The Maltese snooker team produced a thrilling performance to claim a 14-13 victory over Scotland in their second match at the International Challenge Cup (I.C.C.) being held in Dunkerque, France. The encounter went down to the very last black ball of the final frame, keeping both teams and spectators on edge until the dramatic conclusion.
A Nail-Biting Finale
In this tournament, the early matches feature the Men’s and Junior categories, with the Masters matches closing out the contest.
Malta built a solid advantage through the men’s and junior matches, but the experienced Scottish Masters clawed their way back into contention. Heading into the final two Masters frames, Scotland held a narrow 13-12 lead, meaning Malta needed victories in both matches to turn the tie around.
Strong Start in Men’s Category
The Maltese men delivered a perfect set of results, with Chris Peplow, Joseph Casha, Isaac Borg, and John Farrugia all winning 2-1 in their respective matches against Robert Carlisle, Ross Vallance, Gavin Gillespie, and Craig MacGillivray.
These results gave Malta an early lead and set the tone for a tense evening.
Junior Match Drama
In the Junior category, Xavier Rizzo faced Scotland’s Ayaan Iqbal in a high-quality clash.
Rizzo took the opening frame with an impressive break of 52 points, but Iqbal responded brilliantly, closing out the match with a superb 71-point break to win 2-1, giving Scotland their first points of the evening.
Masters: Decided by the Final Black
The tide began to shift in the Masters matches.
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Tony Mifsud fell 3-0 to Craig Barber,
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while Arthur Cachia was narrowly beaten 2-1 by Lee McAllister.
This set the stage for a thrilling finale, with Philip Ciantar and Frans Mintoff holding Malta’s hopes.
Ciantar delivered under pressure, dominating his third frame against Paul Cairns to secure a 2-1 win and level the match at 13-13.
The deciding frame fell to Mintoff, who initially built a 20-point lead against Paul Shanks. However, the Scot battled back to tie it at 31-31, eventually sinking the pink ball to take the lead.
Needing to pot the black to win the match, Shanks faltered. After a tense safety exchange, Mintoff seized the opportunity, calmly sinking the final black into the middle pocket to seal an unforgettable 14-13 victory for Malta.
Other Day Two Results
Day Two saw a series of intense matchups:
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Northern Ireland lost to the Republic of Ireland in the morning session,
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but rallied in the afternoon to defeat France, both matches ending with identical scorelines.
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In the late evening fixture, Scotland bounced back with a commanding 16-11 victory over the reigning champions, the Republic of Ireland.
Standings After Day Two
With each team except Malta having played three matches, the provisional standings are:
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Scotland – 47 frames
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France – 44 frames
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Republic of Ireland – 37 frames
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Northern Ireland – 36 frames
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Malta – 25 frames (with one game in hand)
Final Day Showdowns
On Saturday, Malta will face a challenging double-header:
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First against Northern Ireland,
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followed by a clash with Republic of Ireland, the defending champions.
The other key fixture will be a potential title decider between Scotland and hosts France, both leading the standings and eyeing the championship.
Malta’s thrilling victory over Scotland keeps their hopes alive and sets the stage for an electrifying final day of action in Dunkerque.
Sports Editor
Veteran Journalist
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