The fifth day of the European Men’s Snooker Masters Championships taking place in Albufiera, Portugal, meant the end of the Maltese players’ experience after the team composed of Arthur Cachia and Frans Mintoff lost their match in the phase of the last 16.
On Monday, the Maltese players were engaged in six games of which they won only one. This victory came in the last group match for the Malta 2 team of Arthur Cachia and Frans Mintoff who beat, Marcin Nitschke/Jarosław Kowalski of team Poland 1 3-2 with the scores of 79-32 , 43-45, 42-69, 58-17, 70-5. Team Malta 2 won all their matches and won Group H to advance directly to the round of the last 16.
Late in the evening during the last 16 encounter, Malta 2 met Belgium 2 composed of Alain Vandersteen and Edwin Depoorter where it was the latter who won, 3-2, with the decisive frame that could have gone either side.
Earlier the other two Maltese teams lost their last game in the group stage and were eliminated. Both lost with a score of 3-2, Malta 1 of Alex Borg and Philip Ciantar lost against Scotland 1 (Gary Thomson/Michael Philbin) while Malta 3 formed by Ivan Attard and David Zammit failed against France 2 (David Gauthier/Jean-Christophe Margontier).
In the afternoon sessions, matches for the last 32 individual category took place. Philip Ciantar and Frans Mintoff, were both drawn against former professional snooker players and found it difficult, in fact both lost 4-0. Ciantar against the Belgian, Peter Bullen and Mintoff against the Englishman, Craig Steadman.
In the coming days some Maltese players including the reigning champion, Aaron Busuttil, will take part in the Six Reds and the Shoot Out competitions while next Sunday, the European Men’s team championship will begin. Malta will be represented by three teams that will will made up as follows; Malta 1 – Aaron Busuttil and Chris Peplow, Malta 2 – Alex Borg and his son Isaac Borg, Malta 3 – Joseph Casha and Philip Ciantar.
