Season gets under way today with two finals

● Neptunes, San Giljan meet in President’s Cup match

The 2017 summer competitions get underway this afternoon at the Tal-Qroqq national pool, where two finals are to be played.

In the first match, at 5pm, Marsaxlokk Fischer and Marsascala Transcripta face each other for the Ghaqda Gurnalisti Sports (Sportswriters Association) Cup, while in the other game, at 6.15pm, Neptunes Leo Vegas take on San Giljan TUM Invest in the President’s Cup match.

This annual match is contested by the previous year’s championship winners and the KO winners. This year, it is Neptunes and San Giljan respectively.

San Giljan had a perfect start to the year by winning the winter league after beating Sliema in a tense match early last month.

The Saints will now be looking forward to win their second honour of the year. In last year’s match, the same two teams faced each other with the Saints claiming the Cup in a 6-5 victory over their Balluta Bay rivals.

Neptunes will be seeking their ninth Cup win since its inception in 1996. Sliema follow with seven wins, Sirens have collected four wins, while San Giljan have won it twice.

The Ghaqda Gurnalisti Sports Cup commenced in 1997 and since then, it has been won by Neptunes 6, Marsascala 5, Sirens 3, Sliema, San Giljan and Valletta twice.

It is now being contested by the First Division champions and KO winners of the previous season.

This year, it is also another rerun of the last two year’s matches – Marsaxlokk v Marsascala. In 2015 and 2016, it was Marsascala who triumphed, winning 11-10 and 12-7 respectively.

Programme

Today Tal-Qroqq pool: Ghaqda Gurnalisti Sports Cup 5pm Marsaxlokk Fischer-Marsascala Transcripta; President’s Cup 6.15pm Neptunes Leo Vegas-San Giljan TUM Invest.