Okmalta.com are the latest MSV Life National League champions, and were honoured during a presentation evening organised by the Malta Tenpin Bowling Association earlier this month.
They topped the Division One standings after 18 league fixtures on 116 points, 14 ahead of runners-up Ramis and 18 better off than previous champions Fina in third place.
Okmalta.com had led the way for much of the winter-spring championship, registering a highly impressive win rate of over 80 per cent.
They dropped just 28 points from a possible maximum of 144, and managed to clinch the title with one week to spare after strong, relentless challenges from their two nearest rivals.
Success for the new champions was very much down to a sterling collective effort on the part of the whole team, resulting in great consistency throughout while other teams may have had to rely on a star bowler or two among their ranks.
The proof of that consistency is in the season statistics, which show an overall team-game average of 770 pins for the five-month league duration.
The MTBA presentations night comprised an awards ceremony for all three divisions of the MSV Life National League, and was officiated over by Norman Mifsud, chief officer on behalf of MSV Life.
Meanwhile, the new league season (summer-autumn) is up and running, and with two weeks of fixtures already played it is once again okmalta.com to top the standings.
They’re the only team in the top flight to have bagged all possible points from their matches.
Their perfect start to the campaign kicked off with an 8-0 demo-lition of XS Vittel, wherein the losing side were unable to take anything away from the en-counter, as the series progressed 739-716, 836-791 and 793-716.
That impressive victory was followed up by another full-pointer for the champions and this time it was newly-promoted Blitzkrieg who would suffer under the okmalta.com fury – 743-644, 807-756 and 822-623.
Those back-to-back victories put okmalta.com two points clear on 16 at this very early stage, ahead of Ramis who dropped two points in their week two win over Turu’s Knights, after a very comfortable week one victory against Satariano HepO2 (8-0).
Fina are third after two matches to complete a top-three carbon copy of last season’s final standings.
They too pulled off a week one whitewash without too much effort against an unlucky Blitzkrieg outfit, but then could only come out of their week two clash with Royal Shock with a four-all draw.
Bowlers of the week
Mark Spiteri (Ramis, 668); Sue Abela (Fina, 602).
Standings
Okmalta.com 16, Ramis 14, Fina 12, Bello Aluminium 12, Malta International Airport 10, Turu’s Knights 8, Royal Shock 6, XS Vittel 2, Satariano HepO2 0, Blitzkrieg 0.