After conceding back-to-back defeats, Sliema picked expected spoils at the expense of Sirens
The Blues will hope this will be a victory which would hopefully open the way for a winning groove for the Winter League champions whose pride was vented with consecutive defeats against rivals San Ġiljan and Neptunes.
The Blues were on top throughout against opponents who had neither the know-how nor the power to be competitive.
At 7-2 it was game over by the long interval. The Blues’ five-goal barrage in the third session dismantled Sirens who found no answer to Dino Zammit, John Brownrigg and Zach Mizzi’s scoring instincts.
At this point, it was a matter of how big the Sliema’s victory would be.
For statistical purposes, all of the Sliema team players inserted their names in the scorer’s list, except for their goalkeepers and the youngster Kieyan Borg who had a good game.
In the latter tie, Birżebbuġa gained their first points in a match during which the southerners always made Exiles chase them, at times taking a two-goal lead.
In the second session, Exiles managed to level the score on
6-6. Birżebbuġa regained their advantage in the third session, which was extended to two goals by the end of the session.
With Birżebbuġa 9-7 up, Exiles fluffed a set of man-up situations and that was that. The gap was extended to three goals.
Valletta-Barracudas clash turned out to be a mono-tonously one-sided affair, with the Division One leaders breaking the duck at the outset, never looking back, as they kept piling the score in their favour.
The gap between the teams was such that the Valletta’s goalkeeper Benji Busuttil was shelved for the whole match to give away to the promising Andrew Bugeja.
VALLETTA 16
BARRACUDAS 2
(2-0, 3-0, 5-1, 6-1)
VALLETTA: B. Busuttil, N. Farrugia 2, T. Said 1, L. Hyzler 1, S. Busuttil 1, Z. Micallef 3, D. Paolella, M. Mifsud 3, S. Micallef 1, J. Culic 2, A. Agius 1 , K. Cremona 1, A. Bugeja, L. Felice , R. Attard.
BARRACUDAS: M. Gouder, A. Falzon, A. Grima Scott, P. Micallef, D. Ciantar 1, R. Sciortino, S. Aquilina, L. Galea, D. Camilleri, J. Bugeja, N. Camenzuli, TJ Mifsud 1, C. Bugeja, A. Abela
Refs: M. Luciani, S. Licari.
SLIEMA 14
SIRENS 3
(4-0, 3-2, 5-0, 2-1)
SLIEMA: N. Grixti, M. Mifsud 2, L. Galea 1, D. Rizzo 1, M. Meli 1, B. Cachia 1, J. Cutajar 1, K. Borg, J. Brownrigg 2, J. Gambin, Z. Mizzi 2, D. Zammit 3, A. Theuma.
SIRENS: T. Micallef, P. Serracino, K. Erdogan, J. Sciberras 1, J. Zerafa Gregory 1, G. Farrugia, M. Chircop, I. Riolo, J. Napier, M. Cutajar, M. Sciberras 1, M. Azzopardi, M. Bonello Dupuis.
Refs: G. Fusco, R. Spiteri.
BIRŻEBBUĠA 11
EXILES 8
(3-2, 3-4, 2-0, 3-2)
BIRŻEBBUĠA: M. Vassallo, J. Farrugia, N. Cassar 2, B. Grech, C. Mifsud 1, R. Mock 1, I. Galea, D. Cutajar 1, S. Bezzina, K. Tanti 4, G. Mannino 2, M. Curmi, D. Borg Cleavon.
EXILES: M. Castillo, N. Saliba, L. Gialanze, P. Paris 3, T. Sullivan, S. Xerri de Caro, M. Fenech 1, K. Griscti, N. Paris, J. Bajada 1, M. Aquilina 3, D. Fenech, G. Borg.
Refs: M. Luciani, M. Angileri.
PLAYING ON SATURDAY: 5pm Marsa-skala vs Otters; 6.05pm Marsaxlokk vs Ta’ Xbiex; 7.10pm Neptunes vs San Ġiljan
