Alex Borg maintained his status as Malta national champion on Friday night following a clear 7-3 victory in the final over Simon Zammit, of Jesmond Sporting Club.
The final, at the St Joseph BC in Ghaxaq, was played in front of a sizeable crowd and under the control of referee Michael Farrugia.
This is the eighth national title and sixth in a row for Borg, the undisputed Malta champion who plays for Juventutis Domus, of Zejtun. He only trailed once in the final when Zammit took a 2-1 lead at the end of the third frame.
Borg, just back from the European Team Championship in Scotland, won the next two frames but Zammit, who was also in the Malta team in Glasgow, pulled one back to temporarily make it 4-3.
Zammit was still in the reckoning but Borg, despite nursing a bout of 'flu, then showed his best to clinch the next three frames and secure victory and the title.
"I was a bit hesitant at first because I was down with fever before the final and couldn't focus 100 per cent," Borg told The Sunday Times.
"However, things started getting on well for me once the match was underway. This is my sixth successive championship title and I'm proud to have achieved this. The semi-final against Clayton Castaldi was close and Simon is a valid player. I think the final was closer than the result might suggest."
Asked about the future of the local game, Borg said the upcoming players needed more assistance to keep the upward trend going.
"The sport is still very popular in our country, no doubt," Borg said. "There are more than 25 clubs registered with the association and that is somewhat encouraging for the organisers of the game.
"However, we need to have our own premises and a base where we can install three or four tables. That way we could have adequate training to help the ones coming up improve their standard.
"The talent is there, I'm sure about that. In Glasgow, there were three U-19 Maltese players who qualified from the group stages but they are making a lot of sacrifices and forking out the expenses from their own pockets. I guess this has to stop... we need to sustain their development and help them become valid players to represent the country."
Main Tour option
The season is not over yet, with a couple of ranking tournaments still on the schedule. Borg, however, is already eyeing the 2008/09 calendar.
"In June, there's the European Championships and Polish Open in Warsaw," he said. "I'm training hard for the tournaments as I know that victory in one of the two events could mean automatic entry for the WSA Main Tour. I've won the championships in 2005 and 2006 and my aim is to do well again to secure my place in the professional tour."
At the end of the final in Ghaxaq, those present were addressed by Malta Billiards and Snooker Association president Frans Bugeja. He also distributed the trophies along with association official Paul Galea.
Frame scores: (Borg first) 62-33; 26-69; 38-70; 77-32; 67-56; 58-5; 14-72; 63-48; 74-43; 66-2.