Good fare marks bumper season

This year's top national waterpolo competitions were generally regarded as the best and most balanced for a long time...

Many waterpolo followers will probably say that the 2005 season has been the best they could remember. Good technical fare, big crowds, excitement and extreme balance among all the four top division teams were ingredients of an outstanding summer.

I unhesitatingly subscribe to this view. Significantly, this is also shared by Robert Ebejer, the ASA president, who expressed this opinion when he unveiled Wilkinson Sword as the new sponsors of the national competitions for the next three years.

This year the disparity between the top division teams, technical and physical, was minimal. The fact that with one game left for each team to wind up the league programme, all four contestants were still in with a mathematical chance of winning the title, said it all.

In the end Sirens, under John Farrugia, kept their noses in front in the 71st League edition to register their sixth triumph. The climax was an enthralling match in which Neptunes pipped Sliema for second place, at the same time ousting the Blues from a play-off against Sirens for what could have been an un-precedented fifth championship crown in successive years for Sliema and an epic 30 league titles for them - a truly remarkable record.

The crowds kept turning up in bigger hordes and enjoyed every second of the nerve-tingling duels.

The outgoing champions had edged ahead early on, only to be laid low by Marsascala's hoodoo.

Despite Sirens' failure to overcome Sliema this year, their superior consistency helped them beat Marsascala three times and Neptunes twice.

The Reds had the platonic satisfaction of being the only team to record a league victory over all their opponents.

The cup competition, which reached its 60th landmark since Neptunes won it for the first time in 1934 under the name of ASA Cup, left the Balluta Bay side with the sweet taste of success when they beat Sliema 10-9 in the final, a duel billed as Michele Stellini's match after he scored a splendid nap-hand of goals.

Tradition again surfaced in that final as the Reds added another name to their list of honours under new sponsors for either the League or the Cup. This time it was the Wilkinson Sword Cup, bringing their total to nine since the ASA competitions started.

That triumph also meant that Sergio Afric, at last, managed to win a major prize with every team he coached, having had successful spells with San Giljan, Sirens and Sliema.

Assisted by the ex-Sliema player, Karl Izzo, Afric finally brought out Neptunes' full potential, when they abandoned the loose zone and went for full press backed by front shielding or rapid closing in on the centre.

This shift in tactics not only made Neptunes' rearguard less vulnerable, but also helped them exploit their speed more effectively especially when wearing down their opponents in the latter stages of the game.

Before leaving the island, Afric highlighted the character and recuperative skills of his team, sealed by four consecutive victories in the final straight of both the League and Cup - an unequalled winning sequence this summer.

San Giljan Double

In the second division it was yet another great year for San Giljan after they deservedly won the Double for the second consecutive time.

Their squad, under player-coach Ian Azzopardi, was certainly the strongest and most resilient. Their priority now is bridging the gap in standards between them and the top teams.

Many matches in this division were evenly contested, with all the teams recording at least one victory.

That showed that if there is continued grooming of youngsters, the second tier of teams should maintain improvement. General standards will then rise.

Sliema reigned supreme and capped a bountiful year in the Junior Leagues - U-15, U-17 and U-19 - winning all three titles to make it an impressive en plein.

Neptunes landed the U-19 KO to maintain their consistent spell of at least winning one of the four honours at stake in the cadets' section every year since 1989.

Refereeing was generally more than acceptable, never mind the odd controversial decisions which are, after all, part and parcel of waterpolo.

Rivalries were healthy and, barring some minor incidents, the competitions went without a hitch.

No doubt, it was a bumper season, one to stand out in memory.

More of the same next year would be most welcome, with many contending that new horizons could be opened if the foreigners get the go-ahead to be re-engaged.