alling back into winning habits

Neither of them is new to victory. And neither of them had savoured its sweet taste for many years.

These were the parallel fortunes of David Delicata and Frans Farrugia, newly crowned National Champion of the first and second divisions respectively. 

From here on, however, the paths of the two veteran players diverge as widely as can be. For while Delicata strolled to victory on the strength of gargantuan rates of almost 80% of the games played won and over 3 bingos per game, Farrugia slugged it out till the very end against eventual runner-up Anna Borg.

First in the deep void beneath Delicata's feet were second-seed Moira Fenech, who won 62% of her games, and former champion Sammy Mangion, who clinched third place just ahead of third-seed Mario Saliba.

Up with a good chance of winning the title before her last encounter against the eventual champion, Anna Borg almost saw Alfred Xuereb, who leapfrogged her better half Dominic on the last day of the competition, nudge past her as well. 

Another fought out contest unfolded in Division B Partial Championship where in the end Marlene Calleja came out on top.

Delicata (shown in photo) will be hoping to use the momentum of his sixth National title to eke out a top three finish in the  MIS0^th,  which kicks off this Friday on the tenth floor of the be.Hotel in Bay Street, St Julian's. A tall but not impossible order for the newly crowned National Champion.

Update

On the strength of third place in the B Division, Alfred Xuereb is the highest mover up the National Player Ratings List. Despite just missing out on a top three placing, Mario Saliba also registers a solid gain of rating points, while Moira Fenech moves up one rank to fifth in the National Player Ratings List.

(penned and published by Nicky Vella Laurenti)