A Maltese contingent of amateur snooker players has arrived in Youghal, Republic of Ireland, to take part in this year’s International Challenge Cup.
This will be Malta’s fourth consecutive participation in the competition, having achieved positive results in each of the previous three editions. Malta finished third in Scotland in 2023, second when the competition was held in Malta in 2024, and third again last year in France.
Alongside Malta, France, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will once again compete in this year’s edition.
Youghal will host the competition for the fourth time since its introduction in 2014, while this will be the fifth time the event has been held in the Republic of Ireland. The hosts have enjoyed considerable success, winning every edition staged in Ireland and eight of the 13 editions overall.
The International Challenge Cup is awarded to the country which wins the highest number of frames. Each nation competes against all the other participating countries across three categories: Men, Masters and Juniors.
Nine players in Malta squad
The Maltese team consists of nine players.
Chris Peplow, Alex Borg, Joseph Casha and John Farrugia will compete in the Men’s category, while Frans Mintoff, Philip Ciantar, Ivan Attard and Manuel Mallia will represent Malta in the Masters division.
Xavier Rizzo will be Malta’s representative in the Juniors category.
Busy schedule for Malta
The Maltese players will begin their campaign on Thursday morning against Scotland, before facing France later in the evening.
On Friday morning, Malta will take on Northern Ireland, followed by their final match against the Republic of Ireland in the afternoon. The clash against the hosts is scheduled to bring this year’s International Challenge Cup to a close.
The Maltese delegation is being led by Malta Billiards & Snooker Association President Ivan Brincat and Richard Sheridan.
Charles Vella is also part of the Maltese contingent and will serve as one of the referees during this year’s competition.
