In yesterday’s three-match programme at the National Pool, Sliema Frank Salt Real Estate and San Ġiljan Allcare Insurance were made to fight to the maximum to collect the three points at the expense of resilient and tactically sound opponents, Sirens Ritter Sport and Exiles Ferretti respectively.

In the lower division match, Marsascala Mor€ kept a clean slate when they beat Ta’ Xbiex 9-4.

Sliema had to survive an early scare after going 4-0 behind and they were still four goals adrift on 7-3 at midpoint against a perky Sirens for whom the impressive left-hander Zach Mizzi netted a nap-hand of goals.

Sliema had to find refuge with a third session seven-goal blitz complemented by four more goals in the final quarter to put their minds at rest.

Jerome Gabarretta provided the fire-power with five goals, followed by three from Mark Meli.

San Ġiljan were far from easy winners over Exiles who kept on their heels until two minutes from the end when they were only trailing 5-4.

Aurelien Cousin had helped his lads to put up stiff resistance against their more quoted opponents, and only sporadic flashes of opportunism from Dino Zammit and Matthew Zammit saved the Saints from an embarrassing result against the bottom team in the standings.

A feature of the match was an unusually 15-minute goalless period in the middle sessions.

In Division One, Marsascala prevailed against a fading Ta’ Xbiex who at one point led 4-2, only for the southerners to score seven goals in succession.

Pierre Borg’s side are now leading the table with maximum points from three matches.

Summaries

Sirens 9
Sliema 14

(4-1, 3-2, 0-7, 2-4)

Sirens: N. Grixti, Z. Mizzi 5, G. Merten, G. Pace 1, M. Grech 1, A. Sammut, M. Caruana, D. Cutajar 1, J. Napier, G. Debono, L. Caruana 1, J. Zampa, M. Pisani.

Sliema: R. Coleiro, J. Gabarretta 5, N. Lubrano 1, T. Sullivan, M. Meli 3, J. Soler 1, J. Borg, C. Cluett, J. Brownrigg 1, E. Aquilina 2, A. Attard 1, N. Bugelli, K. Sciberras.

Referees: M. Angileri, R. Spiteri.

San Ġiljan 7
Exiles 4

(4-2, 0-0, 1-1, 2-1)

San Ġiljan: D. Camilleri, C. Spiteri De Barro, A. Galea, Karl Galea, K. Dowling 2, M. Zammit 2, Keith Galea, A. Bianchi, B. Plumpton, J.C. Cutajar, P. Fava, Dino Zammit 3, Darren Zammit, J. Sammut, D. Spiteri.

Exiles: I. Bugeja, J. Rizzo Naudi, S. Vassallo, D. Pace Lupi 2, P. Paris,N. Portelli, J. Spiteri Staines, K. Grixti 1, M. Paris, P. Borg, B. Lanzon, S. Galea Pace, K. Lanzon 1, L. Borg, L. Peric.

Referees: A. DeRaffaele, S. Licari.

Ta’ Xbiex 4
Marsascala 9

(2-1, 1-1, 1-3, 0-4)

Ta’ Xbiex: L. Borg, L. Pace, L. Ciantar, J. Galea, J. Cauchi, M. Camilleri 1, C. Pace, K. Camilleri, S. Aquilina 1, E. Gravina, R. Attard 1, O. Zammit 1, J. Micallef.

Marsascala: F. Buhagiar, C. Mifsud, R. Calleja, C. Bonello 1, E. Meli 3, L. Grixti 1, K. Rizzo Naudi 2, J. Cremona, S. Micallef 2, G. Desira Buttigieg, D. Cassar, M. Pace, J. Cremona.

Referees: M. Angileri, P. Giordano.