Alex Taubman and Sam Thomas continued with their impressive start to the 2015 European Teams Championship after having the better of reigning champions Alex Borg and Duncan Bezzina (Malta 1) in a tight Group C match at the Dolmen Hotel, Qawra.

The Welsh duo started the day with a perfect record of three wins and 15 frames won from three matches.

However, they were unable to keep their 100 per cent statistics intact as Borg and Bezzina took two frames off Taubman and Thomas before the latter claimed the decider for a 3-2 win.

With one more round of group matches to play today, many of the teams taking part still have a chance to play in the knockout stage: the top four in each of the six qualifying groups go through and are guaranteed one of the 24 empty slots.

The frame difference will decide and not the number of matches won and lost.

That makes Malta 1’s Borg and Bezzina favourites to make the last 24 stage as they wrap up their group commitments with a match against modest Lithuania this afternoon.

Also favoured to reach the Last 24 are Malta 3 of veteran Tony Drago and promising teenager Brian Cini who are playing in Group F.

Drago and Cini had two wins from three matches.