San Giljan had to summon all their technical nous and superior power yesterday to dismiss their arch-rivals Neptunes 12-9 and retain the President’s Cup.
However, their qualities emerged in the latter sessions after their opponents had been their equalis and indeed taking a two-goal lead twice in the opening sessions.
But the volte-face came when early in the second session, they lost Jake Muscat for expulsion with substitution as their opponents had something extra in their tanks.
The first session ended all sqaure on 2-2 with the lead alternating. It was balanced all the way with the centre approaches being crowded. In the second session, Mark Castillo and Steve Camilleri scored for a 5-3 lead for the Reds.
Aaron Younger and Jeremy Abela, netted their second goal each to level matters. Luigi Mallia scored a spectacular goal from the right for a 6-5 advantage in Neptunes’ favour before ends were changed.
Another five-metre throw by Younger proved to be a salvo for San Ġiljan as the Pro Recco player reached his hat-trick. Matthew Zammit made it 7-6 for the Saints.
But a powerful shot from Camilleri and a deflected ball by Dmitrii Kholod provided Neptunes with a filip, before San Ġiljan hit back strongly through Jake Bonavia and Nikolai Zammit.
San Ġiljan remained in the driving seat to pull away on a three-goal lead. One of these was from a backhand executed by Ben Plumpton in his inimitable style before Bonavia reached his hat-trick.
Gabriel Bonavia put the game to bed before Camilleri made it a final 12-9.
In the opening match, Marsaxlokk won the Super Cup when they beat BirzebbuĦa 13-9 in a tight Division One clash.
It was close, with the first session being drawn as Pierre Borg’s team won the second session 2-0 to take a 6-4 lead before the change of ends.
But Sasa Misic’s lads turned tables on their opponents in the third session, before sharing the contest in the last session.
The match had two scoring protagonists, Dusan Vasic scoring six goals for the winners, and Alberto Barroso with a poker of goals for Birżebbuġa.
BIRZEBBUĠA 9
MARSAXLOKK 13
(4-4, 2-0, 3-6, 0-3)
BIRŻEBBUĠA: M. Sladden, M. Aquilina 2, N. Cassar, B. Grech 3, S. Bezzina, M. Manara, A. Barroso 4, M. Cassar , I. Galea, M. Cutajar, G. Mannino, M. Curmi, S. Livori, D. Incorvaja.
MARSAXLOKK: M. Farrugia, M. Lanzon , A. Cook, B. Zammit, T. Aguis, J. Valletta 3, R. Spiteri, J. Pawley 1, R. Galea 3, J. Borg Tabone , D. Vasic 6, R. Attard, A. Fava.
Refs: A. Degabriele, R. Fodor (Hungary).
SAN ĠILJAN 12
NEPTUNES 9
(2-2, 3-4, 4-2, 3-1)
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, N. Bugelli, D. Tully, R. Caruana, A. Younger 3, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia 3, B. Plumpton 1, J. Abela 2, N. Zammit 1, D. Zammit, N. Schiavone, G. Borg, G. Bonavia 1.
NEPTUNES: A. Borg Cole, D. Kholod 1, S. Gialanze, G. Pace , J. Camilleri , L. Mallia, S. Camilleri 2, M. Castillo 1, J. Muscat 1 , J. Bajada , A. Fenech 1, E. Mallia 1, M. Rossi, D. Bugeja 1.
Refs: M. Angilleri, T. Kovacs- Csatlos (Hungary).
