In his eighth season plying his trade in Italy, Steve Camilleri’s predatory qualities in terms of scoring are still very much a talking point.

Significantly, the Malta international has always led his teams’ scoring charts during this time.

Donning CC Ortigia’s colours this year after having turned out for RN Bogliasco for six seasons followed by his one-year spell with Serie A2 team Sette Scogli, Camilleri is lying second behind the 2014 Sliema recruit Antonio Petkovic (now with BPM Sport Management) in the overall list of marksmen in the elite division – a prestigious ranking given that the Serie A1 teams all have world class names from Europe in their ranks.

Despite Ortigia’s 12th position in the league, now comprising 14 contestants, the Maltese player has been instrumental in helping his team maintain a modicum of competitiveness against other morequoted opponents.

Bar a few matches, the Sicilians’ other defeats were relatively marginal.

They won two and drew one for a total of seven points after completing their commitments for 2015.

After missing the opening match while he was playing for Malta in the Euro qualifiers he struck 13 goals in October. In the next two months he remained firmly on his striking launchpad when continuing where he left off in his first four outings for Ortigia.

The only time he failed to find the net was against Acquachiara in his team’s 10-9 away defeat.

However, he then struck an unbroken trail of goals in the next six matches to take his tally to 27 goals before the Christmas recess which this season has been extended in view of the Euro Championship.

The league will resume on January30.

Camilleri scored one against European champions Pro Recco in Ortigia’s 12-4 defeat, two against Sori (9-5 away), four against Lazio (12-11 home), two against Bogliasco (7-9 away), two against Posillipo (5-11 home) and three last Saturday against fourth-placed BPM Sport Management (7-12 away).

Rather than having personal glory as his priority, Camilleri has often stressed in comments given to the media that his objective is to help his team.

Very shortly he will again revert to national team duties as the Maltese prepare for the European Championship finals in Belgrade between January 10 and 24.

Malta’s historic qualification for the finals saw them pitted against world champions and hosts Serbia, Croatia and France in Group B.