The 2019 national championship got underway this weekend and true to expectations, the fancied teams all registered easy preliminary round victories over inferior opponents.

Coaches from the Premier division sides opted to give fringe players a chance to shine, a move they can ill-afford to do when the action hots up in the later stages of the summer competition.

Champions Neptunes, in action on Friday, did not take too much time to impose their superiority on Otters with a 22-12 victory with Steve Camilleri, returning from another successful season at AS Roma Nuoto, maintaining his scoring momentum when netting eight goals.

Yesterday’s outcome looked very much like it. Valletta’s edge on Ta’ Xbiex was unquestionable in the first match. Their superior team play was sparked by the potent Peter Borg, formerly of San Ġiljan and complemented by their foreign duo of Dmitri Kholod and Sasa Misic who netted 10 goals between.

Sliema took time to translate their superiority on Birzebbugia into goals. In fact, the difference between the two sides was evident even though the score after the opening two sessions was still close on 7-4. Sergio Afric’s side put the accelerator in the third session to build a 15-8 advantage.

Yet the Blues took their foot off the pedal in the last session as Birzebbugia netted five times to close the gap to 18-13. Mattias Ortoleva, brought on in the last session picked his spot by scoring three times as Antonio Petkovic proved to be Sliema’s chief tormentor, hitting six.

As it turned out, the Blues were relieved to come out unscathed from this match.

It was a much easier outing for San Ġiljan against Marsaskala. The Saints were well-served by the inspirational Niksa Dobud and good service also came from Matthew Zammit and, early on from Kai Dowling who each scored a brace as Marko Orlovic’s side piled up the goals in the opening two sessions. San Ġiljan changed ends with 11-1 advantage.

However, that early buffer was cut by half when Marsaskala registered an unexpected comeback in the third session through goals from Konstantin Averka and Kristijan Milakovic, who scored eight goals in two during yesterday’s encounter.

But again, as so often happens in such encounters, the stronger team prevailed as the Saints romped home to an 18-11 win with Dobud scoring eight times for his side.

Valletta 22
Ta’ Xbiex 8

(4-0, 6-3, 5-2, 7-3)

Valletta: R. Sciortino, J. Spiteri Staines 1, A. Agius, P. Borg 2, N. Farrugia 2, R. Mock, D. Paolella 1, M. Mifsud 3, M. Cordina 3, C. Zammit, D. Kholod 4, S. Misic 6.

Ta’ Xbiex: Z. Sciberras, R. Greco, M. de Marco, N. Schiavone, M. Carani, G. Blundell, D. Fenech. N. Saliba 1. N. Kacar 1, G. Sammut 2, K. Tanti, N. Gitto 1, A.  Theuma, J. Saliba 3,

Referees: Richard Magri, Fabio Brasiliano

Sliema 18
Birżebbuġa 13

(4-3, 4-1, 7-4, 3-5)

Sliema: J. Parnis, J. Gabaretta 3, G. Subotic 5, J. Sciberras, M. Meli 1, N. Hoznyansky 4, M. Spiteri Staines 1, L. Galea, B. Cachia 2, J. Gambin, Z. Mizzi 3,

Birżebbuġa: D. Spiteri, M. Borg, N. Cassar, D. Pace Lupi 2, C. Mifsud, A. Petkovic 6, S. Vassallo 1, D. Cutajar 1, J. Bajada, M. Cutajar, B. Lorincz, M. Ortoleva 3, J. Cremona,

Referees: Francesco Romolini, Peter Balzan,

San Ġiljan 18
Marsaskala 11

(7-1, 4-0, 3-5, 5-4)

San Ġiljan: J. Tanti, B. Grech, A. Galea 1, N. Dobud 8, G. Molina 1, M. Zammit 2, B. Plumpton, K. Dowling 2, T. Said 2, Darren Zammit, P. Fava, Dino Zammit 2, T. Micallef.

Marsaskala: J. Micallef, JC. Cutajar 1, A. Camenzuli 1, M. Manara, M. Aquilina, L. Grixti 1, K. Navarro, K. Milakovic 5, K. Averka 3, J. Culic, R. Attard, D. Borg Millo, M. Borg.

Referees: Mario Dalli, Fabio Brasiliano.