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They won it almost by stealth, coming back from behind to upstage the title favourites on the last day and match of the league. This is, in a nutshell, how Summer Leagues 1 & 2 panned out.

In League 1, second seed Charles Micallef edged past top seed David Delicata with whom he went into the final decisive three-game encounter level on points. Steely nerves helped Micallef secure a 2-1 victory over the six-time and reigning National Champion and inch ever closer to Delicata on the National Player Rating List.

In the B Division, Paul Mifsud displayed more of the fine form which had seen him cruise to victory in the Il-Vitorja One-Day Tournament a couple of weeks earlier to inch past Frans Farrugia, this time thanks to a 3-0 win against the veteran player. 

In League 2, it was Farrugia again who suffered a last-gasp overtaking, this time at the hands of Mario Camilleri who won both games in the direct encounter between the two longtime players and members of the Malta Scrabble Club. 

Lagging not far behind the agitations in front but staying clear of any late charges from the rear, Nicky Vella Laurenti clinched third position in League 1 while Reno Zammit finshed well ahead of Maria Scicluna in the lower subdivision of the B Section. 

Albert Zammit (seen in photo) was the liveliest of the lot after placing a very close third in League 2, clocking the fastest lap-time with a 131-point single move, and, more significantly, surging up the National Player Ratings List with a phenomenal aggregate gain of 154 rating points.

(penned and published by Nicky Vella Laurenti)