It seems Fina cannot manage to eke out an advantage at the top of Division One. Week seven of the Middlesea League saw Ramis beating Royal Shock to again share first place, as Fina could only draw against okmalta.com.

Globalair edged closer to the top three with their majority win over PharmaVet while The Clan clinched all eight against HSBC, who now replace Gladiators in last place, the latter bagging an equal share of the points in a tie with Turu’s Knights.

Fina and Ramis have been playing cat and mouse since early in the season, largely sharing the top spot, with Fina only managing to briefly hold on to an advantage.

Fina again let Ramis in last week by drawing against third-placed okmalta.com. They lost the first of the set but then levelled it with an 836-777 game two win. Fina also picked up the points in the close run third, 852-839, but losing out on the series points by just 12 pins (2,399-2,411).

Ramis closed the two-point gap with a 6-2 win over Royal Shock.

Their opening win of 883-762 was the best of the week, and Ramis soon made it 4-0 for a considerable 203-advantage going into game three. That was what handed them the match as Royal Shock managed a 737-762 last-gap win, for their two-point share.

Bowlers of the week: Justin Caruana Scicluna (Fina, 665); Sue Abela (Fina, 611).

Standings (week 7 Fina 48, Ramis 48, okmalta.com 38, Globalair 36, Turu’s Knights 30, Royal Shock 22, PharmaVet 18, The Clan 18, Gladiators 12, HSBC 10.