That Sirens Ritter Sport are a team not to be taken lightly was evident from the outset of the league trek.

Sliema Frank Salt Real Estate learnt this to their expense yesterday. Not that they had no prior warning after having avoided defeat against the northerners in the last seconds of the first round match between the two sides.

In a game of alternating fortunes Bogdan Rath’s lads had the satisfaction of edging their opponents by the odd goal in 27.

It was a contest of high drama replete with physical content, turnover fouls and above all, goals galore as the scoreline indicates.

Strangely, a high-scoring first session which the northerners shaded 5-4 turned out to be decisive as they kept their noses in front after six goals were shared in each of the other quarters.

Sirens led most of the time with Christian Presciutti providing the main scoring guns with five goals.

But it was far from a one-man show as the team managed to eke their combative qualities to twice annul a goal deficit in the last session after also having been momentarily behind in the first and second quarters.

Sliema, who were forced to replace the unfit Ryan Coleiro with Zack Sciberras early on, were well served by an in-form Jerome Gabarretta and Michael Bodegas who lived up to his reputation after some low key matches.

This tandem scored five and four times respectively, but that was not enough as Sirens’ superior composure on extra player sets when netting seven on 11 also helped them gain an edge on their opponents who could only convert five on as many extra man sets.

In the end it was a commendable team effort from Sirens after the indomitable John Soler, scorer of a hat-trick, seemed to tilt the result in his team’s favour in that last session. The definite exclusion after three personal faults of Nikola Dedovic late in the third session and Mark Meli in the last did not help the Blues’ cause.

Sirens have now reached the ten-point mark and share third spot in the table with Sliema.

Summaries

Otters 8
Ta’ Xbiex 9

(0-1, 4-1, 3-2, 1-5)

Otters: R. Bonnici, M. Borg Millo, M. Paris, L. Gialanze, F. Kljajevic, E. Meli 3, G. Mizzi, S. Dimech 1, N. Paris 1, D. Borg Millo 1, C. Martin, S. Aksentijevic 2, P. Theuma.

Ta’ Xbiex: L. Pace, A. Maclari 5, A. Camenzuli, G. Attard, M. Kallay 1 K, Mock, J. Galea 3, E. Gravina, J. M. Zammit, J. Tanti. K. Debattista, P. Micallef, K. Grima Scott.

Referees: S. Licari, B. D’Alessio.

Sliema 13
Sirens 14

(4-5, 3-3, 3-3, 3-3)

Sliema: R. Coleiro, J. Gabarretta 5, K. Dowling, T. Sullivan, M. Meli, J. Soler 3, M. Fenech, C. Cluett, J. Brownrigg, M. Bodegas 4, A. Attard 1, N. Dedovic, Z. Sciberras.

Sirens: N. Grixti, Z. Mizzi, C. Presciutti 5, G. Pace 2, M. Grech 2, C. Kiss 1, M. Caruana, D. Cutajar 1, J. Napier, E. Aquilina 2, L. Caruana 1, A. Sammut, J. Sciberras.

Referees: M. Dalli, G. Fusco.

Premier League

  P W D L F A Pts
Neptunes 6 5 0 1 69 46 15
San Giljan 6 5 0 1 66 49 15
Sliema 7 3 1 3 86 75 10
Sirens 7 3 1 3 79 70 10
Valletta 6 2 0 4 54 80 6
Exiles 6 0 0 6 50 84 0

Division One

  P W D L F A Pts
Ta’ Xbiex 6 5 0 1 77 65 15
Marsaxlokk 5 3 0 2 76 55 9
Marsascala 5 3 0 2 67 59 9
Otters 6 0 0 6 53 94 0

Today
Division One: 18.15 Marsaxlokk Fischer vs Marsascala Nutrition Empire.
Premier League: 19.30 Neptunes Gri-maldi vs Exiles Ferretti.

Tomorrow
Premier League: 10.00 Valletta McDonald’s vs San Ġiljan Crystal Finance.

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