Maltese cueists experienced a day of mixed fortunes on the sixth day of the European Blackball Championships in Ennis, Ireland, as national teams across multiple categories battled some of the continent’s best.
The headline match saw Malta A take on England A in one of the most thrilling contests of the tournament so far. The encounter swung back and forth, with both sides exchanging frames in a tense duel that kept spectators on edge. Despite an impressive start from Malta, the English side found consistency in the latter stages and edged the victory 13-12. Earlier in the day, the Maltese team, led by Clevion Micallef, had claimed a dominant 17-8 win over Catalonia, displaying their attacking strength and tactical control.
In the Men’s B section, Malta produced one of the day’s most convincing results, overpowering Northern Ireland B1 with a commanding 19-6 victory. Meanwhile, in the Seniors B category, Malta fell 15-10 to Wales Seniors B after a spirited effort.
There was more success in the youth categories, where the next generation of Maltese players continued to impress. The Under-23 side were completely dominant in their fixture, defeating Ireland 3 with an emphatic 22-3 scoreline.
The Under-15 national team also maintained their excellent form, first beating Scotland 11-4, then continuing their momentum with a 12-3 win over Wales U15 A, confirming their reputation as one of the most consistent junior setups in the competition.
Individual matches produced several notable Maltese performances. Antoine Schembri recorded a 5-1 win over Garry Mitchell, while Clayton Castaldi narrowly triumphed 5-4 against Mikey Polley. Other victories included Chris Tabone (5-3 vs Billy Neil), Lee Grima (5-3 vs Wayne Brennan), and Mevrick Zammit, who defeated Clint Azzopardi 5-0.
However, there were also defeats for Joseph Tabone (3-5 vs Brian Garrick), Kevin Schembri (2-5 vs Dan Davis), and Mario Spiteri (0-5 vs Paul Tierney) among others, reflecting the competitive balance across the day’s schedule.
Today’s fixtures see a busy programme once again for Maltese teams:
- 09:00 / 10:00 – Malta Men’s B vs Scotland Men’s B
- 09:00 / 10:00 – Malta U23 A vs Ireland U23 1
- 09:00 / 10:00 – Malta U15 A vs Ireland U15 A
- 12:00 / 13:00 – Malta Men’s A vs Belgium Men’s A
- 13:30 / 14:30 – Malta Grand Masters A vs Gibraltar Grand Masters A
- 18:00 / 19:00 – Malta Seniors A vs Gibraltar Seniors A
- 18:00 / 19:00 – Malta Seniors B vs Scotland Seniors B
The Maltese contingent remains fully in contention across several categories as the championship enters its decisive stages.
