Watch: Vittoriosa clinch first Regatta shield as sole winners in 40 years

Cospicua win ‘B’ Category regatta

Vittoriosa have ended a 40-year wait to secure the Victory Day Regatta in thrilling fashion after topping the Tal-Pass B’Erbgħa, the 10th and final race at the Valletta Grand Harbour on Sunday.

Antoine Brignone, Clyde Cutajar, Clayton Darmanin and Sven Refalo crossed the finish line first after battling it out with a strong Senglea contigent, who placed second.

Cospicua, who were chasing Senglea’s record of 23 shields, finished third.

For Vittoriosa, this is their second straight success having shared last year’s shield with Cospicua.

However, it is their first time they lifted the Victory Day Regatta shield since their 1984 triumph.

In the ‘B’ category, Cospicua pipped Kalkara and Marsamxett to clinch the shield in the final race having won two of the five races.

Kalkara and Marsamxett were in a better position to lift the shield heading into tal-Pass B’Erbgħa race but while Kalkara collided with Vittoriosa, Marsamxett could only finish third.

Cospicua, through Mattia Calleja, Nicholas Paris, Cleaven Falzon and Denzel Thornton, crossed the finish line first to delight of the Bormla clan.

Vittoriosa claimed the women’s shield after a dominant performance from their rowers Shazel Grima and Glynnis Mizzi representing the city of Birgu.

RESULTS

OPEN CATEGORY

TAL-MIDALJI – Senglea (Davison Micallef, Glenn Zammit, Russell Bugeja & Andrea Gauci); Vittoriosa; Cospicua.

FREJGATINI – Senglea (Clyde Mizzi & Davison Micallef); Vittoriosa; Cospicua.

TAL-PASS TA’ BIT-TNEJN – Cospicua (Clive Casha & Dennis Thornton); Senglea; Vittoriosa.

KAJJIKI – Vittoriosa (Kieron Zammit & Nigel Sant); Marsamxett; Cospicua.

TAL-PASS B’ERBGĦA – Vittoriosa (Antoine Brignone, Clyde Cutajar, Clayton Darmanin & Sven Refalo); Senglea; Cospicua.

FINAL STANDINGS
Vittoriosa 62 points; Senglea 60; Cospicua 42; Marsamxett 8.

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‘B’ CATEGORY

TAL-PASS B’ŻEWĠ IMQADEF – Kalkara (Gilmore Buttigieg & Godwin Buttigieg); Marsamxett; Vittoriosa.

KAJJIKI – Kalkara (Christian Bugeja & Kurt Vassallo); Marsamxett; Senglea.

TAL-MIDALJI – Cospicua (Matthia Calleja, Nicholas Paris, Dione D’Amato & Denzel Thornton); Marsamxett; Senglea.

FREJGATINI – Kalkara (Kohath Mallia & Ryan Degiorgio); Birżebbuga; Cospicua.

TAL-PASS B’ERBGĦA – Cospicua (Mattia Calleja, Nicholas Paris, Cleaven Falzon & Denzel Thornton); Birżebbuga; Marsamxett.

FINAL STANDINGS
Cospica 48; Kalkara 44 points, Marsamxett 40; Birżebbuga 24; Senglea 10; Vittoriosa 10.

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WOMEN
Vittoriosa (Shazel Grima & Glynnis Mizzi); Senglea; Marsa.