With the teams’ final standings in the bottom pool already decided the Sirens Ritter Sport and Exiles Ferretti clash only had prestige and pride at stake.
In this respect, the team from Sliema were the main beneficiaries after managing to stage a good recovery that had them trailing by four goals and five goals in the second and third sessions only to finally share the spoils on 11 goals apiece.
Maurizio Mirarchi’s team drew inspiration mainly from Luka Sekulic and Gergely Katonas, scorers of seven goals between them, even if their teamwork in the latter stages was to be commended.
Sirens, for whom, Christian Presciutti was again the scoring catalyst with a nap-hand, seemed well on their way to register a win, but some erratic play and the definite exclusions of Csaba Kiss and captain David Cutajar in the third session left them decimated, both physically and mentally.
They had won the first session 6-2 after which six goals were shared in the second.
However, a pep talk by Mirarchi during the longer interval shook off Exiles’ inertia as they fought back admirably to win the third part of the game 4-1, thus clipping the leeway to 10-9 into the last quarter.
An exciting final was in the offing. Sirens opened a two-goal lead after which a spate of missed man-ups on either side followed by two goals for Exiles put the seal on a keen tussle.
Exiles’ comeback, however, was to no avail as they had already been condemned to a relegation play-off with the first-placed team in the lower division.
In early match, Marsascala Mor€ again opened a seven-point lead over Marsaxlokk and Otters, both of whom have played a game less.
Their 15-6 victory over bottom side Ta’ Xbiex was fully deserved as they were more compact, with Sergi Mora and the familiar Hungarian Arpad Babay, yesterday replacing Gergo Marnitz, grabbing four and three goals respectively.
Summaries
Marsascala15
Ta’ Xbiex 6
(4-2. 3-1, 3-1, 5-2)
Marsascala: D. Spiteri, J.C. Cutajar, S. Mora 4, C. Bonello 2, E. Meli, L. Grixti 1, K. Rizzo Naudi, J. Cremona 1, S. Micallef 2, M. Pace 2, D. Cassar, A. Babay 3, J. Cremona.
Ta’ Xbiex: L. Borg, M. Maksimovic 1, M. Camilleri, S. Aquilina, M. Agius, J. Cauchi, S. Gravina, K. Debattista, E. Gravina, L. Pace, R. Attard 1, O. Zammit 2, P. Markoch 2.
Referees: M. Angileri, P. Balzan.
Sirens 11
Exiles 11
(6-2, 3-3, 1-4, 1-2)
Sirens: N. Grixti, Z. Mizzi, C. Presciutti 5, G. Pace, M. Grech, C. Kiss 3, M. Caruana, D. Cutajar, J. Napier 1, E. Aquilina 1, L. Caruana, A. Sammut, M. Pisani 1.
Exiles: I. Bugeja, J. Rizzo Naudi, S. Vassallo 2, D. Pace Lupi 1, G. Katonas 3, D. Borg, J. Spiteri Staines 1, K. Grixti, L. Sekulic 4, P. Borg, B. Lanzon, N. Paris, K. Lanzon.
Referees: R. Spiteri, D. Rotondano.
Playing today
First Division – 18.15 Otters Nivea vs Marsaxlokk Fischer.
Premier League (Championship Pool) – 19.30 Sliema Frank Salt Real Estate vs San Ġiljan AllCare.