Malta: PUNCH & JUDY PUSH AHEAD
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| HAM |
March 21, 2004
Hockey Association of Malta
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The second round of the National League came to an end over the weekend with a full programme of three matches. Punch & Judy Rabat, following their victory over The Hunters Tower Rest the previous weekend, dealt another blow to their closest rivals when they swept aside Sliema's challenge with an emphatic 3-0 victory on Saturday. In the other games of the weekend The Hunter's Tower won the Floriana derby against Celtics 2-1, while The George Pub and Pasta Poiatti Qormi fought out a 0-0. At the end of the second round the standings are as follows:
P W D L F A PTS
Punch & Judy Rabat 10 8 0 2 35 9 24
The Hunters Tower Rest 10 6 3 1 16 7 21
Sliema Hs. 10 6 3 1 16 11 21
The George Pub 10 2 3 5 14 26 9
Pasta Poiatti Qormi 10 1 2 7 5 19 5
Celtics YS 10 1 1 8 10 25 4
On Saturday, Punch & Judy confirmed that they are going through a purple patch with another fine performance against the previously undefeated Sliema. With what has now become their traditional strong start Punch & Judy raced into a 2-0 inside the first fifteen minutes thanks to goals from Chris Bugeja (penalty) and Jason Vella. Sliema tried to force a reaction but their reaction was feeble and a third goal at the start of the second half, again from Jason Vella, sealed off the issue. Sliema may recriminate for the annulment of what liked a valid goal soon after Rabat's third but on the day they were outplayed and playing second-fiddle to a revved up Rabat side.
On Sunday The Hunters Tower Rest kept their title hopes alive when they disposed of the strong challenge from their Floriana rivals, Celtics. A goal from Ivan Magro five minutes from the end gave all points to The Hunters Tower after the first half had ended 1-1 with goals from Evan Stringos for Celtics and Nicky Agius Darmanin for The Hunters Tower. In the first game of the day The George Pub and Pasta Poiatti Qormi fought out a scoreless draw. It was a balanced game with Pasta Poiatti the better side during the first half and The George Pub stronger on the change of ends. This hard earned point allows the Qormi side to move off the bottom of the table.
The second has seen a decisive turn of fortunes especially for reigning champions Punch & Judy Rabat. The end of the first round saw The Hunters Tower Rest in front, two points ahead of Sliema with Punch & Judy a further two points down. A look at the standings at the end of the second round presents a different picture. Following their two defeats at the end of the first round Rabat put together a run of five victories that saw them bridge the gap and move three points ahead. Sliema kept pretty much on the same levels as the first round while The Hunters Tower picked up eight points compared to the thirteen of the first round. The other three teams have remained pretty much on the same levels although The George Pub took a commendable draw against title challengers The Hunters Tower.
This weekend there are no National League matches. The third round starts with a full programme of matches between the 27th and 28th March with a novelty for the Maltese game. For the three matches of that weekend, The George Pub vs. Punch & Judy Rabat, Pasta Poiatti Qormi vs. The Hunters Tower Rest and Celtics YS vs. Sliema Hs, will see the Maltese umpires being paired with an Italian colleague. This is a result of an Umpires exchange programme agreed with the Italian Hockey Federation which should be beneficial to the Maltese umpires.
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