Sliema launch title defence against San Ġiljan

The 2010 waterpolo season springs to life this afternoon when the opening matches from the BOV Winter League are played at the National Pool in Tal-Qroqq.

Sliema McDonald's won the pre-season title last year and today, the Blues will start their title defence with a tricky test against an ambitious San Ġiljan side in the opening match of the day.

This duel will be followed by another interesting clash when Neptunes Emirates take on Sirens ASC.

In today's other match, Exiles, last season's Division Two champions, face Marsascala.

However, the match between Sliema and San Ġiljan is set to steal most of the attention this weekend as the Blues, again under the charge of the shrewd Sergio Afric, will be keen to rubberstamp their dominance in the local game with a strong showing in their first outing of the season.

Last year, Afric's team established themselves as a strong force in the local game after clinching both the winter and summer championships.

The winter title was particularly sweet for Sliema as it was their first after ten years and also it came after winning a decider against eternal rivals Neptunes 9-4.

Today, Sliema will surely face a tough time against a San Ġiljan side who strengthened their ranks significantly in the past months as they look to produce a decent challenge for the main honours and a return to their old glory days.

The Saints, under the guidance of new club president Daniel Aquilina, have signed Edward Aquilina from Sliema and Karl Galea who was on the books of Neptunes among others.

They have also acquired the services of promising youngsters Rainer Scerri and Kai Dowling.

The team is coached by Italian Marco Risso who is being assisted by Silvio Borg.