In this article we give an exhaustive preview of all the teams in this year’s Victory Day Regatta as well as all the rowers taking part.
Bormla start as one of the favorites for this year’s Victory Day Regatta. They are well prepared in both categories but they are working for the particular target, that of reaching Isla in the amount of shield wins. If the Bormlizi win category A then they will win the Aggregate Shield for the 23rd, the same as Isla. The Bormlizi won last year’s Victory Regatta when they finished with the same amount of points as Birgu. They also won the Freedom Day Regatta last March.
In category A, all the crews they had last March were confirmed.
All rowers in Category A are:
Medals: Maximillian Mamo, Clive Casha, Dennis Thornton and Romario Brignone.
Frigates: Mattia Calleja and Christian Camilleri.
Twos: Dennis Thornton and Clive Casha.
Kayaking: Romario Brignone and Christian Camilleri.
Fours: Maximillian Mamo, Clive Casha, Dennis Thornton and Jurgen Camilleri.
Bormla are also well armed in category B. Here the Bormla club will continue with its strategy of giving a chance to young rowers and with them more experienced rowers. An example of this is the kayak that will be driven by Under 18 product Ian Carabott together with veteran Cleavin Falzon.
The full list of rowers in category B is:
Twos: Kaydon Aquilina and Jean Pierre Debono.
Kayaks: Ian Carabott and Cleavin Falzon.
Medals: Mattia Calleja, Nicholas Paris, Dione D’Amato and Denzil Thornton.
Frigates: Nicholas Paris and Sean Farrugia
Fours: (New crew) Sean Farrugia, Nicholas Paris, Cleavin Falzon and Denzel Thornton.
Bormla will also take part in the Women’s race through rowers Nadine Vella and Francesca Galea.
Birgu
For yet another year, the Birgu club will be among the favorites to win the Victory Shield in Category A. Last year, the “Girbin” returned to victory after a 39-year absence when they shared the shield with Bormla. This past March, they missed out on winning the Freedom Shield by just two points. In this year’s edition of the Victory Regatta, Birgu will once again challenge the clubs of Bormla and Isla, with all crews confirmed except for a few minor changes. In Category A, the only change is the acquisition of rower Rhys Fiteni from Kalkara, who will be competing in the frejgatina(small boat).
The Category A rowers are:
Medalji: Owen Żammit, Antoine Brignone, Wayne Xuereb, and Sven Refalo.
Frejgatina: Kieron Żammit and Rhys Fiteni (Coxswain: Zeshian Attard).
Ta’ bi Tnejn: Clyde Cutajar and Clayton Darmanin.
Kajjik: Kieron Żammit and Nigel Sant.
Ta’ b’Erbgħa: Antoine Brignone, Clyde Cutajar, Clayton Darmanin, and Sven Refalo.
Birgu are also the winners of Category B and the Women’s Shield in the 2024 Freedom Day Regatta.
Birgu are well-prepared for Category B, where once again, they will field all of their Under-18 rowers, along with their new recruit Clifford Buġeja. This past March, the Birgu club won Category B, tying in points with Kalkara. The Category B rowers are:
Ta’ bi Tnejn: Lorenz Mizzi and Clifford Buġeja.
Kajjik: Nayden Casha and Jayden Fisher.
Medalji: Nayden Casha, Adonai Gatt, Yann Parascandolo, and Kurt Ellul.
Frejgatini: Lawson Cassar and Dion Caruana (Coxswain: Eliah Azzopardi).
Ta’ b’Erbgħa: Shardon Cassar, Lorenz Mizzi, Clifford Buġeja, and Kurt Ellul.
Birgu also start as favorites in the women’s race, a competition they have dominated in recent years. They will field the same winning team: Shazel Grima and Glynis Mizzi (Coxswain: Dale Scicluna).
Marsamxett:
For this year’s edition of the Victory Day Regatta, the Marsamxett club will be focusing on category B. The city club had a big change as it changed the all crews, with a mix of young and experienced rowers. They will also have a new kayak named ‘Jūzi il-Babett’ which will have as rowers Deacon Abela Wilson and Shylon Gauci. The townspeople will be challenging hard to win the Category B shield.
These are the rowers that the Marsamxett club will compete with in category B:
Twos: Eman Borġ and Peter Cremona.
Kayaks: Deacon Abela Wilson and Shylon Gauci.
Medals Race: Brolin Genovese, Kensley Ciantar, Peter Cremona and Denilson Long.
Frigates: Brolin Genovese and Kensley Ciantar.
Fourth: Kensley Ciantar, Eman Borġ, Peter Cremona and Denilson Long.
Marsamxett will also take part in the Women’s race through rowers Briana Farrugia and Irene Tonna.
Senglea
For the Victory Regatta 2024 the Isla club is well armed in all categories, especially in category A. Here the Sengleani will be among the main challengers for winning the shield where they confirmed the -crews they had last March with the exception of some minor changes. Isla will do everything in order not to let neighbors Bormla reach them in what is winning the Vitoria shield, this as Isla won the shield 23 times while Bormla won this shield 22 times.
In category A, in the Ta’ bi Twoni l’Isla race they got the service of rowers Matthew Micallef and Charvon Gatt. In Tal-Midalji Glenn Żammit joins Andre Gauci, Russell Buġeja and Devison Micallef. Rusell Bujeja will row in Kajjikk together with Davison Micallef. The crews of the Frejgatina and Ta’ b’Chawerbe have been confirmed.
The Isla club rowers in Category A are these:
Of the Medals: Andre Gauci, Russell Bugeja, Davison Micallef and Glenn Żammit.
Frigates: Davison Micallef & Clyde Mizzi.
On Monday: Matthew Micallef and Charvon Gatt.
Kayjiki: Davison Micallef & Russell Bujeja.
Of Four: Glenn Zammit, Russell Bujeja, Andre Gauci and Redeemer Rapa.
In category B, the senglean club will be focusing on young rowers where a 13-year-old rower, Yarik Agius, will even be making his debut. A category that will see rowers who won the U18 Regatta last July.
These are all rowers in category B:
Of two: Bjorn Caruana and Clayton Azzopardi.
Kajiki: Yarik Agius and Ericsen Lia.
Of the Medals: Carlos Abela, Janniel Camilleri, Axel Degiorgio and Glenn Brincat.
Frigates: Axel Degiorgio and Glenn Brincat (helmsman Zeyan Brincat).
Of Four: Jerome Żammit, Ainsley Bonello, Bjorn Caruana and Lincoln Falzon.
Isla will also take part in the Women’s race through rowers Kenzey Abela and Jade Cachia.
Birzebbugia
The club had to make changes due to the disqualification of two of their rowers after an incident that occurred during the Freedom Day Regatta last March. Since the verdict from the disciplinary board was not given for a while, the club did not have a chance to organize itself well for the September races. Because of this they gave the release to most of their regular rowers and that for the Victory Regatta they will be rowing with other clubs.
Birżebbuġa will not be competing in category A, but despite the difficulties they still managed to equip crews in every category B race.
This is the list of rowers in all category B races:
Ta bi Two: Darren Bartolo and Kevin Camilleri
Kayaks: Coultan Buhagiar and Kevin Camilleri
Of the Medals: Gino Viacava, Christian Degiovanni, Kevin Attard and Gabriel Farrugia
Frigates: Matthew Dalli and Steven Dalli
Of Four: Larry Lagana, Darren Bartolo, Kevin Camilleri and Malcolm Vella.
Birżebbuġa will also compete in the women’s rowers race. They will take part through Zaneisha Pace and Aalayah Bonello.
Apart from the Victory Regatta, in recent months the Birżebbuġa club has continued to work regularly, including on the new Club House project.
Kalkara:
For the Victory Day Regatta 2024 the Kalkara club is armed with a good number of rowers in each category. However, the main attention will be given to category B as the limestones have strong crews in the five races of this category. Kalkara will be aiming to repeat the success they had in this category last March when they won the shield together with Birgu. Among the changes that have taken place since last March we find the return to the club of Jonathan Falzon and Dorian Cilia.
All the Kalkara club rowers in category B are:
Of two: Gilmore Buttigieg and Godwin Buttigieg
Kayaks: Kurt Vassallo and Christian Bugeja
Of the Medals: Jonathan Piscopo, Marlon Cutajar, Dorian Cilia and Clyde Aquilina
Frigates: Ryan Degiorgio and Kohath Mallia (Deshaja Mifsud Helmsman)
Of Four: Jonathan Piscopo, Gilmore Buttigieg, Dorian Cilia and Jonathan Falzon
In category A the Kalkara have a mix of young rowers with other experienced ones. The majority of rowers come from the Under 18 sector and will be given a chance at the highest level of the regatta, that of Victory.
All category A rowers are:
Of the Medals: Shyam Tabone, Yosef Calamatta, Kieran Bonnici and Larson Abela
Of two: Diego Grima and Mauro Desira
Kayaks: Shyam Tabone and Kieran Bonnici
Of Four: Twanny Viacava, Gerald Micallef, Paul Zammitu Larson Abela
Kalkara will also take part in the Women’s race through rowers Thresa Scicluna and Narkesha Mizzi (Tmuniera Zaleshia Borg).
Among the projects that the limestone club is currently working on are extensive works in the gym used by rowers and members of the same club.
Siggiewi:
Medals Category A:
Byron Falzon, Jimmy Falzon, Leon Vella, Christan Frendo
Twos Category A:
Ryan Zammit, Sandro Zammit
Marsa:
Fours Category A: Dirk Attard, Emerson Farrugia, Clyde Debattista, Yannick Pace
Tal Pass Category A: Dirk Attard, Redeemer Zammit, Adrian Schembri, Damian Attard
Twos: Clyde Debattista, Juan Farrugia
Frigates: Dirk Attard, Mel Magro, Nicky Buhagiar
Kayaks: Damian Attard, Mel Magro
Category B:
Fours: Lino Fabri, Kane Aquilina, Neil Aquilina, Gabriel Saliba
Medals Race: Gilbert Grech, Leon piscopo, Lydon Pulis, Kerstin Brown
Frigates: Kerstin Brown, Leon Piscopo, Alaya Zammit
Kayaks: Lino Fabri, Neil Aquilina
Twos: Kane Grima, Gabriel Saliba
Frigates Women: Shazel Gusman, Brooke Stivala, Thais Gatt Borg
Follows is an interview with Birgu Regatta Club Chairman Chris Cassar.
