ast in, first out

A music rehearsal delayed her entry into the tournament to not before the third of seven rounds. But from then on, Maria Scicluna (see image) did not miss a beat, winning all five of the remaining rounds to clinch victory in the B Section of the St Paul's Shipwreck 1-Day Tournament.

None of her fellow participants, all of whom played the full complement of games, managed as many wins as did Scicluna, with Mario Camilleri and Albert Zammit finishing in second and third respectively on four wins each. 

Scicluna was not outperformed even by the reigning 12-time National Champion Theresa Brousson who stopped at five wins to win the A Section. Trailing just half a win behind was the six-time National Champion David Delicata, who turned a sure loss to three-time National Champion Mario Saliba into a draw to grab the runner-up spot on spread ahead of Saliba. Another half a win behind the hung duo, the octogenarian Mario Seychell returned to competitive activity to win the ratings prize. 

Seychell was the second biggest mover up the National Player Ratings List with a gain of 31 points, less than half the points gained by the star of the tournament, Maria Scicluna. 

(penned & published by Nicky Vella Laurenti, photo credit: John Chew)