HAM

The Blue Label National League resumed with a programme of two matches on Sunday. Following these games the League will now take an extended Christmas break and will resume on the 16th of January 2005. On Sunday reigning Champions Rabat Depiro notched up their second consecutive win when they beat White Hart 2-1. For Tabone’s youngsters this was the second consecutive defeat by the same score line. In the second game of the day Sliema Hs and The Hunters’ Tower Restaurant battled out to a 3-2 victory for the blues with all the goals coming in the second half.

Rabat Depiro 2 vs. White Hart 1
H.T. 1-0
Umpires: Manuel Imbroll and Andre Ghio

Champions Rabat notched up their second consecutive victory and will be ending the year in the same spot that they were at the end of 2003…at the top of the table. This year’s march to the top has not been the highly impressive one of last year but has been just as effective. On Sunday they faced the youngsters of White Hart who once again, despite giving a good account of themselves, ended up and the wrong end of a 2-1 score- line. A goal mid-way through the first half from ex-White Hart player Radojevic gave Rabat a one-goal lead that was rarely threatened. The Rabat forwards missed numerous chances as the Champions dominated almost from start to finish. Barring a couple of short corners, White Hart rarely threaten and any hope of recovery was cut short five minutes from time when Josef Antonelli scored an excellent second goal for his side. David Agius’s penalty conversion on the stroke of time was purely academical.

The Hunters’ Tower Rest. 2 vs. Sliema Hs. 3
H.T. 0-0
Umpires: Joe Lewis and Reno Cremona

Sliema Hs and Young Stars have, in recent years, accustomed hockey enthusiasts to drab, highly tactical and, more often then not, scoreless draws. If either side wins it is usually by a single goal. Going back quite a few years now one can remember a 6-0 victory for the Floriana side or the 4-1 victory for Sliema a couple of seasons later. But these matches were very rare exceptions rather then the rule. Sunday’s first half indicated that both teams were going to stick to tradition as both sides did their best to keep the score at 0-0. Sliema’s Caruana Smith flicked a penalty stroke wide and his teammate Pace conjured up an impossible miss when face to face with Mizzi. On their part Young Stars had almost impeccable approach play but once inside their opponent’s dee they seemed to lose the plot although it has to be said that the Sliema defence, in particular goalkeeper Mallia, were in good form on Sunday.

The second half started off in the same vein but on twenty minutes the game exploded into life. Sliema Hs (and Young Stars to some extent) had spent the whole game messing up their short corners but this time round Pace beat Mizzi to put his side in the lead. Four minutes later and Sliema doubled, again from a short corner move this time through a fine individual effort from Imbroll. A minute later The Hunters’ Tower Restaurant were back in the game as Charles Micallef lopped the ball over Mallia from the edge of the dee. Young Stars pressed but they were undone a couple of minutes later when from another short corner Pace scored again to make the score 3-1. Young Stars were not down and out yet and with five minutes to go on the clock they got one goal through an excellent strike from Magro but it was not to be enough.

Standings:

P W D L F A PTS
Rabat Depiro 3 2 1 0 4 2 7
Sliema Hs 2 1 1 0 4 3 4
The Hunters’ Tower Rest. YS 3 1 1 1 4 4 4
Poiatti Qormi 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
White Hart 2 0 0 2 2 4 0

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