BOV Winter League: A marathon of water polo excellence

The BOV Winter League 2026 reached a fever pitch this Friday as fans were treated to three back-to-back encounters. With over 100 goals scored in a single evening, the physical and tactical demands of the sport were on full display.

In a game that felt more like a basketball match than water polo, Tax-Xbiex Amigos outlasted the Barracudas in a 19–17 offensive explosion.

The Turning Point: The match was deadlocked at the half (9–8 to Tax-Xbiex). However, the third quarter saw the Amigos find an extra gear, outscoring the Barracudas 6–5.

Captain Julian Farrugia was the difference-maker, leading all scorers with 5 goals. The Barracudas relied on a two-pronged attack from Andrew Magri and Marco Semminara (4 goals each), but they couldn’t find the equalizer in the dying minutes. The match was incredibly physical. Barracudas’ Semminara was excluded twice, while Tax-Xbiex saw Raoul Greco and Nathan Mallia Castillo walk the tightrope with two exclusions each.

Marsaskala proved why they are a force to be reckoned with, using a clinical second half to pull away from a resilient MXLOKK MFF Limited side.

After a balanced first half (7–5 to Marsaskala), the White caps blew the game open in the third quarter. Led by the sharp-shooting of Philip Tabone (5 goals), Marsaskala went on a 7–3 run that MXLOKK simply had no answer for.

Benji Schranz was a one-man army for MXLOKK, matching Tabone with 5 goals of his own. Despite his heroics, MXLOKK struggled with depth, failing to match Marsaskala’s rotation.

Referees Robert Horvath and Alex DeRafaele kept a tight lid on the game. Marsaskala’s Matthias Agius and Kieran Grech both finished with two exclusions, highlighting the aggressive defensive press Marsaskala employed.

The final match of the night was a masterclass in transition play as Exiles Welbees dismantled Otters Nivea 20–8. Dominant Start: The Exiles left the Gozitan side shell-shocked, racing to a 5–1 lead in the first eight minutes. They never looked back, winning every single quarter of the match.

 While Matteo Martellacci (4 goals) led the stats, the story was the Exiles’ distribution. Seven different players recorded multiple goals, including Kurt Griscti (3) and Mark Fenech (3).

For the Otters, captain Karl Sciclina and Matthew Farrugia fought hard to keep the score respectable, netting 3 goals each. However, the sheer volume of shots from the Exiles (totaling 20 goals) proved insurmountable.