The focus of Maltese sports fans today was on the Grand Harbour as another edition of the traditional Victory Day Regatta took place. Once again, the main duel for the Shield was expected to be between Bormla, Birgu, and Isla, with fierce competition anticipated from more districts in Category B.
The participating districts remained the same, with eight: Birgu, Birżebbuġa, Bormla, Isla, Kalkara, Marsa, Marsamxett, and Siġġiewi. Most of the crews saw changes from the March Regatta. The program followed the same format as previous editions, with the first race starting at 12:30 pm with the women’s race. Then, five races each in Category B and the Open Category alternated. The lane draws were made at 11:00 am today.
Women’s Race
Birgu dominated the women’s frejgatini race as the duo of Shazel Grima and Glynnis Mizzi achieved a comfortable victory with consistent strokes, finishing in seven minutes and 40 seconds. Isla placed second, followed by Marsa, who edged out Birżebbuġa in the final meters. With this win, the Ġirbin extended their winning streak in this category to nine consecutive victories, having won nearly every race since 2019.
First Race – Category B – Tal-Pass with Two Oars
Kalkara repeated last year’s success, with Gilmore Buttigieg and Godwin Buttigieg crossing the finish line first in six minutes and 20 seconds. In a thrilling contest, Marsamxett placed second, followed by Birgu, who had won the race in March.
Result: 1. Kalkara 20 points, 2. Marsamxett 12 points, 3. Birgu 6 points
Winning Crew: Gilmore Buttigieg, Godwin Buttigieg
Second Race – Category A – Tal-Midalji
In four minutes and 47 seconds, Isla secured a hard-fought but crucial victory with a crew consisting of Davison Micallef, Glenn Zammit, Russell Bugeja, and Andre Gauci. The Sengleani were on the outer side of the Grand Harbour and managed to overcome Birgu’s challenge. Bormla, who had won both in March and last September, had to settle for third place.
Result: 1. Isla 20 points, 2. Birgu 12 points, 3. Bormla 6 points
Winning Crew: Davison Micallef, Glenn Zammit, Russell Bugeja, Andre Gauci
Third Race – Category B – Kajjikki
Kalkara took their second victory in Category B. Rowers Christian Bugeja and Kurt Vassallo started strong and maintained a consistent lead to finish first in six minutes and 35 seconds. This was their second win this year after also claiming victory last March. Marsamxett again finished second, and Isla managed to secure third place in the final meters, edging out Bormla.
Result: 1. Kalkara 12 points, 2. Marsamxett 8 points, 3. Isla 4 points
Winning Crew: Christian Bugeja, Kurt Vassallo
Fourth Race – Frejgatini Category A
Clyde Mizzi and Davison Micallef consolidated their position in the Frejgatini race, a battle among four districts. Isla won the fierce race in six minutes and 55 seconds, after a duel with Birgu’s rowers, while Bormla took third place. The Isla rowers thus secured their second consecutive victory, having also won in March.
Result: 1. Isla 12 points, 2. Birgu 8 points, 3. Bormla 4 points
Winning Crew: Clyde Mizzi, Davison Micallef
Fifth Race – Category B – Tal-Midalji
Bormla continued their streak of victories in the Tal-Midalji race in Category B. In four minutes and 49 seconds, Bormla’s crew delivered a fine performance in a fierce contest that at one point involved four districts. Marsamxett again secured second place, just ahead of Isla.
Result: 1. Bormla 20 points, 2. Marsamxett 12 points, 3. Isla 6 points
Winning Crew: Matthia Calleja, Nicholas Paris, Dione D’Amato, Denzel Thornton
Sixth Race – Category A – Tal-Pass ta’ bit-Tnejn
The pair of Clive Casha and Dennis Thornton returned to victory in the Tal-Pass ta’ bit-Tnejn race after missing out last year. The veteran duo started well but had a tight and thrilling contest with rowers from Isla and Birgu. With strong strokes toward the end, the Bormla pair secured their second consecutive victory in five minutes and 37 seconds, edging out Isla and Birgu. This was their second consecutive win after a streak of 20 straight victories before last year’s race.
Result: 1. Bormla 20 points, 2. Isla 12 points, 3. Birgu 6 points
Winning Crew: Clive Casha, Dennis Thornton
Seventh Race – Category B – Frejgatini
It was a perfect year for Kalkara in this race, as Kohath Mallia and Ryan Degiorgio repeated their success from last March. In seven minutes and 10 seconds, they won the duel with brothers Matthew and Steven Dalli, finishing strongly to put their district in a good position to win the Shield.
Result: 1. Kalkara 12 points, 2. Birżebbuġa 8 points, 3. Bormla 4 points
Winning Crew: Kohath Mallia, Ryan Degiorgio
Eighth Race – Category A – Kajjikki
Birgu remained in contention to win the Shield when they once again claimed first place in the Kajjikki race. The duo of Kieron Zammit and Nigel Sant repeated their success from last March, having led the race throughout. Marsamxett claimed their first palju in the Open Category, followed by Bormla. This left the final race to decide the overall winner.
Result: 1. Birgu 12 points, 2. Marsamxett 8 points, 3. Bormla 4 points
Winning Crew: Kieron Zammit, Nigel Sant
Ninth Race – Category B – Tal-Pass with Four Oars
As expected, the last and decisive race was fiercely contested. Kalkara had led before this final race but failed to finish after colliding with Birgu’s rowers. Bormla took advantage and won the battle with Birżebbuġa, with Marsamxett finishing third—a result that wasn’t enough for them. This race was stopped twice due to false starts and a collision shortly after the start. Bormla’s winning crew completed the race in five minutes and 30 seconds.
Result: 1. Bormla 24 points, 2. Birżebbuġa 16 points, 3. Marsamxett 8 points
Winning Crew: Matthia Calleja, Nicholas Paris, Cleaven Falzon, Denzel Thornton
Tenth Race – Category A – Tal-Pass with Four Oars
The decisive race did not disappoint. A fierce battle ensued between the three main districts: Birgu, Isla, and Bormla, with the final margin being minimal. In the end, Birgu’s crew narrowly defeated Isla’s rowers, with the latter having a chance to win the Shield had they won the final race.
Result: 1. Birgu 24 points, 2. Isla 16 points, 3. Bormla 8 points
Winning Crew: Antoine Brignone, Clyde Cutajar, Clayton Darmanin, Sven Refalo
Final Standings – Open Category
Birgu 62 points, Isla 60 points, Bormla 42 points, Marsamxett 8 points
Final Standings – Category B
Bormla 48 points, Kalkara 44 points, Marsamxett 40 points, Birżebbuġa 24 points, Isla 10 points, Birgu 6 points.
