A team of nine amateur snooker players from Malta has departed for Dunkerque, France, to participate in the 13th edition of the International Challenge Cup (ICC), an annual amateur snooker tournament featuring national teams. This marks Malta’s third consecutive appearance in the competition, having placed third in 2024 and second in 2025, when it also hosted the event.
This year, Malta will compete against France (the hosts), Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, the latter having won eight of the twelve past editions, including last year’s tournament in Malta. Northern Ireland has won the competition three times, while Scotland secured their sole title in 2023, when the tournament was held in Edinburgh and Malta made its debut.
Matches will be held over three days, with the overall winner determined by the total number of frames won. Malta opens its campaign tomorrow afternoon against France, followed by matches against Scotland on Friday, and two games on Saturday, first against Northern Ireland and finally against the defending champions, the Republic of Ireland.
The Maltese squad includes:
- Men’s Category: Chris Peplow, Joseph Casha, Isaac Borg, John Farrugia
- Masters Division: Arthur Cachia, Philip Ciantar, Frans Mintoff, Tony Mifsud
- Junior Category: Xavier Rizzo
The delegation is led by Lothar Mallia, Secretary General of the Malta Billiards & Snooker Association. Ivan Attard, team captain, is also serving as one of the referees for this edition.
