On Sunday, at the Snooker Academy in Hamrun, during the last day of the International Challenge Cup, the Maltese team put on a strong performance and fulfilled their commitments with a great victory against France by a score of 21-6, securing second place in this edition.
Six players won their matches with a 3-0 score, and in the Masters category, four players came out victorious. Although Joseph Casha lost 2-1, he was unlucky in the third and final frame where his opponent, Youssef Lahlou from France, managed to clinch the win. Brian Cini, Alex Borg and his son Isaac Borg all won 3-0 against their opponents, Jerome Chatet, Enzo Giacomarra and Yann Lanvin respectively.
In the Masters category, the wins were all 3-0, with Philip Ciantar, Arthur Cachia and Frans Mintoff defeating Marc Chouillier, Emos Pecqeux and Christophe Rives-Lange. There was also a 2-1 victory for David Zammit against Kevin Gilquin in this category. In the Juniors category, Xavier Rizzo lost 3-0 against the young Malo Dory Geffroy.
Apart from Malta securing second place and a better result than last year, veteran player Arthur Cachia also won the title of best player in the Masters category.
The final standings for this edition of the ICC are as follows: the Republic of Ireland in first place with 77 points, Malta in second with 64 points, Northern Ireland in third with 54 points, Scotland in fourth with 52 points, and France in fifth with 25 points.
As the last match ended, the closing ceremony took place, where all the presentations were made and the Chairman of the European Billiards & Snooker Association, Maxime Cassis, who was in Malta for this occasion, presented the trophy to the victorious captain, Robert Murphy from the Republic of Ireland. He also announced that France will be hosting next year’s edition.
