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NEW LEAGUES COMMENCING JULY 2014
- Presentation night on 11th July. Come along, bowlers and friends, This is not just a presentation but a night out for the entire bowling community.
- beginners welcome for Division 3, commencing 1st September
STANDINGS MSV NATIONAL LEAGUES:
DIV 1 League Standings: week 2:
1. Okmalta.com – 16
2. Ramis – 14
3. Fina – 12
4. Bello Aluminium – 12
5. MIA – 10
6. Turu’s – 8
7. Royal Shock – 6
8. XS Vitel – 2
9. Satariano – 0
10. Blitzkrieg - 0
Bowlers of the week:
-Sue Abela (Fina – 602) and
-Mark Spiteri (Ramis – 668).
1. Supreme – 24 2. Vintage – 18 3. The Clan – 14 4. Mean Machine – 12 5. Pin Strikers – 12 6. BOV – 8 7. Bank of Valletta – 6 8. Atlas – 2 9. One4All - 0
Bowlers of the week:
-Helenio Grech (607 – Supreme)
-Jenny Zammit (459 – Atlas)
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MATCH OF THE WEEK: J.GRIMA&Sons vs The CLAN
What makes an encounter as the match of the week? No fixed formula really but a balance of drama, performance, relevance to table...
This was a direct clash between 2 mid-table teams. Both must strive to build some cushion to the relegation zone. The 2 teams are balanced in terms of team average, therefore a close encounter was statistically predictable. And so it turned out to be. The CLAN made a slow start as none of them managed to beat their average in the first game. This gave the Grimas the opportunity to forge ahead and win the game by the close margin of 10 pins. Game 2 saw both teams come alive with practically all bowlers beating their book average. However, it was a strong 246 game from veteran SAMMY BORG that tipped the scales in favour of the GRIMAS. They won by 38 pins thanks to this boost from nannu Sammy. At this stage, CLAN needed to win the final game by 49 pins to salvage a draw. Clan tried their best and did win the last game but the Grimas defended the total pinfall by 20 pins. Sammy Borg was the hi-man of the encounter with a total series of 585. All the Clan bowlers ended up on the same levels with the best contribution coming from Bjorn Tabone at 540.
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-Helenio Grech (607 – Supreme)
-Jenny Zammit (459 – Atlas)
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MATCH OF THE WEEK: J.GRIMA&Sons vs The CLAN
What makes an encounter as the match of the week? No fixed formula really but a balance of drama, performance, relevance to table...
This was a direct clash between 2 mid-table teams. Both must strive to build some cushion to the relegation zone. The 2 teams are balanced in terms of team average, therefore a close encounter was statistically predictable. And so it turned out to be. The CLAN made a slow start as none of them managed to beat their average in the first game. This gave the Grimas the opportunity to forge ahead and win the game by the close margin of 10 pins. Game 2 saw both teams come alive with practically all bowlers beating their book average. However, it was a strong 246 game from veteran SAMMY BORG that tipped the scales in favour of the GRIMAS. They won by 38 pins thanks to this boost from nannu Sammy. At this stage, CLAN needed to win the final game by 49 pins to salvage a draw. Clan tried their best and did win the last game but the Grimas defended the total pinfall by 20 pins. Sammy Borg was the hi-man of the encounter with a total series of 585. All the Clan bowlers ended up on the same levels with the best contribution coming from Bjorn Tabone at 540.
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After an absence of several years.... the MTBA is holding an end-of-year party on the 27th December (Friday). Hope to see most members with your family and friends. Venue is in Naxxar, near MASTER CELLARS. Tickets are at euro15 each and will cover costs of hire of hall, DJ, lots of good finger food from Deguara Caterers and a free drink. Contact me or any committee member for details and tickets. Students under 18 have a subsidised price of euro10.
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| We are buying some really good wine for the party..... |
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| DRESS CODE?? entirely up to you - we just offer suggestions |
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Division 1 climaxes in a hi level decider -Ramis new Champions
Division 1 climaxes in a hi level decider -Ramis new Champions
Ramis kept on their momentum to win the championship in a high scoring finale. Ramis had been notching up hi-team series after the other and came into the final week with confidence. Mark played brilliantly once again to end up with a fantastic 220 average. A good push came from Joanna who also put in a hefty 649 series. Rankin and Mauro also had good performances of 744 and 642 respectively. The game ended in high scoring series of 2580 to 2458. okmalta.com lost the league by whisker, after winning 3 times in row. They remain one of the strongest team in the league.
Equally exciting was the fight for 3rd spot. Gallant BowlersOnStrike had a great season and finished joint 3rd, however the awards will ultimately go to Fina merely on pinfall.
Last season's podium winners, Roganinto's could only make it to 5th this time round but were only 4 points away from retaining their position.
Turu's had a few up and downs this season and I was expecting them to be in top 5, at least. However, they gave away too many points. Often with less than 15pins.
JGrima &Co did well, finishing 8th. They did particularly well against the top teams, often taking off points from the elite squads.
St.James Hospital could not fight out the season due to injuries and often needed substitutes to shore up their defences. Therefore, the fact that they managed to survive is already an achievement.
Clan and BOV are relegated but I think that both of them will soon return to Div 1. They will be very strong teams in Div2.
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| RAMIS - league Champions 2013 -poor start but excellent surge in second round winning over 90% of points |
Results final week:
11-12: Rogantino's Restaurant vs BOV: 6 - 2
13-14: JGrima&Co vs Fina: 2 - 6
15-16: Turu's vs BowlersOnStrike: 6 - 2
17-18: St.James Hospital vs Clan: 6 - 2
19-20: Ramis vs okmalta.com: 6 - 2
19-20: Ramis vs okmalta.com: 6 - 2
Bowlers of the week Div 1: 649 -Johanna Attard / 749 -Mark Spiteri (220 league avg)
Division 1 week 18:
1. Ramis – 112 Champions
2. okmalta.com – 108
3. Fina – 84
4. BOS – 84
5. Rogantino – 80
6. Turu’s – 66
7. JGrima&Co – 60
8. St. James – 56
9. The Clan – 38
10. BOV - 32
Division 2 week 20:
1. MIA 126
2. Blitzkrieg 105
3. Gladiators 102
4. XS 96
5. Vintage 93
6. Supreme 89
7. Atlas 78
8. Kiwis 70
9. TOC - 59
10. BOV 59
11. One4All 51
12. Still Around 32
Div2 -Bowlers of the week: 578 - Charles Galea -MIA / 558 - Marthese Cossai - KIWIS
1. MIA 1262. Blitzkrieg 105
3. Gladiators 102
4. XS 96
5. Vintage 93
6. Supreme 89
7. Atlas 78
8. Kiwis 70
9. TOC - 59
10. BOV 59
11. One4All 51
12. Still Around 32
Div2 -Bowlers of the week: 578 - Charles Galea -MIA / 558 - Marthese Cossai - KIWIS
-see full report on Div 2 on facebook MTBA official page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malta-Tenpin-Bowling-Association/127928316689
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malta-Tenpin-Bowling-Association/127928316689
Week 16 (Div 1) Week 19 (Div 2)
The leagues are now in the final count down. Few spots are already sealed and there is still quite an uncertain outcome for many teams. The exception are MIA who are virtual winners of Div2. This week we have a look at the possibilities open to the Div 1 teams.
Ramis: They had a bad start but kept improving. They played very well in the second round averaging around 820, fully exploiting the prevailing oil pattern. Mark Spiteri has been phenomenal with a league average of almost 217 from 45 games. Ramis can win the league if they simply match the points earned by okmalta.com. In any case, 2nd place is mathematically secured.
okmalta.com: The reigning champions suffered on the 2nd round pattern. This league ended up playing on 2 medium/short patterns. The technical committee will most likely review the pattern selection policy and may propose 2 pools of patterns. In order to win the league, okmalta.com simply need to get more points than Ramis since Ramis enjoy a better pinfall. 2nd place is mathematically secure.
BowlersOnStrike: The most consistent and most improved team in Div 1. They need 9 points to secure 3rd spot but given the fixtures, I presume that they should make it with 6 points. Claude Camilleri is the best player but is closely followed by the rest of the team. Good team spirit.
Fina: Another team that played up and down, particularly on the 2nd round pattern. Best possible placing for Fina is 3rd. Knowing Fina, anything less than 1st is just irrelevant to them and they will not fight flat out for the 3rd spot. They lost the war by losing the battle with okmalta.com 0-8. Mark Muscat has been an asset to the team and he is the most improved bowler, season-on-season, of the entire league (+19). We must mention that this team has recently broken the national record for team game; 991 scratch beating the old AERCOMMS record which stood at 984.
Rogantino's Restaurant: Last year's podium team is still hungry for success. They keep winning points from the top teams but then lose to the bottom ones... This week's victory at the expense of mighty okmalta.com demonstrates that this team has strong potential. They can still get 3rd spot if everything works out to perfection for them but on paper it seems to be a spot too far.
Turu's Knights: Anchored in 6th spot and most likely will remain there, possibly climbing to 5th if they outperform in the final 2 weeks. Ryan Grech is the 2nd most improved bowler of the league. Peter and Ramon also climb up the rankings. Melissa has been an asset to team and she keeps showing strong potential, possibly will become the second '0' handicap lady. Dean, where are you? just 15 games.
J.Grima&Co: The team still needs 1 point to be mathematically safe from relegation. Chances are that the team will remain in 7th place. The team had some good moments, even taking points off the big teams. However, only Martin Deguara has an average above that of last season.
St.James Hospital: This team could not have a better name... they have been plagued with injury and often had to resort to playing with substitutes from the second division. The team need 3 points to be mathematically safe from relegation but relegation is quite unlikely to happen. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this team will retain enough players to strike again in the next league. We do not wish to see any team fold away. Forza boys...
The Clan: It would be a pity if this team were relegated. They train regularly and try their best. The team has had some strong moments but too often they gave away points by a few pins. This is a result of some up & down performances, where some players were managing one high game but then drop off. Clayton Mercieca showed the best improvement. The transfer of Philip Grupetta hurt the team. He has been replaced by Bjorn who is showing good potential.
Bank of Valletta: This team is too good for Div 2 but not strong enough for Div 1. Most probably, they will get promoted again. The team managed an average of 700 pins per game. The team had a slow start to the league but eventually picked up and showed big improvement in the second round. We will see them back in Div 1 in 2014.
Division 2: MIA have virtually won the league but the 3 team pack keeps giving chase for 2nd spot. Blitzgrieg, Gladiators and XS can all still earn promotion. The results of the final 3 weeks will make all the difference. This league played with a maximum of 35 handicap instead of 25. This followed a merger with Div 3. There are differing opinions on the best format for Div 2. Some bowlers keep telling me that the 12-team format is superb. Others prefer the thrill of fighting from relegation. What is your opinion? I would like to hear from you.
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Week 15 (Div 1) Week 18 (Div 2)
The leagues are now in the final count down. Few spots are already sealed and there is still quite an uncertain outcome for many teams. The exception are MIA who are virtual winners of Div2. This week we have a look at the possibilities open to the Div 1 teams.
Ramis: They had a bad start but kept improving. They played very well in the second round averaging around 820, fully exploiting the prevailing oil pattern. Mark Spiteri has been phenomenal with a league average of almost 217 from 45 games. Ramis can win the league if they simply match the points earned by okmalta.com. In any case, 2nd place is mathematically secured.
okmalta.com: The reigning champions suffered on the 2nd round pattern. This league ended up playing on 2 medium/short patterns. The technical committee will most likely review the pattern selection policy and may propose 2 pools of patterns. In order to win the league, okmalta.com simply need to get more points than Ramis since Ramis enjoy a better pinfall. 2nd place is mathematically secure. BowlersOnStrike: The most consistent and most improved team in Div 1. They need 9 points to secure 3rd spot but given the fixtures, I presume that they should make it with 6 points. Claude Camilleri is the best player but is closely followed by the rest of the team. Good team spirit.
Fina: Another team that played up and down, particularly on the 2nd round pattern. Best possible placing for Fina is 3rd. Knowing Fina, anything less than 1st is just irrelevant to them and they will not fight flat out for the 3rd spot. They lost the war by losing the battle with okmalta.com 0-8. Mark Muscat has been an asset to the team and he is the most improved bowler, season-on-season, of the entire league (+19). We must mention that this team has recently broken the national record for team game; 991 scratch beating the old AERCOMMS record which stood at 984.
Rogantino's Restaurant: Last year's podium team is still hungry for success. They keep winning points from the top teams but then lose to the bottom ones... This week's victory at the expense of mighty okmalta.com demonstrates that this team has strong potential. They can still get 3rd spot if everything works out to perfection for them but on paper it seems to be a spot too far.
Turu's Knights: Anchored in 6th spot and most likely will remain there, possibly climbing to 5th if they outperform in the final 2 weeks. Ryan Grech is the 2nd most improved bowler of the league. Peter and Ramon also climb up the rankings. Melissa has been an asset to team and she keeps showing strong potential, possibly will become the second '0' handicap lady. Dean, where are you? just 15 games.
J.Grima&Co: The team still needs 1 point to be mathematically safe from relegation. Chances are that the team will remain in 7th place. The team had some good moments, even taking points off the big teams. However, only Martin Deguara has an average above that of last season. 
St.James Hospital: This team could not have a better name... they have been plagued with injury and often had to resort to playing with substitutes from the second division. The team need 3 points to be mathematically safe from relegation but relegation is quite unlikely to happen. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this team will retain enough players to strike again in the next league. We do not wish to see any team fold away. Forza boys... The Clan: It would be a pity if this team were relegated. They train regularly and try their best. The team has had some strong moments but too often they gave away points by a few pins. This is a result of some up & down performances, where some players were managing one high game but then drop off. Clayton Mercieca showed the best improvement. The transfer of Philip Grupetta hurt the team. He has been replaced by Bjorn who is showing good potential.
Bank of Valletta: This team is too good for Div 2 but not strong enough for Div 1. Most probably, they will get promoted again. The team managed an average of 700 pins per game. The team had a slow start to the league but eventually picked up and showed big improvement in the second round. We will see them back in Div 1 in 2014.
Division 2: MIA have virtually won the league but the 3 team pack keeps giving chase for 2nd spot. Blitzgrieg, Gladiators and XS can all still earn promotion. The results of the final 3 weeks will make all the difference. This league played with a maximum of 35 handicap instead of 25. This followed a merger with Div 3. There are differing opinions on the best format for Div 2. Some bowlers keep telling me that the 12-team format is superb. Others prefer the thrill of fighting from relegation. What is your opinion? I would like to hear from you.
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Week 15 (Div 1) Week 18 (Div 2)
Divisions 1 & 2 enter the final weeks. okmalta.com retain a 6 point lead in Div1 whilst MIA are comfortable with a 19 point advantage in Div2. 3 teams are still fighting for 2nd place in Div2 and eventual promotion to Div1. Blitzkrieg, XS and Gladiators are all putting in a fight with just 3 points separating the 3 teams.
In Div 1, the match between Fina and okmalta.com was a bit of anti-climax. Usually, this derby is characterised by high scores and close games. This time round, okmalta.com had a relatively easy victory. Fina players never seem to have to terms with the prevailing pattern and have been playing inconsistently. okmalta.com had a strong start and registered a 842 game. this ended up being the best game of the week. Mauro put in a strong 249 game, the highest game of the week. Thereafter, scores started to ease. The 3rd game was the closest match but still went to okmalta.com by 32. okmalta.com had 3 bowlers over 600 in this encounter; Mauro, Rankin and Neil. Mark Muscat was the only 600er for Fina.
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| XS joint 3rd with Gladiators |
In Div 1, the match between Fina and okmalta.com was a bit of anti-climax. Usually, this derby is characterised by high scores and close games. This time round, okmalta.com had a relatively easy victory. Fina players never seem to have to terms with the prevailing pattern and have been playing inconsistently. okmalta.com had a strong start and registered a 842 game. this ended up being the best game of the week. Mauro put in a strong 249 game, the highest game of the week. Thereafter, scores started to ease. The 3rd game was the closest match but still went to okmalta.com by 32. okmalta.com had 3 bowlers over 600 in this encounter; Mauro, Rankin and Neil. Mark Muscat was the only 600er for Fina.
BowlersOnStrike earned 2 valuable points in their struggle for 3rd spot. This is certainly the team of the season. Rogantino's needed points to stay in the fight and sure enough 6 points keep them hoping of a repeating last year's podium achievement. The first game was a nail biter with Rogantinos winning by a slim margin of 4. They won again in game 2, with a more comfortable margin and boosted by a 234 from Joe. BOS regrouped in game 3 to win by 30. Claude Camilleri was the hi-man for BOS whilst Joe Cassar was top man for Rogantino's.
Ramis needed all 8 points to stay in touch with okmalta.com and retain some hope to win the title after 3 years. The Bank of Valletta offered some resistance but teh gap in performance and experience was inevitable as Ramis went on to win all 8. Mark Spiteri was best bowler of the encounter and highest in Div 1 once again. Joana was the highest female bowler. Tony Paris was the best player for BOV. BOV will play in division 2 next season. However they improved so much that they should surely be a top team in Div 2.
Clan needed points badly to try to save themselves from relegation but could only win 2 from Grima&Co. All the 3 games were quite close and this turned out to be the keenest encounter of the week. the Grimas won the firdt game by 24; Clan won the second by 13 and then lost by merely 3 pins in the final game. Total pinfall saw the teams only 13 points apart. Giancarlo Tolu was the star for the Clan. Martin deguara was the hi-man for the Grimas who are now practically safe from relegation if not mathematically certain.
Week 13 (Div 1) Week 16 (Div 2)
First Division enters into the final third of the league during Week 13 and the race is still wide open, actually growing keener by the week. Meanwhile in Division 2, MIA retain the lead but there are 3 other teams in contention for promotion, namely Blitzkrieg, XS and Gladiators. The 12 team format in Div 2 is turning out to be formidable.
FINA vs Rogantino was the highest scoring match of the week with the 2 teams recording the 2nd and 3rd best team series of the week. Rogantino's shot off with a strong 806 game to beat Fina by over a century. David Fenech led the charge with a 221 game. Fina soon rallied and improved by 113 pins in the second game whilst the performance of the restaurant people took a nose dive of 110 pins. At this stage it was 2-2 with equal pinfall, the team winning game 3 set to bag 6 points. This scenario motivated both teams and grand finale was on the board. Rogantino's went on to hit a mighty 866 game, only 2 pins below their 2013 record game. Fina were impressed but did better, surging to 905 pins. Few teams actually possess the firepower to breach the 900 barrier and Fina usually attain it on a handful of occasions in every season. This final game saw a 245 game from David Fenech, a 253 from Sue Abela and a hefty 279 from Kenneth.
Bank Of Valletta may lie at the bottom of the table but they are gradually growing bolder and often taking points off the stronger teams. This time they took 2 points off Turu's. Bank of Valletta started off really well, registering their best game of the season, which included a good 197 from James Grech. James went on to play a 192 in the second game but by this time, Turu's were playing well and they managed to win by 29 pins. Turu's went on to win 6 points. Ramon Casha was the best Turu with a good 607. James Grech was the best man for BOV.
okmalta.com vs Clan was an exciting game ending 4-4. Clan had a good start with a 216 from Matthew Cossai. Okmalta.com decided to do something and one could see the bowlers whispering advice to each other. After fine tuning their lines, okmalta.com soon sped off and registered a strong 853 game, beating clan by over 200. The game included a 233 from Rankin and a 234 from Mauro. During the third game, okmalta.com found that their playing lines were destroyed and could not carry the strikes. Clan jumped to the occasion and managed to win by merely 5 points. The 4 points leave a glimmer of hope for Clan who are in 9th spot. Okmalta.com still lead the table but with a smaller margin. Mauro Anastasi was the best man for okmalta.com whilst Matthew Cossai was the best man for Clan.
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| Pretty women |
JGRIMA&Co vs BowlersOnStrike was another exciting encounter ending up 4-4. The Grimas had a strong start and won by comfortable margin. However, it was BOS that won the second game after improving by 113 pins on game one. The last game was very interesting because the total pinfall was also at stake. BOS won the 3rd game but needed a further 30 pins to take overall. BOS are now in 4th place. The Grimas are 10 points above the relegation zone and cannot relax just yet. Manwel Saliba was the bowler for the Grimas and Claude Camilleri was the best performer for BowlersOnStrike.
Week 11 (Div 1) Week 13 (Div 2)
The underlying battles in both Divisions is now taking shape. Okmalta.com continue to lead Div 1 whilst MIA dominate Div 2 and are clearly on the way to promotion. In both divisions, there is a strong battle for the middle pack. Next week, none of the top 5 teams in Div 1 will be facing each other. However, some keen battles between top teams are on the board in Div 2 over the next 2 weeks.
Fina vs Ramis was the match of the week. Certainly in terms of hi-scores and performances. Despite losing 8-0, Fina still posted the 2nd highest team pinfall of the week. 7 of the 8 bowlers went over 600 with Mark and Philip even going over the prestigous 700 mark. After the 6th frame of the first game, no one would have bet on a Ramis win. Fina took off with a barage of strikes and were leading by a hefty 122 pins after frame 6. However, from frame 7 onwards, almost all shots were strikes for Ramis. This helped them recover the 122 point deficit and take the game by a whisker. Philip Grupetta and Mark Spiteri were in a class of their own; Philip bowled his first ever 700+ series whilst Mark went over 750 to reach a league average of 213. Ramis ended playing almost 2700 team series which is a rare achievement by any team.
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| MIA -aiming at returning to Div 1 |
In Div1, Ramis vs okmalta.com was the match of the week. Ramis needed to win to close the gap to okmalta.com and to anchor themselves in 2nd place. It all started on plan as Ramis managed to win both game1 and game 2. The games were close and competitive with Ramis managing to win by 9 pins and then by 19. okmalta.com rallied for game 3. Rankin inspired his team mates, starting off with 8 strikes in a row to end up with a good 269 game. His team mates hovered on the 190's and Rankin's boost was sufficient to win the 3rd game and total pinfall for okmalta.com. Rankin was top bowler of the leaders with 649 whilst veteran Paul Baldacchino was the top gun for Ramis with a consistent display to reach 640 series, posting the second best scratch series of the week.
Fina were too happy to see the top teams sharing points and they made the best out of the situation by winning all 8 from JGrima&Co. Fina seemed to be losing game 1 but managed to turn things around in the final frame. The same thing happened in game 2 and Fina still prevailed, always by a slim margin. The Grima's seemed to give up hope and Fina run away in the final game, posting a strong 830 game. The 8 points see Fina climb up places to 2nd spot, jointly with Ramis ands BowlersonStrike. Kenneth was the best bowler of the encounter with a 631, followed by Mark Muscat with a 623. By far, Manwel Saliba was the best bowler for the Grima's.
BowlersOnStrike have now been caught up by Ramis and Fina. However, they still fight on! In week 9 they only managed 2 points from a strong Turu's side. Both teams managed to play all games over the 700 mark. However, Turu's always had the edge. Philippe and Melissa were in good form playing 583 and 560 respectively. Claude Camilleri was the best bowler for BOS.
Rogantino's win again to stay in touch with the podium places. They started off pretty strong, winning the first game by a good margin. However, a warning was lurking in game 2 as they struggled to win by a tiny margin. BOV spurred on by this good show and fought for the final game. This was an exciting finish and finally BOV edged their way by 5 pins. Malcolm Pace fought all the way for Rogantino's posting a good 622 series. Malcolm is playing so well that he is now one of an elite group of bowlers that boast 0 handicap. Franco Farrugia was the hi-man for Bank of Valletta. BOV never had any ambitions for Div 1 but after a slow start, they are now managing to take off points from many teams.
Clan can! Clan managed to win 6 good points from St.James and they are closing the gap. The 2nd game was the only game to offer some excitement and finally it went to St.James. the 1st and 3rd game were Clan's all the way, winning by over a century on both cases. Giancarlo Tolu, apparently fully recovered from his cold, played like a lion to register a good 609 series and post the best series with handicap for the week. St.James have injured players and needed a substitute to field a full team.
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| memories from 2011 |
WEEK 8
Week 8 saw most teams climbing or falling 1 place in the league table. Okmalta.com and BowlersOnStrike were the only teams to retain their position. Week 8 also saw some pretty hi scores with no less than 8 team-games over 800pins plus 12 individual games over 220. okmalta.com won all 8 points from their nearest rivals. BOS did register some decent scores (all 3 games over 700) but were never a threat to okmalta.com who registered a good 2449 team series. Top performances week 8:
-Hi Series: Mark Spiteri 769
-Hi-game: Mark Spiteri -278 (twice)
-Hi-team Series; Ramis - 2516
-Hi-team game - Ramis 865
Week 7 saw the league opening up. After an exceptional start, okmalta.com were threatening to run away and reduce interest in the league. They are still on top but after losing to Fina last week, they lost again to Rogantinos in week 7. This helped the top team to bunch up close, particularly after the 8-0 wins for Ramis and Bowlers on Strike.
The postponed match between Fina and Turu's ended 5-2 for Fina who notched up a high team series of over 2500 pins.
WEEK 6 -Match of the week: Fina vs okmalta.com
Week 6 saw quite some interesting matches. The FINA vs OK derby was much anticipated. Fina had to win to retain the fight for the title. A victory for okmalta.com would have given them too big a lead and might have reduced the excitement of the league. Fina started off with all guns blazing, making a clear statement of intent. They took the first game by 50pins, with 3 Finas over 200. Fina kept up the pressure in game 2 to win again, this time by 80. A 245 game from Kenneth ensured that Fina had a cushion. In the last game, okmalta.com played well to win and were also threatening to catch up for total pinfall. Finally it went 6-2 to Fina. The best players in this encounter were Kenneth (599), Sue (170) and Mark (594) for Fina; Mauro (627) and Rankin (607) for okmalta.com.
St.James Hospital made sure they distance themselves from the relegation zone by getting all 8 from Turu's. The encounter had no exciting moments with the closest game settled by a 30 pin margin. Andre Grech was top bowler of the encounter with 597, followed by Ernest (575) and Peter Mallia with 538.
Ramis were in a good mood this week, notching up the best team game and the best team series of the week. Their excellent 2647series is the best team series set so far in 2013. All the Ramis players performed well but Mark Spiteri was the master with a brilliant 258-256-226 series to register the best series of the year so far. Paul Baldacchino and Philip went on to fire a 630 series each. James Grech was top man for Bank Of Valletta. Ramis still have some catching up to do if the wish to challenge for the title and podium.
JGrima&Co had a good run against an unlucky Clan, winning all 8 points but taking 2 games by small margins of just 9 pins and them 7 pins respectively. Despite some off -lane distractions, Giancarlo Tolu was the best man of the encounter followed by Benny Hili, Josephine Borg and Nick Mangion.
TOP BOWLERS week 6:
Div 1:
- Mark Spiteri 740 (Ramis)
- Paul Baldacchino - 630 (Ramis)
- Philip Grupetta - 630 (Ramis)
Div 2: Emy Micallef (Vintage) 552 +Jackie Azzopardi (Supreme) 531
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| La crème de la crème of Maltese Bowling |
WEEK 4 Update
BOS are team of the week but ROGANTINO's were the highest scoring team of the week with a good 2404 team series. The good performance came against mighty Fina, which adds prestige to this ever improving team; 3rd in last season and podium contenders in the current one. The first game was the closest of the 3 games. The waiters won by 13 and then went on to win by a hefty margin of almost 90. Fina fought back in the final game with a great 881 game, the highest team game of week 4. This last game was a thriller as Fina tried to salvage a draw. All the Fina bowlers played fine but Mark Muscat excelled with a good 267 game. However, Rogantino's had a jolly... the ever improving Malcolm Pace unleashed a 269 to neutralise Mark's good effort. Malcolm played all 3 games over 200 to become not only team hi-man but also bowler of the week. Mark Muscat was the best man for Fina with 652.
St.James Hospital may not be the very best team but they always take points from the top 4 teams. This week they made Ramis sweat, taking off 2 points and were close to obtaining a draw. Next week, they may become the first team to take a point off okmalta.com. Ramis started well and took the first game. The doctors responded with 'clinical' precision and won the second game with a good game of 790, powered by a strong 248 game from Helenio. Ramis improved in the last game to win again and secured total pinfall. Paul Baldacchino and Ray Falzon were the best bowlers for Ramis whilst Helenio was the top man for St.James, followed by Ernest Agius.
okmalta.com won all 8 again but they must thank Mr.Tolu for gifting them the 2nd game after he chopped a spare, allowing them to win by merely 5 pins. OK retain 1st place with a 100% winning streak. They seem unstoppable. Rankin was OK's top bowler with 623, followed by Mauro. Bjorn tabone was the best bowler for Clan.
Turu's won all points against newly promoted Bank of Valletta. Turu's were overall in command although the first game was a well fought out battle with a high scoring outcome of 805-772. Tony Paris and Patrick Xuereb were the best bowlers for BOV whilst Ryan Grech was the best man for Turu's trailed by Ramon.
Week 4 best scores:
- hi games: Mark Muscat 269; Malcolm Pace 267; Kenneth 248; Helenio 248;
- hi series: Malcolm Pace 673; Mark Muscat 652; Rankin 623; Kenneth 612;
Division 2 week 4:
Hi-series:
-Marianne Mula (Kiwis) 502
-Gunther Micallef Decesare (Blitzkrieg) 586.
1. Blitzkrieg - 26
2. Supreme - 24
3. Atlas - 22
4. Vintage - 20
5. Touch of Class - 20
6. XS - 18
7. Kiwis - 18
8. MIA - 16
9. Gladiators - 8
10. One4All - 8
11. Still Around - 6
12. BOV - 6
Week 2
 |
| Mark Muscat in full swing |
- 991 FINA FIRST -17/01/13: Justin/MarkM/Sue/Kenneth
- 984 AERCOMMS --16/03/06: Paul Baldacchino/Kenneth Arpa/RayFalzon/Rankin
- 982 TEAM RAMIS -05/02/09: Paul Baldacchino/Dennis/Rankin/Kenneth Arpa
- 981 FINA FIRST --06/03/08: Sue/Mark Spiteri/Brian Farrugia /Justin
- 965 FINA EXCEL --2004: Brian F/
- 956 RAMIS 2 - Nov 2012: Paul Baldacchino/Helenio/MarkSpit/RayFalzon
- 950 okmalta.com 3/11/10: MarkSpit/Ray Falzon/Dean/Paris
BOV earned their first 2 points in a nice match with Clan. Few bowlers may know that team Bank Of Valletta had been national champions, back in 1987. I remember clearly as I was a prominent member of that winning team :) Clan won the first game by 44 pins but then BOV took the second game by 6 pins. The final game was very close and finally went to Clan by a mere 5 pins. Giancarlo Tolu was in a strong mood bowling 3 games over 200 for a 639 series. Tony Paris was the best bowler for BOV with a 535 series.
Rogantino's Restaurant continue with their momentum from the previous league. They beat Turu's 8-0. Turu's came close to wining both the first and second game but seemed to get disheartened and faded away. Joe Cassar was the hi-man for Rogantinos with a 564 and was closely followed up by Clive and Malcom Pace. Philippe was the best for Turu's with a 540.
The final game of the week on lanes 19-20 was between BowlersOnStrike and St.James Hospital. The highly balanced encounter ended in a draw. Cole Cooper returned to Div 1 to become the hi-man for BOS whilst Ernest Agius was clearly the best man for St.James with a good 576 series.
Week 2 best scores:
- hi games: Justin 279; Mark 268; Rankin 267; - hi series: Justin 737; Rankin 692; Mark Spit 675; Sue 642
In Div 2, the teams promoted from Div 3 continue to do well. Naomi Meli helped Still Around to garner 6 points. Kiwis win again to lead the table. Atlas are also doing well with an 8-0 win.
Gunther Micallef Decesare played the highest series of the week with a good 591.
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2012 League
Final Standings:
1. okmalta.com.. 110 Champions
2. Fina ........ 102
3. Rogantino's.. 86
4. Ramis .....78
5. Clan ............78
6. Turu's ........68
7. SpareMePlz ..59
8. HEPO2 Acorn .58
9. Gladiators ..46
10. MIA ..........35
League Hi-game: 279 - Mauro - Justin - Mark - Rankin
League hi series: 702 - Sammy
Team hi-game: 980 - Ramis
Team hi-series: 2519 - Fina
-okmalta.com claimed the league title in a season where they proved to be the most consistent team. At some stages they were even in 3rd place but only for a small margin. Their second round win over Ramis and the draw with Fina secured the title. The team has 4 bowlers ranked in the top 10 MTBA annual averages (Mauro, Neil, Dennis, Rankin) and a great team captain and . Therefore, they will remain a strong side.
-Fina needed to win the direct encounters but lost important points there. The league hi-average bowler hails from this team; Justin finished with a 207.6 average in a season where everyone struggled with the challenging patterns. Danial Swift also showed good improvement. Sue was always there when anchorman duties called.
-Rogantino's bask in 3rd place glory. The improved Malcolm Pace was a contribution to the team's success. As a matter of fact, all the players improved their averages and their scratch average remains the best gauge of success and performance. Joe Cassar produced the best series with a 668. Clive produced the 2nd team hi-game at 268 and Pierre registered an excellent 277.
-Ramis were a depleted side. They lost captain John Balani to injury. Joanna stood in and gave a good performance but there were instances when they needed subs from Div2 to shore up. Ramis were league leaders in the first round but their performance went down in the second round and gave up the fight. The team remains with strong potential. Their 980 team game is one of the highest ever played in Malta and they are actually the record holders for team game and series. Mark was one of only 3 bowlers to finish with 200+ average. His team mates lost some ground and fared badly on the pattern used in the second round.
-Clan played strong and scored good points against the big teams. They finished in joint 4th place, their best position ever. The team can still offer a good challenge if good bowlers like James and Matthew take it seriuosly. The team has good leadership from Nick and technical input from Giancarlo who had some strong moments such as his 245 game against Ramis.
-Turu's were inconsistent. At times they played like champions, other times they just faded away. Philip Vancell was their most improved bowler, ending up with a 184 average. Peter Mallia also showed good improvement. The others were a bit inconsistent.
-SpareMePlz did well and reached their objective of staying in Div 1. Their 8-0 victory over ex-champions Ramis was their greatest moment this season. In this encounter, Claude set the best series for this team at 626.
-Hepo2 Acorn had some strong moments and in particular took several points off the top teams.
-Gladiators were a disappointment since repeatedly they did not field their best bowlers. Bowlers from other teams fight to play, their bowlers fight to stay at home. The team has enough talent and should have stayed in Div 1. If they manage to regroup, the team has potential to come back and fight for a mid-table position. Team captain has a challenge...
-MIA had some poor moments and some strong ones. A rather poor start to the season saw them too far away to fight their way up. Some of their bowlers have now adopted new techniques and will eventually reap benefits as they master the new bowling styles. In any case, they will surely be back to Div 1 after only 1 season in Div 2.
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Results week 17
Fina 8-0 Clan
okmalta.com 6-2 Turu's
Rogantino's 8-0 Ramis
HEPO2aCORN 6 - 2 MIA
SpareMePlz 2 - 6 Gladiators
Week 17 was decisive but inconclusive. Team okmalta.com remain clear favourites but Fina are still mathematically in the game. Hepo2Acorn are now out of relegation zone. SpareMePlz seem poised to retain their seat in Div 1 but Gladiators could still redeem themselves if they manage to beat okmalta.com.
However, it was team Rogantino's restaurant that relished week 17. In terms of core line-up, this is the second oldest team in the MTBA league, playing together since 1985 (mainly as Royal Shock). Still Around from Div3 are the longest established team playing together since 1976 under names such as Teachers and Swingers. In their 27 year history, 4th place was the best placing for Rogantino's Restaurant. This year, they came of age clinching a prestigious 3rd place. The Rogantino connection has bought them luck, although they deserve every ounce of their successful campaign. Rogantino's won the first game by a whisker but then went on to improve and take all 8 points. Malcolm Pace led the charge in the first game with a good 202 game. he was hi-bowler again in game 2 whilst David Fenech took the helm in game 3 with a 203. Overall, it was Still Malcolm Pace who emerged as team hi-bowler. Malc is also the most improved bowler of the league having gone up 10 steps from the previous league. Rogantino's will be celebrating at the famous restaurant near Dingli. The ultimate celebration however will be at the MTBA presentation dinner and all bowlers should make it a point to attend, irrespective of awards.
Fina kept a dim glimmer of hope alive after beating Clan 8-0. Fina took total pinfall by 241 pins and set the team hi-series of the week. Justin was the hi-man for Fina and also bowler of the week with his 618 series. Only 2 bowlers went over 600 this week and what turned out to be the lowest scoring week of round 2. Philip Grupetta was the hi man for Clan.
okmalta.com had to fight hard to get 6 points from Turu's knights. The closest battle was for total pinfall which seemed going Turu's way after they won the second game by 103 pins. However, a late strong surge from ok saw them bridge the gap and take total pinfall by merely 11 pins. Ramon casha was the best bowler for Turu's. Neil Sullivan and Mauro Anastasi were the leaders in the ok team with 581 and 583 series respectively. Okmalta keep leading the table but are not yet mathematically secure. The first game of the last week may be decisive.
Hepo2Acorn made sure of retaining their place in Div 1 after beating MIA 6-2. Hepo went all out and won the first 2 games. MIA improved in the final game to win 2 points and also came close to challenge for total pinfall. But they had left it too late. It is a pity to see this nice bunch of bowlers away from Div 1. Pablog is certain that they will run away with the second division and they will be back, invigorated, within 6 months and with a nice trophy in their cabinet. Sammy Borg and Roy Swift were the best bowlers for HEPO2Acorn whilst Steve Cassar was the hi-man for MIA with a 608. He was actually only the second bowler to go over 600 this week.
Gladiators will not throw in the towel just yet. They came determined to win points and remain in contention to avoid relegation. The Glads needed all 8 points and their effort led them to stage the second best team series of the week. SpareMePlz, would not give in and in turn, they produced the 3rd best team series of the week. But crucially they earned 2 precious points when they put in an excellent 798 game. Pamela played a strong 559 series for Gladiators whilst Matthew Gingel Littlejohn registered a good 562. Claude was the best bowler for SMP.
Team St.James Hospital have stunned Div2. The team had a horrible 1st round as some regular bowlers were injured. The team finished the first round in the relegation zone. However, the therapy at St.James must have worked miracles as they came back strongly and turned the fortunes in the second round winning almost all the games 8-0 to climb to 1st place and are now strongly in the running for promotion. Next Wednesday's game will be interesting!
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Commentary Week 16:
Best Bowlers of week 16: Best Games:
NEIL: 651 Giancarlo 245
Justin: 619 Mark 243
Sue Abela: 615 Neil/Mauro: 238
Fina vs okmalta.com was the match of the week, virtually a position week. Fina needed to win to keep their hopes alive but the pulsating match ended in a draw. Fina had a good start and managed to win the first game with an 835 score, pushed by a 235 from Kenneth. Ok soon drew level, playing almost an identical score of 837. Two games of 238 each from Mauro and Neil secured the 2 points. Fina went all out to win the last game and to bag 6 points. At one stage, it looked as if they would get their way but a strong finish from okmalta.com turned the table as they just manged to fend off total pinfall by merely 4 points. The 4-4 result plays into the hands of okmalta.com as they are now practically, even if not mathematically, champions. Neil was the hi-man for ok and bowler of the week with 651. Justin responded with a 619 and Sue gave an almost similar effort of 615.
Rogantino's Restaurant continue with their good spree. Another victory sees them retaining the 3rd spot. The first game was quite close but Turu's missed out in the 10th frame and Rogantino's edged ahead with a double from Malcolm Pace to win by 13 pins. The restaurant people surged ahead in the second game as Clive Farrugia came alive with a 219 game. At this stage, Rogantinos seemed ready for an 8-0 victory, having a 133 advantage for total pinfall. However, Turu's regrouped and shot a good 818 game as Ramon and Tiziana registered good games. Their effort was not enough to rake in the total pinfall since Rogantinos had a good cushion. So it ended 6-2 with Turu's down in 6th place in the table, lower than they have been achieving in recent seasons. Ramon and Peter were the best for Turu's, both shooting a 544. Malcolm Pace was the best Rogantino and their most improved bowler having increased his average by 9 compared to the previous season.
Clan come out smiling with a good 6-2 win which sees them in joint 4th place. Gladiators were a depleted side. Rules dictate that games cannot be postponed in the last 3 weeks and Gladiators had to settle for substitutes. Still, the 2 point gained were useful since Gladiators may just revive their chances if they manage to beat SpareMePlz next week. Gladiators took the first game by 45 pins but Clan came back in the second game with a 62 margin to even up. Both teams played their best game in the last match but Clan were superior, playing a good 811. A 245 game from Giancarlo turned the table in favour of Clan. However, it was Philip Grupetta who ended up the best bowler for Clan with a good 573 series. Pamela was the best Gladiator with a brilliant 578, well above her average.
SpareMePlz vs MIA was an entertaining match and perhaps the one encounter played in total sportsmanship. The 5-3 result points to the exciting proceedings, with both teams finishing up on 2199 total pinfall. MIA opened with a good 780 game. They won again in the second game but then slowed down in the 3rd game. SMP rose to the occasion and apart from winning the 3rd game, they went for total pinfall. It was down to the last shot and in the end, total pinfall drew level for a rare 5-3 result. Nathan was the best bowler for SMP whilst Charles Farrugia and Steve Cassar were the best shots for MIA. The 5 points leave MIA in 10th place and they are now relegated. Pablo has no doubt that they will be back in Div 1 after 6 months
Ramis won 6 from HEPO2. They had a good start and registered the highest game of the week for an 840 to win by well over a 100. A 243 from Mark ensured the win. Ramis won again in the second game, this time the margin was a bit closer, 38. There were always 2 ramis bowlers over 200 in the first 2 games. However, when none of them played 200 in the third game, HEPO2 jumped to the occasion and hit an 814. Sammy put in a good 214 game (and without a single brooklyn strike). Ramis still had a good cushion for total pinfall and the encounter ended 6-2. Mark Spiteri was top bowler for Ramis whilst Benny Hili and Sammy were the best for the HEOP2, playing 582 and 581 respectively.
Commentary & highlights WEEK 14
results
Gladiators vs MIA: 8 - 0
Rogantino's vs okmalta.com: 2 - 6
Turu's vs HEPO2: 8 - 0
Ramis vs Clan: 2 -6
Fina vs SpareMePlz: 6 -
Gladiators won all 8 points in week 8 to climb to 9th Place. They need to continue in this mood if they are to keep their hopes alive. MIA fought back but lost the first game by 21 pins. The second game was dominated by the Gladiators who won by a mile but MIA fought back again in the 3rd game. However they fell short of achieving at least 2 points. James Gauci Borda was the inspiration for the Gladiators with 3 good games. He was supported by Matthew who also had a good series. All the MIA bowlers were in the same level but Steve Cassar edged out as hi bowler.
okmalta.com (the sponsor, not the team) launched a successful App this week. The team celebrated with more success on the lanes and managed to win 6 points that keep them squarely at the top of the standings. Rogantino's Restaurant had an excellent start and won the first game. OK did not panic at all and kept improving their performance as the evening progressed. In the end they climbed to 878 which was the highest game of the week. Rogantino's had to endure an onslaught that included a 255 from Mauro, a 213 from Mark and a 215 from Dennis. The team efforts resulted in a good 2458 series. Mauro was the hero of the encounter with a 670 series. Team Rogantino slowed down in the last game. Joe Cassar eventually turned out to be the hi-man.
Turu's registered a good 8-0 victory at the expense of HEPO2 Acorn. The victory included a strong 878 game which is turu's best game this season and equalled okmalta's game of the week. Their team series of 2408 was also Turu's best showing in this league. All the Turu's played well but Philip Vancell excelled with his 643, again another season best. Benny Hili offered the best resistance from the HEPO2 side with his 524.
Clan were the team of the week beating Ramis 6-2. Clan registered their best series of the year, boosted by an excellent 671 from Philip Grupetta who ended up as bowler of the week. The dimension of the victory can be measured by the fact that Ramis still had 3 bowlers over 600. All the 3 games were close and exciting, particularly in the fight for total pinfall which finally went to Clan by just 3 pins. Paul Baldacchino was the hi-bowler for Ramis for the 3rd consecutive week, mirroring his return to good form. His series included a 258 game in which he even afforded to miss a 10-pin. Grupetta was the hero for Clan with 3 good games.
The final game, on lanes 19-20, saw Fina win 6 points from SpareMePlz. Fina had to fight for their 6 points and had to register the highest team series of the week to ensure tthat they came out victorious. SpareMePlz fought hard and were yet another team that registered their highest team series of the season with a good 2408. SMP also had 2 strong games of 816 and 819 respectively, with the latter resulting in a tight victory, edging out Fina by 3 pins. Danial Swift was the best bowler for Fina with a good 648 series, with Sue Abela very close behind. All the 4 SMP bowlers went over their averages with Alan Borg emerging slightly ahead as hi-bowler. Steph Said also played well with a 234 game and a 614 series.
Best Bowlers of the week: Best Games:
Philip 671 Pablo 258
Mauro 670 Mauro 255
Danial 648 Danial 246
Commentary & highlights WEEK 13
results
Ramis vs okmalta.com: 0 - 8
Gladiators vs HEPO2: 2 - 6
Fina vs vs Rogantino's: 8 - 0
Turu's vs SpareMePlz: 6 - 2
MIA vs Clan: 0 - 8
okmalta.com widened their lead at the top of the table after beating a depleted Ramis team. ok won the first game by 74, thanks to a fine 279 from Rankin. The second game was very close but ok managed to secure it with a 20 pin margin. By the 3rd game, ok were outplaying Ramis. The 8-0 victory see Ramis down to 3rd place. Paul Baldacchino was top bowler for Ramis whilst Rankin was strongest for ok.
HEPO2 claimed a good victory over Gladiators. The acorn people won the first game but Gladiators came back strongly to win the second game by almost a 100. Gladiators did not build on this strong come back. Actually, it was Hepo2 who went on to play their best game of the week; a good 810. This gave the Hepos the 3rd game point as well as total pinfall. HEPO2 now have a good cushion to the bottom 2 sides. Nikolai Borg was the best Gladiator with a 569 whilst Benny was the top man for HEPO2.
Fina had an excellent week, registering the highest team series of the week with a 2437. Rogantino's played fairly well and got very close to winning the 2nd game. However, this went to Fina by 16. Rogantino's even played an 800 in the 3rd game but Fina were one step ahead at 862. Justin was in excellent form, playing almost 700 series, including good 268 and 244 games. The rest of the Fina team played well to ensure a strong victory and a resurgence to second place. David Fenech was the best Rogantino, closely followed by Joe Cassar.
Turu's Knights stay in 6th place despite a 6-2 victory over SpareMePlz. Turu's had 2 strong opening games. However, they slowed down in the 3rd game whilst SMP improved to take the 2 points. SMP stay in 8th spot with a 12 points advantage over MIA. Peter Mallia was the top bowler for Turu's. Claude continues his good form and was hi-man for SMP. He is now over 170 average.
Clan were too strong for MIA and went home with a haul of 8 points to see them sytongly in 5th place and not far from 3rd spot. An excellent 603 from Philip Grupetta was a boost, including a 236 game. Only 5 bowlers went over 600 mark this week and Philip was one of them. A further 576 from Giancarlo ensured the 8-0 victory. MIA had some strong moments but were inconsistent overall.
Best Bowlers of the week: Best Games:
Justin 691 Rankin 279
Rankin 671 Justin 268
Neil 611 Mauro 258
Week 12:
I was abroad this week but I am posting a short summary.
okmalta.com keep marching on with an important 8-0 win. that sees them consolidate first place. Fina and Rogantino's keep chasing and both teams obtained a 6-2 win.
Ramis shot to an excellent start in the first game against Gladiators. On the 9th frame, a 1,000 pin game was still possible butt they went on to a 980, boosted by a 269 game from Paul Baldacchino. Despite this huge start, Ramis struggled in the second game and Gladiators rose to the occasion to take 2 points. the last game was close but went to Ramis who secured 6 points.
Turu's lost some ground to 4th place after a draw with MIA who are fighting off relegation.
Rogantino's must be gearing for the next encounters since they are still within reach of 2nd place. The Rogantino's team organised a casual dinner attended by 20 bowlers. Food was really good and the meal cost me euro100 ALL INCLUSIVE (wine/water/food/speeding fine).
Best Bowlers of the week: Best Games:
Mauro 674 Mauro 279
Dennis 646 Pablo 269
Pablo 624 Neil 258
Kenneth 618 Joe 233
Commentary & highlights WEEK 11
Results:
MIA vs Fina: 2 - 6
SpareMePlz vs Clan: 6 - 2
Ramis vs Turu's: 6 - 2
Rogantino's vs Gladiators: 8 - 0
HEPO 2 vs okmalta.com: 8 - 0
Week 11 was full of surprises. As a result, top 4 teams are within 8 points, at almost 2/3 of the way. A very rare occurrence in our league history. The top story must go to Sammy Borg who registered the best series so far in the league. Another characteristic was that there were hardly any close games, unlike recent weeks.
The closest game in fact was game 1 in the MIA vs Fina encounter. MIA won by 15 pins, thanks to a 200 game by Charles Galea. Fina sped off in the second game; 258 from Kenneth - 232 from Justin - 213 from Colin. They went on to win by 199 pins, effectively playing with a 5th bowler. Greedy Fina went on to win the last game by another 158, pushed by a 247 from Justin to take total pinfall by a full 338 margin. Fina are in 3rd place but leading on total pinfall, which might come in handy in case of a tie. Steve Cassar was the top man for MIA whilst Justin was highest for Fina with a good 685.
SpareMePlease keep kicking *ss! After humiliating Ramisokmalta.com a good challenge next week. SMP won the 1st and the 3rd game whilst Clan took the 2nd one. Total pinfall fell to SMP who are in 8th place with 16 points over the 10th spot. This week, it was the turn of Nathan to be the team's top bowler and his average keeps going up gradually. Losers Clan still played a decent 2229 team series. Giancarlo also keeps playing well and he was Clan's top man. Clan are currently 5th and they seem set to improve on last league's 7th position.
Ramis needed to win to stay in touch with the leaders whilst Turu's needed points to keep fighting for the 4th spot. Turu's had a good start and won the first game by 17 pins. This was the second closest game of week 11. Ramis improved in the second game and topped the 800 mark to win by 33. Ramis also took the 3rd game, this time by 49 to secure total pinfall. Ray Falzon was the best bowler for Ramis, closely followed by Mark. Dean was the hi-man for Turu's.
Rogantino's Restaurant won all 8 in a solid performance. The 8 points see them in joint 3rd place. They also notched the 3rd highest team series of the week. Gladiators tried their best but could not help noticing that in the past all their opponents ended up playing a top 3 series. The Gladiators gave a fight with Jean Marc registering a 221 game and Pamela doing a 559 series. Joe Cassar was the inspiration for Rogantino's with his best series of the season, 638. Malcolm Pace also fired a good series. The winners celebrated their victory on Friday at the Rogantino's Restaurant with a bunch of bowlers.
HEPO2 were the grand finale of the week. They were in a good mood and set their highest team series; 2414. A whole 726 of these came from Sammy Borg who broke his record. As a matter of fact, all the HEPOs played over their average. A frustrated okmalta.com side could only stare on and count the brooklyns. Rankin played a good 619 but needed an 800 to turn the fortunes around. HEPO2 ended up winning total pinfall by 250. The result reopened the league as the top 4 teams are now withing gun range of each other.
Commentary & highlights WEEK 10
okmalta.com came out smiling in week 10 as both of their closest contenders faltered. But it was SpareMePlz that came out laughing out really loud after winning their first 8-0 victory in Div 1. It was good enough news for one SMP bowler to dare wake up his wife to break the news...at midnight. The performances speak for themselves; all 4 SMP bowlers played above their average whilst all 4 Ramis bowlers played below theirs. Claude Camilleri was the hero for SMP with a 626 series whilst Mark was the best Ramis could offer at 582.
Rogantino's were another happy lot. They will celebrate their victory next week at Roagantino's restaurant itself and rumours say that they will be buying wine for everyone for appropriate celebration. Rogantino's only dominated the first game. HEPO2 came alive but lost the 2nd game by just 6 pins and were unlucky again in game 3 losing by an even narrower margin of just 4 pins. Rogantino's are now merely 2 points from 3rd spot and 4 from 2nd. Joe Cassar was the best Rogantino with a good 190. Josephine Borg was the best bowler for HEPO2 Acorn with a 554.
Gladiators keep improving. They notched 6 points off mighty Fina. Fina went out strongly and won the first game by 73 pins. However, the Gladiators got their act together in game 2 to produce their best game for this season. A mighty 842 games gave them 2 points and also set them for total pinfall. The last game was close but Gladiators sealed it by just 6 pins in a rather exciting finale followed by all the bowlers since all games had just finished and everyone gathered after lanes 15-16. Justin and Sue both went over 600 for Fina. All the Gladiators went over their averages but ultimately, Matthew Gingell Littlejohn was their top bowler, outplaying Pamela and James by a few pins. Gladiators ended up with the 3rd highest series of the week.
MIA played a 100 pins less than the previous week and this was enough to seal their defeat at the hands of okmalta.com. The OKs played the highest series of the week for a 2388 series whilst MIA bowled the lowest one at 2128. MIA are a bit of a yo-yo in their performance. OK won total pinfall by 250. Rankin was the bowler of the week with a 655 series. Neil also went over 600. The best bowler for MIA was Steve Cassar with a 557.
Clan keep going strong. They defeated Turu's in a very exciting encounter. The first game was neck to neck and Turu's edged out their necks to win by merely 3 pins. It was then Clan's turn to win by a small margin, this time of 13 pins. Turu's lost their balance in the last game and shot a poor 653 game, the lowest team game of the week. Clan are now in 5th Place. Giancarlo was the best man for Clan and also one of only a handful of bowlers to reach 600. Tiziana was the only steady bowler for Turu's and she bowled a good 582.
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results week 9
11-12: Clan vs HEPO: 6 - 2
13-14: Gladiators vs okmalta.com: 0 - 8
15-16: Rogantino's vs SpareMePlz: 4 - 4
17-18: Fina vs Turu's; 2 -6
19-20: Ramis vs MIA: 2 - 6
Okmalta.com rule the standings at the end of round 1. Gladiators gave them a hard time in the 3rd game but the oks were too consistent and made sure they grab all 8. The 3rd game was won by merely 7 pins. Nobody went over 600 in this encounter, though Mauro was just 1 pin short of this magic number.
Rogantino's vs SpareMePlz was the closest encounter and the only one to end up in a draw. Total pinfall went to SMP by just 13 pins.
Clan were the best team in week 9, notching the highest team series of the week.
Steve Cassar turned up as the bowler of the week as he helped his team beat Ramis. Charles Galea was by his side with a good series. As a matter of fact, both bowlers registered their highest series of the season. As a result, MIA scored their best series of the season; 2284.
Turu's played very well and managed to beat Fina 6-2. Dean, Philippe and Ramon all played above their averages.
Commentary, results & highlights WEEK 8
1. okmalta.com.. 110 Champions
2. Fina ........ 102
3. Rogantino's.. 86
4. Ramis .....785. Clan ............78
6. Turu's ........68
7. SpareMePlz ..59
8. HEPO2 Acorn .58
9. Gladiators ..46
10. MIA ..........35
League Hi-game: 279 - Mauro - Justin - Mark - Rankin
League hi series: 702 - Sammy
Team hi-game: 980 - Ramis
Team hi-series: 2519 - Fina
-okmalta.com claimed the league title in a season where they proved to be the most consistent team. At some stages they were even in 3rd place but only for a small margin. Their second round win over Ramis and the draw with Fina secured the title. The team has 4 bowlers ranked in the top 10 MTBA annual averages (Mauro, Neil, Dennis, Rankin) and a great team captain and . Therefore, they will remain a strong side.
-Fina needed to win the direct encounters but lost important points there. The league hi-average bowler hails from this team; Justin finished with a 207.6 average in a season where everyone struggled with the challenging patterns. Danial Swift also showed good improvement. Sue was always there when anchorman duties called.
-Rogantino's bask in 3rd place glory. The improved Malcolm Pace was a contribution to the team's success. As a matter of fact, all the players improved their averages and their scratch average remains the best gauge of success and performance. Joe Cassar produced the best series with a 668. Clive produced the 2nd team hi-game at 268 and Pierre registered an excellent 277.
-Ramis were a depleted side. They lost captain John Balani to injury. Joanna stood in and gave a good performance but there were instances when they needed subs from Div2 to shore up. Ramis were league leaders in the first round but their performance went down in the second round and gave up the fight. The team remains with strong potential. Their 980 team game is one of the highest ever played in Malta and they are actually the record holders for team game and series. Mark was one of only 3 bowlers to finish with 200+ average. His team mates lost some ground and fared badly on the pattern used in the second round.
-Clan played strong and scored good points against the big teams. They finished in joint 4th place, their best position ever. The team can still offer a good challenge if good bowlers like James and Matthew take it seriuosly. The team has good leadership from Nick and technical input from Giancarlo who had some strong moments such as his 245 game against Ramis.
-Turu's were inconsistent. At times they played like champions, other times they just faded away. Philip Vancell was their most improved bowler, ending up with a 184 average. Peter Mallia also showed good improvement. The others were a bit inconsistent.
-SpareMePlz did well and reached their objective of staying in Div 1. Their 8-0 victory over ex-champions Ramis was their greatest moment this season. In this encounter, Claude set the best series for this team at 626.
-Hepo2 Acorn had some strong moments and in particular took several points off the top teams.
-Gladiators were a disappointment since repeatedly they did not field their best bowlers. Bowlers from other teams fight to play, their bowlers fight to stay at home. The team has enough talent and should have stayed in Div 1. If they manage to regroup, the team has potential to come back and fight for a mid-table position. Team captain has a challenge...
-MIA had some poor moments and some strong ones. A rather poor start to the season saw them too far away to fight their way up. Some of their bowlers have now adopted new techniques and will eventually reap benefits as they master the new bowling styles. In any case, they will surely be back to Div 1 after only 1 season in Div 2.
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| Bowling is dead. No league bowling till 10th January |
Results week 17
Fina 8-0 Clanokmalta.com 6-2 Turu's
Rogantino's 8-0 Ramis
HEPO2aCORN 6 - 2 MIA
SpareMePlz 2 - 6 Gladiators
Week 17 was decisive but inconclusive. Team okmalta.com remain clear favourites but Fina are still mathematically in the game. Hepo2Acorn are now out of relegation zone. SpareMePlz seem poised to retain their seat in Div 1 but Gladiators could still redeem themselves if they manage to beat okmalta.com.
However, it was team Rogantino's restaurant that relished week 17. In terms of core line-up, this is the second oldest team in the MTBA league, playing together since 1985 (mainly as Royal Shock). Still Around from Div3 are the longest established team playing together since 1976 under names such as Teachers and Swingers. In their 27 year history, 4th place was the best placing for Rogantino's Restaurant. This year, they came of age clinching a prestigious 3rd place. The Rogantino connection has bought them luck, although they deserve every ounce of their successful campaign. Rogantino's won the first game by a whisker but then went on to improve and take all 8 points. Malcolm Pace led the charge in the first game with a good 202 game. he was hi-bowler again in game 2 whilst David Fenech took the helm in game 3 with a 203. Overall, it was Still Malcolm Pace who emerged as team hi-bowler. Malc is also the most improved bowler of the league having gone up 10 steps from the previous league. Rogantino's will be celebrating at the famous restaurant near Dingli. The ultimate celebration however will be at the MTBA presentation dinner and all bowlers should make it a point to attend, irrespective of awards. Fina kept a dim glimmer of hope alive after beating Clan 8-0. Fina took total pinfall by 241 pins and set the team hi-series of the week. Justin was the hi-man for Fina and also bowler of the week with his 618 series. Only 2 bowlers went over 600 this week and what turned out to be the lowest scoring week of round 2. Philip Grupetta was the hi man for Clan.
okmalta.com had to fight hard to get 6 points from Turu's knights. The closest battle was for total pinfall which seemed going Turu's way after they won the second game by 103 pins. However, a late strong surge from ok saw them bridge the gap and take total pinfall by merely 11 pins. Ramon casha was the best bowler for Turu's. Neil Sullivan and Mauro Anastasi were the leaders in the ok team with 581 and 583 series respectively. Okmalta keep leading the table but are not yet mathematically secure. The first game of the last week may be decisive.
Hepo2Acorn made sure of retaining their place in Div 1 after beating MIA 6-2. Hepo went all out and won the first 2 games. MIA improved in the final game to win 2 points and also came close to challenge for total pinfall. But they had left it too late. It is a pity to see this nice bunch of bowlers away from Div 1. Pablog is certain that they will run away with the second division and they will be back, invigorated, within 6 months and with a nice trophy in their cabinet. Sammy Borg and Roy Swift were the best bowlers for HEPO2Acorn whilst Steve Cassar was the hi-man for MIA with a 608. He was actually only the second bowler to go over 600 this week.
Gladiators will not throw in the towel just yet. They came determined to win points and remain in contention to avoid relegation. The Glads needed all 8 points and their effort led them to stage the second best team series of the week. SpareMePlz, would not give in and in turn, they produced the 3rd best team series of the week. But crucially they earned 2 precious points when they put in an excellent 798 game. Pamela played a strong 559 series for Gladiators whilst Matthew Gingel Littlejohn registered a good 562. Claude was the best bowler for SMP.
Team St.James Hospital have stunned Div2. The team had a horrible 1st round as some regular bowlers were injured. The team finished the first round in the relegation zone. However, the therapy at St.James must have worked miracles as they came back strongly and turned the fortunes in the second round winning almost all the games 8-0 to climb to 1st place and are now strongly in the running for promotion. Next Wednesday's game will be interesting!
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| team St.James Hospital- unrelenting side |
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| Team St.James Hospital make incredible comeback in Div 2. |
Commentary Week 16:
Best Bowlers of week 16: Best Games:
NEIL: 651 Giancarlo 245
Justin: 619 Mark 243
Sue Abela: 615 Neil/Mauro: 238
Fina vs okmalta.com was the match of the week, virtually a position week. Fina needed to win to keep their hopes alive but the pulsating match ended in a draw. Fina had a good start and managed to win the first game with an 835 score, pushed by a 235 from Kenneth. Ok soon drew level, playing almost an identical score of 837. Two games of 238 each from Mauro and Neil secured the 2 points. Fina went all out to win the last game and to bag 6 points. At one stage, it looked as if they would get their way but a strong finish from okmalta.com turned the table as they just manged to fend off total pinfall by merely 4 points. The 4-4 result plays into the hands of okmalta.com as they are now practically, even if not mathematically, champions. Neil was the hi-man for ok and bowler of the week with 651. Justin responded with a 619 and Sue gave an almost similar effort of 615.
Rogantino's Restaurant continue with their good spree. Another victory sees them retaining the 3rd spot. The first game was quite close but Turu's missed out in the 10th frame and Rogantino's edged ahead with a double from Malcolm Pace to win by 13 pins. The restaurant people surged ahead in the second game as Clive Farrugia came alive with a 219 game. At this stage, Rogantinos seemed ready for an 8-0 victory, having a 133 advantage for total pinfall. However, Turu's regrouped and shot a good 818 game as Ramon and Tiziana registered good games. Their effort was not enough to rake in the total pinfall since Rogantinos had a good cushion. So it ended 6-2 with Turu's down in 6th place in the table, lower than they have been achieving in recent seasons. Ramon and Peter were the best for Turu's, both shooting a 544. Malcolm Pace was the best Rogantino and their most improved bowler having increased his average by 9 compared to the previous season.
Clan come out smiling with a good 6-2 win which sees them in joint 4th place. Gladiators were a depleted side. Rules dictate that games cannot be postponed in the last 3 weeks and Gladiators had to settle for substitutes. Still, the 2 point gained were useful since Gladiators may just revive their chances if they manage to beat SpareMePlz next week. Gladiators took the first game by 45 pins but Clan came back in the second game with a 62 margin to even up. Both teams played their best game in the last match but Clan were superior, playing a good 811. A 245 game from Giancarlo turned the table in favour of Clan. However, it was Philip Grupetta who ended up the best bowler for Clan with a good 573 series. Pamela was the best Gladiator with a brilliant 578, well above her average.
SpareMePlz vs MIA was an entertaining match and perhaps the one encounter played in total sportsmanship. The 5-3 result points to the exciting proceedings, with both teams finishing up on 2199 total pinfall. MIA opened with a good 780 game. They won again in the second game but then slowed down in the 3rd game. SMP rose to the occasion and apart from winning the 3rd game, they went for total pinfall. It was down to the last shot and in the end, total pinfall drew level for a rare 5-3 result. Nathan was the best bowler for SMP whilst Charles Farrugia and Steve Cassar were the best shots for MIA. The 5 points leave MIA in 10th place and they are now relegated. Pablo has no doubt that they will be back in Div 1 after 6 months
Ramis won 6 from HEPO2. They had a good start and registered the highest game of the week for an 840 to win by well over a 100. A 243 from Mark ensured the win. Ramis won again in the second game, this time the margin was a bit closer, 38. There were always 2 ramis bowlers over 200 in the first 2 games. However, when none of them played 200 in the third game, HEPO2 jumped to the occasion and hit an 814. Sammy put in a good 214 game (and without a single brooklyn strike). Ramis still had a good cushion for total pinfall and the encounter ended 6-2. Mark Spiteri was top bowler for Ramis whilst Benny Hili and Sammy were the best for the HEOP2, playing 582 and 581 respectively.
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| off to New Zealand - good luck |
results
Gladiators vs MIA: 8 - 0
Rogantino's vs okmalta.com: 2 - 6
Turu's vs HEPO2: 8 - 0
Ramis vs Clan: 2 -6
Fina vs SpareMePlz: 6 -
Gladiators won all 8 points in week 8 to climb to 9th Place. They need to continue in this mood if they are to keep their hopes alive. MIA fought back but lost the first game by 21 pins. The second game was dominated by the Gladiators who won by a mile but MIA fought back again in the 3rd game. However they fell short of achieving at least 2 points. James Gauci Borda was the inspiration for the Gladiators with 3 good games. He was supported by Matthew who also had a good series. All the MIA bowlers were in the same level but Steve Cassar edged out as hi bowler.
okmalta.com (the sponsor, not the team) launched a successful App this week. The team celebrated with more success on the lanes and managed to win 6 points that keep them squarely at the top of the standings. Rogantino's Restaurant had an excellent start and won the first game. OK did not panic at all and kept improving their performance as the evening progressed. In the end they climbed to 878 which was the highest game of the week. Rogantino's had to endure an onslaught that included a 255 from Mauro, a 213 from Mark and a 215 from Dennis. The team efforts resulted in a good 2458 series. Mauro was the hero of the encounter with a 670 series. Team Rogantino slowed down in the last game. Joe Cassar eventually turned out to be the hi-man.
Turu's registered a good 8-0 victory at the expense of HEPO2 Acorn. The victory included a strong 878 game which is turu's best game this season and equalled okmalta's game of the week. Their team series of 2408 was also Turu's best showing in this league. All the Turu's played well but Philip Vancell excelled with his 643, again another season best. Benny Hili offered the best resistance from the HEPO2 side with his 524.
Clan were the team of the week beating Ramis 6-2. Clan registered their best series of the year, boosted by an excellent 671 from Philip Grupetta who ended up as bowler of the week. The dimension of the victory can be measured by the fact that Ramis still had 3 bowlers over 600. All the 3 games were close and exciting, particularly in the fight for total pinfall which finally went to Clan by just 3 pins. Paul Baldacchino was the hi-bowler for Ramis for the 3rd consecutive week, mirroring his return to good form. His series included a 258 game in which he even afforded to miss a 10-pin. Grupetta was the hero for Clan with 3 good games.
The final game, on lanes 19-20, saw Fina win 6 points from SpareMePlz. Fina had to fight for their 6 points and had to register the highest team series of the week to ensure tthat they came out victorious. SpareMePlz fought hard and were yet another team that registered their highest team series of the season with a good 2408. SMP also had 2 strong games of 816 and 819 respectively, with the latter resulting in a tight victory, edging out Fina by 3 pins. Danial Swift was the best bowler for Fina with a good 648 series, with Sue Abela very close behind. All the 4 SMP bowlers went over their averages with Alan Borg emerging slightly ahead as hi-bowler. Steph Said also played well with a 234 game and a 614 series.
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| Paul Baldacchino striking out in Cyprus |
Philip 671 Pablo 258
Mauro 670 Mauro 255
Danial 648 Danial 246
Commentary & highlights WEEK 13
results
Ramis vs okmalta.com: 0 - 8
Gladiators vs HEPO2: 2 - 6
Fina vs vs Rogantino's: 8 - 0
Turu's vs SpareMePlz: 6 - 2
MIA vs Clan: 0 - 8
okmalta.com widened their lead at the top of the table after beating a depleted Ramis team. ok won the first game by 74, thanks to a fine 279 from Rankin. The second game was very close but ok managed to secure it with a 20 pin margin. By the 3rd game, ok were outplaying Ramis. The 8-0 victory see Ramis down to 3rd place. Paul Baldacchino was top bowler for Ramis whilst Rankin was strongest for ok.
HEPO2 claimed a good victory over Gladiators. The acorn people won the first game but Gladiators came back strongly to win the second game by almost a 100. Gladiators did not build on this strong come back. Actually, it was Hepo2 who went on to play their best game of the week; a good 810. This gave the Hepos the 3rd game point as well as total pinfall. HEPO2 now have a good cushion to the bottom 2 sides. Nikolai Borg was the best Gladiator with a 569 whilst Benny was the top man for HEPO2.
Fina had an excellent week, registering the highest team series of the week with a 2437. Rogantino's played fairly well and got very close to winning the 2nd game. However, this went to Fina by 16. Rogantino's even played an 800 in the 3rd game but Fina were one step ahead at 862. Justin was in excellent form, playing almost 700 series, including good 268 and 244 games. The rest of the Fina team played well to ensure a strong victory and a resurgence to second place. David Fenech was the best Rogantino, closely followed by Joe Cassar.
Turu's Knights stay in 6th place despite a 6-2 victory over SpareMePlz. Turu's had 2 strong opening games. However, they slowed down in the 3rd game whilst SMP improved to take the 2 points. SMP stay in 8th spot with a 12 points advantage over MIA. Peter Mallia was the top bowler for Turu's. Claude continues his good form and was hi-man for SMP. He is now over 170 average.
Clan were too strong for MIA and went home with a haul of 8 points to see them sytongly in 5th place and not far from 3rd spot. An excellent 603 from Philip Grupetta was a boost, including a 236 game. Only 5 bowlers went over 600 mark this week and Philip was one of them. A further 576 from Giancarlo ensured the 8-0 victory. MIA had some strong moments but were inconsistent overall.
Best Bowlers of the week: Best Games:
Justin 691 Rankin 279
Rankin 671 Justin 268
Neil 611 Mauro 258
Week 12:
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| I really like that bowling ball (the pink one) |
okmalta.com keep marching on with an important 8-0 win. that sees them consolidate first place. Fina and Rogantino's keep chasing and both teams obtained a 6-2 win.
Ramis shot to an excellent start in the first game against Gladiators. On the 9th frame, a 1,000 pin game was still possible butt they went on to a 980, boosted by a 269 game from Paul Baldacchino. Despite this huge start, Ramis struggled in the second game and Gladiators rose to the occasion to take 2 points. the last game was close but went to Ramis who secured 6 points.
Turu's lost some ground to 4th place after a draw with MIA who are fighting off relegation.
Rogantino's must be gearing for the next encounters since they are still within reach of 2nd place. The Rogantino's team organised a casual dinner attended by 20 bowlers. Food was really good and the meal cost me euro100 ALL INCLUSIVE (wine/water/food/speeding fine).
Best Bowlers of the week: Best Games:
Mauro 674 Mauro 279
Dennis 646 Pablo 269
Pablo 624 Neil 258
Kenneth 618 Joe 233
Commentary & highlights WEEK 11
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| reasons to be cheerful |
MIA vs Fina: 2 - 6
SpareMePlz vs Clan: 6 - 2
Ramis vs Turu's: 6 - 2
Rogantino's vs Gladiators: 8 - 0
HEPO 2 vs okmalta.com: 8 - 0
Week 11 was full of surprises. As a result, top 4 teams are within 8 points, at almost 2/3 of the way. A very rare occurrence in our league history. The top story must go to Sammy Borg who registered the best series so far in the league. Another characteristic was that there were hardly any close games, unlike recent weeks.
The closest game in fact was game 1 in the MIA vs Fina encounter. MIA won by 15 pins, thanks to a 200 game by Charles Galea. Fina sped off in the second game; 258 from Kenneth - 232 from Justin - 213 from Colin. They went on to win by 199 pins, effectively playing with a 5th bowler. Greedy Fina went on to win the last game by another 158, pushed by a 247 from Justin to take total pinfall by a full 338 margin. Fina are in 3rd place but leading on total pinfall, which might come in handy in case of a tie. Steve Cassar was the top man for MIA whilst Justin was highest for Fina with a good 685.
SpareMePlease keep kicking *ss! After humiliating Ramisokmalta.com a good challenge next week. SMP won the 1st and the 3rd game whilst Clan took the 2nd one. Total pinfall fell to SMP who are in 8th place with 16 points over the 10th spot. This week, it was the turn of Nathan to be the team's top bowler and his average keeps going up gradually. Losers Clan still played a decent 2229 team series. Giancarlo also keeps playing well and he was Clan's top man. Clan are currently 5th and they seem set to improve on last league's 7th position.
Ramis needed to win to stay in touch with the leaders whilst Turu's needed points to keep fighting for the 4th spot. Turu's had a good start and won the first game by 17 pins. This was the second closest game of week 11. Ramis improved in the second game and topped the 800 mark to win by 33. Ramis also took the 3rd game, this time by 49 to secure total pinfall. Ray Falzon was the best bowler for Ramis, closely followed by Mark. Dean was the hi-man for Turu's.
Rogantino's Restaurant won all 8 in a solid performance. The 8 points see them in joint 3rd place. They also notched the 3rd highest team series of the week. Gladiators tried their best but could not help noticing that in the past all their opponents ended up playing a top 3 series. The Gladiators gave a fight with Jean Marc registering a 221 game and Pamela doing a 559 series. Joe Cassar was the inspiration for Rogantino's with his best series of the season, 638. Malcolm Pace also fired a good series. The winners celebrated their victory on Friday at the Rogantino's Restaurant with a bunch of bowlers.
HEPO2 were the grand finale of the week. They were in a good mood and set their highest team series; 2414. A whole 726 of these came from Sammy Borg who broke his record. As a matter of fact, all the HEPOs played over their average. A frustrated okmalta.com side could only stare on and count the brooklyns. Rankin played a good 619 but needed an 800 to turn the fortunes around. HEPO2 ended up winning total pinfall by 250. The result reopened the league as the top 4 teams are now withing gun range of each other.
Commentary & highlights WEEK 10
okmalta.com came out smiling in week 10 as both of their closest contenders faltered. But it was SpareMePlz that came out laughing out really loud after winning their first 8-0 victory in Div 1. It was good enough news for one SMP bowler to dare wake up his wife to break the news...at midnight. The performances speak for themselves; all 4 SMP bowlers played above their average whilst all 4 Ramis bowlers played below theirs. Claude Camilleri was the hero for SMP with a 626 series whilst Mark was the best Ramis could offer at 582.
Rogantino's were another happy lot. They will celebrate their victory next week at Roagantino's restaurant itself and rumours say that they will be buying wine for everyone for appropriate celebration. Rogantino's only dominated the first game. HEPO2 came alive but lost the 2nd game by just 6 pins and were unlucky again in game 3 losing by an even narrower margin of just 4 pins. Rogantino's are now merely 2 points from 3rd spot and 4 from 2nd. Joe Cassar was the best Rogantino with a good 190. Josephine Borg was the best bowler for HEPO2 Acorn with a 554.
Gladiators keep improving. They notched 6 points off mighty Fina. Fina went out strongly and won the first game by 73 pins. However, the Gladiators got their act together in game 2 to produce their best game for this season. A mighty 842 games gave them 2 points and also set them for total pinfall. The last game was close but Gladiators sealed it by just 6 pins in a rather exciting finale followed by all the bowlers since all games had just finished and everyone gathered after lanes 15-16. Justin and Sue both went over 600 for Fina. All the Gladiators went over their averages but ultimately, Matthew Gingell Littlejohn was their top bowler, outplaying Pamela and James by a few pins. Gladiators ended up with the 3rd highest series of the week.
MIA played a 100 pins less than the previous week and this was enough to seal their defeat at the hands of okmalta.com. The OKs played the highest series of the week for a 2388 series whilst MIA bowled the lowest one at 2128. MIA are a bit of a yo-yo in their performance. OK won total pinfall by 250. Rankin was the bowler of the week with a 655 series. Neil also went over 600. The best bowler for MIA was Steve Cassar with a 557.
Clan keep going strong. They defeated Turu's in a very exciting encounter. The first game was neck to neck and Turu's edged out their necks to win by merely 3 pins. It was then Clan's turn to win by a small margin, this time of 13 pins. Turu's lost their balance in the last game and shot a poor 653 game, the lowest team game of the week. Clan are now in 5th Place. Giancarlo was the best man for Clan and also one of only a handful of bowlers to reach 600. Tiziana was the only steady bowler for Turu's and she bowled a good 582.
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results week 9 11-12: Clan vs HEPO: 6 - 2
13-14: Gladiators vs okmalta.com: 0 - 8
15-16: Rogantino's vs SpareMePlz: 4 - 4
17-18: Fina vs Turu's; 2 -6
19-20: Ramis vs MIA: 2 - 6
Okmalta.com rule the standings at the end of round 1. Gladiators gave them a hard time in the 3rd game but the oks were too consistent and made sure they grab all 8. The 3rd game was won by merely 7 pins. Nobody went over 600 in this encounter, though Mauro was just 1 pin short of this magic number.
Rogantino's vs SpareMePlz was the closest encounter and the only one to end up in a draw. Total pinfall went to SMP by just 13 pins.
Clan were the best team in week 9, notching the highest team series of the week.
Steve Cassar turned up as the bowler of the week as he helped his team beat Ramis. Charles Galea was by his side with a good series. As a matter of fact, both bowlers registered their highest series of the season. As a result, MIA scored their best series of the season; 2284.
Turu's played very well and managed to beat Fina 6-2. Dean, Philippe and Ramon all played above their averages.
Commentary, results & highlights WEEK 8
results
11-12: Ramis vs Rogantino's: 6 - 2
13-14: Clan vs Fina: 0 - 8
15-16: MIA vs HEPO2: 2 - 6
17-18: Gladiators vs SpareMePlz: 6 - 2
19-20: Turu's vsokmalta.com: 2 - 6
Clan were no match for a strong Fina side. Fina bowled a 2519 team series, the highest team series played so far in this league. Fina won the games by 62, 181 and 183 for a total pinfall superiority of well over 400. Fina's great series was boosted by Justin who played a superb 684. Kenneth and Sue added a 651 and a 616 respectively. Philip Grupetta help up the Clan flag with a good effort with his 547 series.
MIA vs HEP02 was probably the most exciting and closest game during week 8. HEP02 won the first game by merely 2 pins. MIA won the 3rd game by 12. Any team could have won total pinfall but finally it went to HEP02 by just 8 points. With hindsight, one can note that MIA could have added 4 points if they bagged just one more spare in the first game. Sammy was the top man for HEPO2 with his 552 series. All the 4 MIA bowlers played above their average but Steve had the highest series.
Gladiators won 6 precious points from SpareMePlz. the Glads put in a strong performance and managed the 4th best team score of the week. Gladiators scored a good 825 to win the first game comfortably. This was their best game so far in this season. A good 223 game from Nickolai Borg spurred them on. Their second game was also a respectable effort resulting in a 784 game. SMP responded in the final game with a good 777 game, however the Gladiators had already secured total pinfall. Nickolai Borg was the man of the encounter with a strong 622 (667) series. Matthew was also on a good run and bowled a good 580 (625). Claude Camilleri was the best shot for SMP.
Philip Vancell was celebrating his birthday and let go with a good 612 series. All looked well for Turu's as they won the first game with a strong 825 game. okmalta.com kept their cool and won the next 2 games by small margins of 28 and 19. Total pinfall was close but went to OK by merely 20. The high scoring encounter saw 3 bowlers over 600 from OK side; 612 from Neil Sullivan, 657 from Mauro Anastasi and 611 from Rankin.
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Commentary, results & highlights -Week 7:
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| Happy Birthday Philippe! |
11-12: Ramis vs Rogantino's: 6 - 2
13-14: Clan vs Fina: 0 - 8
15-16: MIA vs HEPO2: 2 - 6
17-18: Gladiators vs SpareMePlz: 6 - 2
19-20: Turu's vsokmalta.com: 2 - 6
Week 8 generally saw the gaps closing up in the league standings. At the top, Fina edged closer to Ramis and OKmalta.com. In mid table, 3 teams are closely fighting for 4th spot. Bottom 3 teams also got closer, thanks to the win by Gladiators. 7 bowlers went over 600 in week 8.
Ramis still lead the table but keep conceding points in almost every encounter. Rogantino's fought to obtain at least a draw. Ramis won the first game, though they were still level by the 9th frame. Rogantino's had a good start to the second game and managed to hold off Ramis to win the game and edge closer to total pinfall. Ramis improved in the 3rd game and managed to secure 6 points. A victory for Rogantino's would have seen them stronger in 4th spot. They still have Clan and Turu's in close pursuit. Ramis lead the table but the top 3 teams are within 4 points. Joanna Attard was the top bowler for Ramis whilst Clive Farrugia was hi-man for Rogantino's. Clan were no match for a strong Fina side. Fina bowled a 2519 team series, the highest team series played so far in this league. Fina won the games by 62, 181 and 183 for a total pinfall superiority of well over 400. Fina's great series was boosted by Justin who played a superb 684. Kenneth and Sue added a 651 and a 616 respectively. Philip Grupetta help up the Clan flag with a good effort with his 547 series.
MIA vs HEP02 was probably the most exciting and closest game during week 8. HEP02 won the first game by merely 2 pins. MIA won the 3rd game by 12. Any team could have won total pinfall but finally it went to HEP02 by just 8 points. With hindsight, one can note that MIA could have added 4 points if they bagged just one more spare in the first game. Sammy was the top man for HEPO2 with his 552 series. All the 4 MIA bowlers played above their average but Steve had the highest series.
Gladiators won 6 precious points from SpareMePlz. the Glads put in a strong performance and managed the 4th best team score of the week. Gladiators scored a good 825 to win the first game comfortably. This was their best game so far in this season. A good 223 game from Nickolai Borg spurred them on. Their second game was also a respectable effort resulting in a 784 game. SMP responded in the final game with a good 777 game, however the Gladiators had already secured total pinfall. Nickolai Borg was the man of the encounter with a strong 622 (667) series. Matthew was also on a good run and bowled a good 580 (625). Claude Camilleri was the best shot for SMP.
Philip Vancell was celebrating his birthday and let go with a good 612 series. All looked well for Turu's as they won the first game with a strong 825 game. okmalta.com kept their cool and won the next 2 games by small margins of 28 and 19. Total pinfall was close but went to OK by merely 20. The high scoring encounter saw 3 bowlers over 600 from OK side; 612 from Neil Sullivan, 657 from Mauro Anastasi and 611 from Rankin.
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Commentary, results & highlights -Week 7:
results
 |
| The Borgs - stars in week 7 |
Turu's vs Rogantino's: 0 - 8
Fina vs okmalta.com: 4 - 4
HEPO2vs Ramis: 2 - 6
Gladiators vs Clan: 2 - 6
SpareMePlz won a precious 6 points against MIA. MIA have only managed 12 points so far. SMP took the first game by 50 pins and won again by almost 90 in the second game. MIA played much better in the final game, with Charles Galea playing the only 200+ game of the encounter. This helped MIA salvage 2 precious points. Nathan was once again the top bowler for SMP whilst Charles Galea was the topman for MIA. Next week's encounters will be crucial for the relegation zone as MIA play HEPO whilst SMP play the Gladiators. All 4 teams are still close to each other.
Rogantino's had an excellent week beating Turu's 8-0. This victory allowed Rogantino's to reach 4th place and to lead on pinfall. The first game was a nail biting finale with both teams level. It was left to the anchor mans and finally, Rogantino's won 3 pins. Turu's slowed down a bit whilst Rogantinos kept improving to win the second game easily. By the 3rd game, Rogantino's sped away with a good 269 game from Clive Farrugia. It is the second best game of this league after Pierre Yves and ahead of Paul Baldacchino. Philippe was the best bowler for Turu's.
Ramis managed to win the first game against HEPO2 by almost 40 pins. However, all 4 Ramis players struggled in the second game as HEPO2 played their best game, almost 800. Josephine Borg played a good 213 game. Ramis improved in the last game with 3 bowlers over 200 including a 244 from Mark and a 211 from Joanna. This 856 game turned out to be the highest team game in week 7. The game also secured total pinfall for Ramis who now bask alone in first place. Mark Spiteri was hi-man for Ramis. Sammy and Josephine were the best bowlers for HEPO2.
Clan celebrated a victory in week 7. Gladiators had a slow start and Matthew was the only player playing over his average. Gladiators improved in the second game but a 205 game by Giancarlopinfall and therefore took 6 points which see them in 5th place in the standings. Clan play Fina next time and will go for some points to keep their fight for 4th spot. Gladiators will face SMP in a direct clash for relegation zone. Clayton Zammit was the best bowler for Clan and Matthew Gingel Littejohn was hi-man for the Gladiators.
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Commentary, results & highlights -Week
 |
| good week for Pablo & Mundu |
okmalta.com vs Clan: 6 - 2
SpareMePlz vs HEPO2: 8 - 0
Turu's vs Gladiators: 8 - 0
MIA vs Rogantino's: 0 - 8
Ramis vs Fina: 6 - 2
Ramis win derby against Fina
Mark Spiteri Bowler of the week
SpareMePlz win all 8
258 game from veteran Pablo
Stephanie Said best female bowler of the week
Week 6 saw 8 teams move up or down a place in the standings table. Only 3 Bowlers went over 600. All 3 were in the derby match between Fina and Ramis. Fina were coming from a good trend whilst Ramis came from an inconsistent period. This placed Fina as the favourites for this match. However, the Ramis bowlers managed to get more strikes and found the best line right away. Ramis had a good start, bagging their best game in this season so far, thanks to a 243 from Mark. The 858 game gave them a commanding lead. This good start gave Ramis a springboard to win again in the the second game with a margin of 101. Ramis were boosted by a 258 game from veteran Paul Baldacchino. Meanwhile, Fina kept their cool and when all was lost, resorted to experimenting with new lines. One can say that the 10th frame of the second game was a second 'practice session' for them. This paid off as Fina managed to win the 3rd game. Total pinfall went to Ramis by a comfortable margin as they set the highest team series played so far by any team in this league. Paul Baldacchino and Mark Spitieri were top bowlers for Ramis. Justin was the hi-man for Fina with a good 630.
 |
| good series by Steph |
The Clan continue to trouble the top teams and stand up. This time they tested okmalta.com and managed to obtain 2 valuable points in their campaign for 4th place. Clan won the first game after a tight finale that went their way by 14 pins. Okmalta.com picked up the pace and went on to win the remaining 6 points with a good margin. All the okmalta.com players struggled to find a good line despite playing on lanes 11 and 12 which are reputed to be highest scoring lanes and where the highest series had always been set so far. At one stage, a mole heard them discussing that the two lanes were playing differently. Philip Grupetta was the best Clanner and boasts the highest average within the team. Mark Bugeja, Mauro and Rankin all played practically the same level for ok.
 |
| Peter and his 2nd cousin |
MIA continue to fall back. Their 8-0 defeat at the hands of Rogantino's anchors them in the relegation zone. On the other hand, Rogantino's climb back to 6th place. The last game was the only one where the outcome was uncertain but still went to Rogantino's for 23 pins. Joe Cassar was the best player for the restaurant people. Charles Farrugia was the best effort for MIA.
Commentary, results & highlights -Week 5:
Results week 5:
HEPO2 vs Turu's: 8 - 0
MIA vs Gladiators: 4 - 4
Clan vs Ramis: 2 - 6
SpareMePlz vs Fina: 0 - 8
okmalta.com vs Rogantino's: 8 - 0
-Pierre Yves shoots 277 game
-Rogantino's still lose...
-HEP2O Acorn win all 8; team of the week
-Rankin bowler of the week
 |
| www.hep2o.co.uk http://www.satariano.com/ |
MIA vs Gladiators: 4 - 4
Clan vs Ramis: 2 - 6
SpareMePlz vs Fina: 0 - 8
okmalta.com vs Rogantino's: 8 - 0
-Pierre Yves shoots 277 game
-Rogantino's still lose...
-HEP2O Acorn win all 8; team of the week
-Rankin bowler of the week
Week 5 saw the top 3 teams winning their encounters to open a gap to the 4 teams in the second tier. All top 3 teams now share top spot with 32 points. However, it was team HEP2O Acorn that were judged to be the team of the week. Their 8-0 victory over Turu's sees them consolidate their position in the standing and contenders for 4th place.
 |
| team hep2o Acorn - Roy and Benny |
MIA vs Gladiators was a keen game. MIA started strongly to win the first game comfortably. However, Gladiators surged back to win the second game. The final game saw MIA needing to win by 16 pins to secure total pinfall. Gladiators would not give in they just managed to hold on to total pinfall by merely 3 pins. MIA won the game by 12 pins to secure the draw but not the victory. Observers still feel that Gladiators can do better and should be winning more points. James Gauci Borda was their best soldier. Steve Cassar was by far the best bowler for MIA.
Ramis slipped up in their first game to play their lowest game of the season. Clan were too happy to rise to the occasion and a good game from Giancarlo Tolu secured the 2 points. Ramis improved their tempo and managed to salvage the remaining 6 points. Philip Grupetta was the best bowler for Clan whilst Ray Falzon Reale was hi-man for Ramis. Ramis now face Fina. Ramis will be without John Balani whilst Fina will play without Kenneth.
 |
| 277 game by Pierre |
okmalta.com registered the highest team series of the week with a strong 2411. Considering the conditions on the night and the fact that bowlers were back to bowling after a one month break, this was a good score. The hero of the encounter was Pierre Yves Galea who managed a good 277 scratch game. Despite his momentous effort, Rogantino's still could not convert this hi-game into a victory. the closest call came during the second game which they lost by 21 points. Malcolm Pace also gave a good display but in the end, okmalta.com were too good for Rogantino's. Rankin bowled a 637 series whilst Mauro was close behind with a 615. All 4 okmalta.com bowlers played over their average.
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Commentary, results & highlights week 4:
- Ramis take the lead
- Ray Falzon bowler of the week
- highest scratch series played on lanes 11-12.. again!
- Team Clan on a high
- Benny plays a 230
- 3 teams tied in second place
Division 1 is imitating formula 1 season... each week sees a new leader. It has been Rogantino's, then Fina, then Okmalta.com and now Ramis. Will it be Clan next week?
Ramis vs Okmalta.com was the match of the week. Both teams needing to win as these direct encounters typically determine the championship. Ramis seemed heading to win the first game but a resurgence from okmalta.com coupled with 2 opens from Ramis in the 10th frame swung the results to OK by 4 pins. Some teams get demoralised in such instances but Ramis were the fighters and and improved their game performance by well over a 100 pins in the next games. Ramis went on take total pinfall by 141 pins. Ray Falzon was the hi-man for Ramis whilst Mauro Anastasi was the best bowler for OK. 
Fina played the highest scratch series of the week ...on lanes 11-12 obviously (respecting the Pablog theory...). The first game was won by Fina with a 60 pin margin. However, Rogantino's came alive in game 2 with a good 808 game, to win by merely 5 pins and earn 2 points. Fina went on to win the 3rd game comfortably and take total pinfall by 152 pins. All Fina bowlers played well with Sue leading the charge with a 617. For the 4th week in a row, Malcolm Pace was the hi-man for Rogantino's and in this season he is the most improved bowler so far, having increased his average by a hefty 15 points. Whoever selected Malcolm in the 'bowling fantasy' online game is still smiling as the guy keeps improving.
Turu's took all 8 points from SpareMePlz. Turu's dominated the encounter and were only chased by SpareMePlz in the second game. Turu's won it by a mere 12 pins. Turu's took total pinfall by 147. Tiziana was the bes
t bowler for Turu's. All the 4 SMP bowlers played similar series but Liliana and Steph were the hi-bowlers. Turu's are now in 5th place in the standings. SMP are in bottom place but have shown to be good enough to take points from any team in the league.
Clan boast another victory. They now busk in joint 2nd place. MIA played below their average and never managed to go above 700 in any of the 3 games. Clan ended up taking total pinfall by 130 pins. The closest game was the 3rd game which went to Clan by 21 pins. Steve Cassar was the top bowler for MIA. Giancarlo Tolu was the best Claner. Philip played below his average to make me nervous as I had selected him in my 'fanatsy bowling' team. 
t bowler for Turu's. All the 4 SMP bowlers played similar series but Liliana and Steph were the hi-bowlers. Turu's are now in 5th place in the standings. SMP are in bottom place but have shown to be good enough to take points from any team in the league. HEPO2 Acorn earn 8 precious points in the relegation zone to push Gladiators down to 9th in the standings. HEPO2 played the 4th best series of the week whilst Gladiators played inconsistent and below their potential. The only 2 points earned by Gladiators so far were at the expense of Ramis. This shows that the team does have potential. jean Marc Galea was the best Gladiator. HEPO2 Acorn had 2 bowlers in a good mood; Benny with a good 584 and Sammy with a great 606.
The leagues take a break for August. We are set for some exciting bowling this autumns as both Div 1 and Div 2 are set for a close call. Division 3 will commence on 3rd September.
__________________________
Commentary, results & highlights week 3:
Results week 3
SpareMePlz vs okmalta.com: 0 - 8
Rogantino's vs Clan: 0 - 8SpareMePlz vs okmalta.com: 0 - 8
HEPO2 Acorn vs Fina: 2 - 6
Ramis vs Gladiators: 6 - 2MIA vs Turu's: 2 - 6
- Neil Sullivan bowler of the week
- Clan in victory mood
- Ramis & Fina vulnerable
- Tolu does a 'Sullivan' anchorman finish
- MTBA holds presentation dinner
- big THANKS to sponors of the raffle
Incidentally, the top team series has always been set on lanes 11-12 in all the 3 weeks. My interpretation being that the back ends are much cleaner there, therefore creating more roll and more carry, resulting in more strikes. The other lanes are oiled from time to time and some residue remains in the back ends, which is somehow not thoroughly cleaned by the machine. This pablog 'theory' was tested during the MALTA OPEN when lanes 11-12 eventually adopted almost the same back-end 'kick' like lanes 13-20, when 11-12 were oiled repeatedly over 3 days. Expert Rick may help to explain this observation.
Rogantino's slide from 1st to 4th place after losing 8-0 to valiant Clan. This was possibly the most exciting encounter of the week. Clan dominated game 1 but games 2 and 3 were neck to neck and were decided by the anchormans. Tolu played close to his average but sprung up in the 10th frames to deny Rogantino's. From the Rogantino's side, only Malcolm Pace impressed. Malcolm played over his average for the 3rd week in a row and may end up with a zero handicap level. Anyone that selected Malcolm in the FANTASY BOWLING competition has made the biggest bargain so far since he is playing elite level but was priced at 3rd tier. From the Clan side, it was Philip Grupetta who impressed most. Again, another spiker in the 'fantasy bowling' scores. I have personally selected Grupetta in my pick, confident that this guy will outplay his old average.
Fina won 6 - 3 against newly promoted HEPO2 Acorn. Overall, Fina dominated the encounter but a slip in the second game saw HEPO2 snatching the opportunity and gaining 2 points. Benny hili was the top scorer for HEPO2. Kenneth Arpa was the best bowler Fina. Fina set the second highest series of the week. They are now in 3rd place.
Ramis vs Gladiators had a similar history to the Fina encounter. Ramis won 6-2 and set the 3rd best team series of the week. Ramis won the first 2 games with a decent margin. However, the Gladiators played a good 804 game in the 3rd match. This gave them 2 good points. Any points earned from the top 3 teams is always a good bonus. Mark Spiteri was the top bowler for Ramis, followed by Paul Baldacchino. Matthew Gingel Littlejohn was top bowler for Gladiators, closely followed by James Gaucu Borda. However, it was a high game from Jean Marc Galea in the 3rd game that boosted Gladiators to win 2 points.
Turu's won 6 points in their encounter with MIA. MIA won the first game by 19 pins. However, the faded away in 2nd and 3rd games to give Turu's something to shout about. Ramon Casha was the top bowler for Turu's. Steve Cassar was the only alert bowler on the MIA who generally played rather erratic. Turu's are in 6th place and MIA in 7th.
Next week, in week 4, the current top 4 teams will play each other, mimicking a 'position week' fixture. These are 2 crucial encounters.
++++++++++++++++ Commentary, results & highlights -Week 2:
results week 4:
Rogantino's vs Fina: 2 - 6
okmalta.com vs Ramis: 2 - 6
SpareMePlz vs Turu's: 0 - 8
Clan vs MIA: 8 - 0
HEPO2 vs Gladiators: 8 - 0 19-20: okmalta.com vs Rogantino's
 |
| Team MIA earn a draw from reigning champions |
Fina vs MIA: 4 - 4
Gladiators vs Rogantino's: 0 - 8
okmalta.com vs HEPO2: 6 - 2
CLAN vs SpareMePlz: 8 - 0
- Rogantino's in the lead with 100% wins
- Mark Spiteri bowler of the week
- MIA obtain draw against mighty Fina
- Clan take 8
- Malcolm Pace keeps inspiring Rogantino's
Ramis have repeatedly lost valuable points against Turu's in the last 3 leagues. Finally, a resurgent Ramis side managed an 8-0 drubbing of Turu's, setting the highest team pinfall of the week. Throughout the 3 games, Turu's chased Ramis until the 8th frame but Ramis always sped off on the 9th. Mark Spiteri was the best bowler for Ramis and also bowler of the week. Tiziana was the most consistent bowler for Turu's.Rogantino's came inspired from a private party held at their sponsor's den early in the week to win and take over the league standings. Despite the 8-0 win, Gladiators were always close but could not set many strikes since they are still adapting to the oil pattern. As a matter of fact, few bowlers went over 600 in the entire 5 encounters of week 2, reflecting the fact that many bowlers are still experimenting to determine the best line of attack. Malcolm Pace was again the star bowler for Rogantino's and keeps playing above average. James Gauci Borda was the best Gladiator. He set the second best game of the week at 233 as well as best game with handicap.
All the 'lower' teams seem ready to give a challenge to the big 3 and this time it was HEPO2 Acorn, fresh from 2nd Division to show the temerity to take 2 points off okmalta.com.
okmalta.com had a strong start with a hefty 858 game with all 4 bowlers over 200. HEPO2 Acorn came alive in the 3rd game to muster a good 773 game and win their first points of the season. Rankin and Mauro were the best bowlers for ok whilst Martin Deguara and Sammy were the top guns for HEPO2 Acorn.
Clan managed a good haul of 8 points from the newly promoted SpareMePlz. All the 3 games were close with the final game decided by merely 7 pins. Philip Grupetta was the best bowler of the encounter with a good 583 scratch series. His effort resulted in the 2nd highest series+handicap of the week (628). SpareMePlz had some good moments but all their bowlers had one very low game which might have made the difference. This team can take points off any team. ______________________________________________________
Commentary week 1:
- Kenneth Arpa Bowler of the week
- SpareMePlz obtain first points in Div 1
- 246 game from Dennis & 241 from Lippu
- Team Fina set highest series of the week
- Philippe plays well over average
Okmalta.com also had a good start, winning all 8 from MIA. MIA were a threat in the first game which they lost by only 23 pins. Thereafter, okmalta.com sped away to win total pinfall by almost 300 pins. Dennis had a good evening with a strong 246 game and a 635 series, replicated by Rankin. The MIA players ended up below their averages with Alfred Pulis
Turu's Knights enjoyed a good 8-0 win over the Clan. Clan were missing Philip Grupetta but this might have only helped rake in the first game which they lost by 20 pins. Turu's dominated the remaining 2 games winning total pinfall by 200. Philippe Vancell was the hero for Turu's with a respectable 632 series. Giancarlo was the best bowler for Clan.
Ramis had a shaky start. Despite winning the encounter 6-2, they did not dominate the encounter and allowed the rookies to claw 2 points in the low scoring 2nd match. Ramis won the first game comfortably but SpareMePlz kicked back in the second game boosted by hi games from Alan Borg and Claude Camilleri. They won it by over 30 pins. Ramis had to fight off a challenge in the 3rd game and managed to win 6 points. SMP have shown that they are good enough to take points from any team in the league. Steph Said and Claude were the top bowlers for SMP whilst Ray Falzon was clearly the best bowler for Ramis.
Rogantino's had an excellent start to the season winning all 8 points. The team was powered to victory by the ever improving Malcolm Pace who contributed a hefty 607 pins to his team. This encounter had some exciting moments, particularly in the first 2 games which went to Rogantino by 10 points and 1 pin respectively. The restaurant people then sped off in the 3rd game to win by a mile. HEPO2acorn were unlucky not to win at least one game. Losing by 1 pin always hurts. Rogantino ended up with the 3rd best team series of the week. Manwel Saliba was the hi-man for HEPO2acorn.
 |
| Can somebody help to store away a few bowling balls - I will not use them this month |
FINAL STANDINGS after week 18:
116 Fina
109 Ramis
101 okmalta.com
94 Turu's Knights
68 Rogantino's Restaurant
62 J.Grima&Co Ltd52 Clan
47 MIA
44 St.James Hospital
27 Supreme
results final week:
11-12: Ramis vs Grima&Co: 8 - 0  |
| 2 National champions in Team Malta at San Marino |
13-14: MIA vs Fina: 0 - 8
15-16: St.James Hospital vs Clan: 6 - 2
17-18: Supreme vs Rogantino's: 4 - 4
19-20: Turu's vs okmalta.com: 6 - 215-16: St.James Hospital vs Clan: 6 - 2
17-18: Supreme vs Rogantino's: 4 - 4
Fina secured the championship title after winning the first game. MIA offered little resistance, actually starting off the encounter with 2 gutters in the first frame. The first game was a low scoring event. Fina won despite playing just 685. The tempo improved in game 2 with Fina playing an 817 game. MIA also improved to 787, with all 4 bowlers improving their scores. A 236 from Kenneth and a 226 from Mark Muscat ensured victory for FINA. The final game also went to Fina who played 834, with another good 236 game from Kenneth. This is the 19th national league title for Fina and for Sue Abela.
Ramis took all 8 points from JGrima&Sons but could only retain second place in the league. Ramis have won the title 3 times. This season they seemed poised to win again. However, they lost both encounters with okmalta and this probably cost them the title. Mark Spiteri finished on top of the standings for hi-average. Back to the match; the Grimas gave Ramis a hard time. Ramis registered the best team series of the week and the Grimas were third best. All 3 games were close but the last one was a thriller, going to Ramis by just 1 pin. Manwel Saliba was the best bowler for the Grimas with an impressive 617 series which included a 234 scratch game. Once more, Mark Spiteri was the hi-man for Ramis with a 649 series, consolidating his hi-average title.
St.James had a bad league but finished on a high with a victory over Clan. St.James won the first game by 18 pins and then lost the second by 19. This meant that the winner of the final game would win 4 points including total pinfall. St. James won the final game by a huge margin, boosted by a 234 game from Helenio. With the exception of Nick, the Clanners played a bad final game. In the end, this was a game played just for fun as both teams retained the same placing. Philip Grupetta was the best bowler for Clan whilst Helenio was top gun for St.James.
Supreme vs Rogantino's was an entertaining match that ended in a draw. Rogantino's had a strong start to this league but faded away in the second round. Rogantino won the first game. Supreme went on to win the second and also the 3rd game. Total pinfall hung in the balance but finally remained with Rogantino's by merely 7 pins. Supreme could easily have ended their Division 1 adventure with a victory. Rogantino's retained 5th place. Malcolm Pace was the hi-man Rogantino's with Paris topping the list for Supreme.
Turu's ended the league with another good performance by beating okmalta.com Turu's take 4th place in the league and were only 7 points from 3rd spot. okmalta.com won the first game but as soon as the news came that Ramis had secured 2nd place, they lost interest. Turu's never wavered and went on to win the next 2 games and snatch total pinfall by 25 pins. Mauro was the best bowler of ok whilst Peter Mallia ended the season with a good performance as hi-man.
League Statistics (Source Peter Mallia):
Team Games over 800Ramis took all 8 points from JGrima&Sons but could only retain second place in the league. Ramis have won the title 3 times. This season they seemed poised to win again. However, they lost both encounters with okmalta and this probably cost them the title. Mark Spiteri finished on top of the standings for hi-average. Back to the match; the Grimas gave Ramis a hard time. Ramis registered the best team series of the week and the Grimas were third best. All 3 games were close but the last one was a thriller, going to Ramis by just 1 pin. Manwel Saliba was the best bowler for the Grimas with an impressive 617 series which included a 234 scratch game. Once more, Mark Spiteri was the hi-man for Ramis with a 649 series, consolidating his hi-average title.
St.James had a bad league but finished on a high with a victory over Clan. St.James won the first game by 18 pins and then lost the second by 19. This meant that the winner of the final game would win 4 points including total pinfall. St. James won the final game by a huge margin, boosted by a 234 game from Helenio. With the exception of Nick, the Clanners played a bad final game. In the end, this was a game played just for fun as both teams retained the same placing. Philip Grupetta was the best bowler for Clan whilst Helenio was top gun for St.James.
Supreme vs Rogantino's was an entertaining match that ended in a draw. Rogantino's had a strong start to this league but faded away in the second round. Rogantino won the first game. Supreme went on to win the second and also the 3rd game. Total pinfall hung in the balance but finally remained with Rogantino's by merely 7 pins. Supreme could easily have ended their Division 1 adventure with a victory. Rogantino's retained 5th place. Malcolm Pace was the hi-man Rogantino's with Paris topping the list for Supreme.
Turu's ended the league with another good performance by beating okmalta.com Turu's take 4th place in the league and were only 7 points from 3rd spot. okmalta.com won the first game but as soon as the news came that Ramis had secured 2nd place, they lost interest. Turu's never wavered and went on to win the next 2 games and snatch total pinfall by 25 pins. Mauro was the best bowler of ok whilst Peter Mallia ended the season with a good performance as hi-man.
League Statistics (Source Peter Mallia):
Ramis 28
Fina24
okmalta.com21
J.Grima & Co. 6
Turu's Knights 6
Rogantino's 5
The Clan 4
St.James Hospital 2
MIA 1
Supreme 0
Ramis 13
okmalta.com 10
Fina 10
The Clan 4
J.Grima & Co. 3
Turu's Knights 3
Rogantino's 2
St.James Hospital 2
Supreme 0
MIA 0
Mark Spiteri 212.46
Kenneth Arpa 207.72
Neil Sullivan201.49
Ray Falzon Reale 198.57
Justin Caruana Scicluna 198.45
Mauro Anastasi197.6
Rankin Camilleri 196.9
Paul Baldacchino194.9
Simon Burke 193.3
Sue Abela 192.95
DIV 3 - 2012 teams
_______________________________________________________________________________
Final week 2011 league
okmalta.com..106
Fina .............100
Ramis ..........99
Turu's ........92
Royals .......78
HSBC .........68
Clan ...........68
MIA .............50
Gladiators ...31
Salitos .......28
OKMALTA.COM CHAMPIONS 2011
okmalta.com were crowned champions for the season after beating Salitos 6-2. Their job was made easier as contenders Ramis and Fina both lost points. This is the third title for okmalta.com. Salitos were no pushovers and they almost won the second game which went to ok by merely 5 pins. Even the third game was close but this time, Salitos got their consolation win. In the end, the 6 points won by ok were more than enough to see them celebrating again. 
Ramis failed to advance at least to second spot after losing to Turu's knights. The knights played the 2nd best series of the week to continue their winning streak. Paul Baldacchino was the hi-man for Ramis whilst Ryan Grech was top bowler for Turu's. The first game was very close but finally went to Turu's who then went on to win the second one as well. Ramis surged back winning the final game and almost got the overall point which they needed to secure second place in the league. Eventually they had to settle for 3rd and rue an inconsistent league performance which saw them lose too many points by a handful of pins.
Fina struggled against a spirited Royal shock who ended up with the highest team series of the week. The Royals seemed in command of the proceeding but ultimately conceded the last game by 10 pins. The Royals end up in 5th place. All the 4 Royals played well with Joe Cassar ending up as hi-man, finishing the league with a credible 192 average. Kenneth Arpa was the best bowler for Fina.
HSBC beat Gladiators 6-2 in a low scoring encounter. Ernest Agius was the top bowler with 572 whilst James Gauci Borda was the top gun for Gladiators. Gladiators are relegated but will surely return to Div 1 after just one season.
Clan ended the season with a victory over MIA. Both teams were safe from relegation and played relaxed and enjoying each game. Both teams will be stronger in 2012 as they garner experience in Div 1.
Top 12 Averages as at end of league:
-Justin
-Kenneth
-Ray Falzon
-Neil Sully
-Dennis Mercieca
-Mauro Anastasi
-Rankin
-Paul Baldacchino
-Brian Farrugia
-Mark Spiteri
-Joe Cassar
-Mark Muscat
+-+Copy.JPG)
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