorer Yuri Szeles who scored four.
For Marsascala, Joseph Kayes scored no fewer than seven but in the end it was Mario Zammit’s team to clinch a deserved victory.
Summaries
ASA Under-17 6
Otters ASC 9
(1-1, 2-1, 2-1, 1-6)
ASA U-17: Z. Sciberras, M. Lanzon, A. Galea 1, N. Paris, M. Grech 1, B. Plumpton 1, M. Fenech 1, G. Mizzi, J. Napier, M. Zammit 1, M. Mifsud, N. Bugelli 1, D. Spiteri.
Otters: N. Grixti, G. Attard, G. Zammit 1, A. Edward 1, S. Dimech, I. Necsulescu 2, K. Scicluna 1, D. Schembri, A. Borg, A. Cachia 1, C. Martin 1, J. Young, K. Grima Scott 2.
Refs: R. Spiteri, S. Licari.
Marsascala 14
Ta’ Xbiex 18
(3-5, 5-7, 1-2, 5-4)
Marsascala: K. Schembri, K. Rizzo Naudi 1, M. Pace 3, B. Muscat, J. Kayes 7, L. Grixti, J. Licari 2, J. Cremona, J. Ross 1, A. Sammut, D. Cassar, C. Mifsud, L. Caruana.
Ta’ Xbiex: L. Borg, J. Navarro, Andreas Galea 2, Anthony Galea 2, S. Cini 2, L. Pace, K. Galea 1, M. Paris 1, P. Paris, P. Markoch 3, R. Attard 1, O. Zammit 2, Y. Szeles 4.
Refs: P. Balzan, P. Giordano.
Sliema 10
San Ġiljan 11
(4-3, 3-2, 3-4, 0-2)
Sliema: R. Coleiro, J. Gabaretta, N. Lubrano 2, T. Sullivan 2, M. Meli, J. Soler 1, G. Kiss 3, E. Aquilina, J. Brownrigg 1, S. Barac 1, D. Paolella, M. Spiteri Staines, D. Abela.
San Ġiljan: D. Camilleri, J.C. Cutajar 1, C. Gialanze 1, K. Galea, K. Dowling, M. Zammit 2, M. Avramovic, J. Sammut, C. Spiteri de Barro 1, P. Biros 3, P. Fava 1, D. Zammit 2.
Refs: M. Angilleri, A. Sgarra.
Next matches
Tuesday: 18.00 Ta’ Xbiex vs Otters; 19.15 San Ġiljan vs Sirens.
Wednesday: 18.00 Valletta vs Marsascala; 19.15 Neptunes vs Sliema.