In the main match of the day, San Ġiljan Firetech and Sirens Ritter Sport, involved in a league duel also counting for the Sportswriters Cup, had the Saints staging a good revival after their last poor outing against Neptunes to deservedly lift the trophy after having the better of their opponents.
The Saints looked more composed than their opponents in the first session, winning it 5-2 and thus procuring a solid platform. But there was perfect balance in the next two quarters in which eight goals were traded each time.
Sirens, who later on lost the services of David Cutajar and Jugoslav Vasovic on three personal faults, were responding on every occasion when San Ġiljan stretched their advantage to four goals.
With the score on 11-6 and then 12-7 in favour of Marco Risso's team, the northerners reduced the gap to a mere two goals when they made the score 12-10. Karl Galea, who was having a great match, scored his team's thirteenth goal after which San Ġiljan never looked back. Sirens had given up their ghost after pulling back temporarily to 15-13 and this despite the six conversions from Tamas Varga.
But Galea went on to emulate this goal tally and give his team's supporters something to cheer about. At the end of the game, the vice-president of the Sportswriters' Association, Simon Bonello, presented the cup to San Ġiljan captain Dean Camilleri.
In the first match of the day, Marsascala Solid Base Engineering came good late in the third session when they netted three quick goals to take a 7-4 advantage shortly before Ta' Xbiex lost their influential player Tamas Gyrovach, expelled after his third personal fault.
That proved too costly for Marco Manara's team whose scoring potential was severely curtailed. In fact Marsascala went on to ease away to victory, something that seemed beyond their possibility given their earlier bluntness when within shooting range.
San Ġiljan 18
Sirens 14
(5-2, 4-4, 4-4, 5-4)
San Ġiljan: D. Camilleri, C. Spiteri de Barro 1, M. Pace, K. Galea 6, C. Gialanze 1, K. Dowling, H. Nossek 4, A. Bianchi, E. Aquilina 2, R. Scerri, P. Fava 1, M. Toth 3, K. Schembri, A. Borda, K. Galea.
Sirens: A. Xuereb, A. Attard, C. Mercieca 3, P. Borg 1, J. Spiteri Staines, R. Mock, T. Varga 6, D. Cutajar, J. Borg, C. Zammit 2, J. Vasovic 1, D. Zammit 1, E. Arrigo.
Refs: M. Angilleri, D. Bianco.
Marsascala 12
Ta' Xbiex 5
(1-1, 2-2, 4-1, 5-1)
Marsascala: R. Sciortino, J.C. Cutajar 1, B. Szabo 2, M. Koralji 3, M. Borg Spiteri 3, L. Grixti, J. Licari 1, J. Cremona 1, S. Micallef 1, T. Agius, D. Cassar, S. Bonnici.
Ta' Xbiex: A. Xuereb, D. Caruana, A. Farrugia, C. Bugeja 1, J. Tabone, E. Bonello, D. Gabriel 2, A. Galea 1, I. Azzopardi, M. Spiteri, T. Gyrovach 1.
Refs: R. Spiteri, P. Balzan.