1997 KNOCK-OUT SEMI-FINAL 
 
Rapier-like Paris hits six to land Neptunes in final 
  
A splendid John Paris put his scoring repertoire on show when hit no fewer than six goals past Sirens to help Neptunes win a place in the Cisk Lager Knock-Out final against Sliema. 

This player’s potting power is far superior to that of anybody else on the island and it is no coincidence that he has invariably topped the scorers’ lists ­ excluding the foreigners ­ for a number of years now. 
 

 
The ball is in the net as Neptunes  
score against Sirens.		 This year was  no exception, even if his 36-goal tally so far has been tempered by some opaque play in other facets of the game. However, yesterday he was almost flawless in all parts of the pitch, including his covering and, naturally, the way he jostled in the centre to receive the right ball and then find the net. 

Paul Privitera’ s choking attentions on Paris ­ sometimes these went unpunished by some over-indulgent refereeing ­ were not enough to prevent this player from piling up the goals, the last of which was a sizzling last-ditch flick executed in rapier fashion off a perfect Anthony Cachia service.  
  
Yet Sirens could have easily sealed the game in their favour, not so much for making the sometimes erratic Balluta team chase the scoreline almost throughout, as for a golden chance tossed away by Jonathan Valletta inside the last minute when the score was 8-8.  
  
For the sake of fairness, one must say there was also a slice of ill-luck in that incident as the ball hit the underside of the bar on a lob from the submerged Sirens’ player with Adrian Cachia out of his charge.  
  
That was a dramatic finale to a sporting match replete with skilful action and excellent goals. A goal from Privitera and two from Walter Degiorgio from the narrowest of angles were indeed well-taken.  
  
At the other end Nicky Lanzon netted two superb goals, the last of which, a backhand scored with razor-like reflexes and reminiscent of the goal this lad netted in the first round against the same opponents.  

Both teams had their moments with Neptunes’ swift double on the centre countering Sirens’ less flexible screening as they relied mostly on press.  
  
The St Paul’s Bay team may not have had an edge in sharper and better-timed swimming. But they were certainly much smarter in their man-up sets, converting five on six. 
  
Neptunes’ two on seven statistics underlined some deficiencies, never mind Sirens’ skilful defensive work backed by a steady Kevin Sciberras.  
  
The Reds’ only other instance when they took the lead was in a high-scoring first session when the unyielding David Camilleri made it 2-1 in their favour. Otherwise they were made to run after their opponents. Earlier on they were let down by careless passing which ruined several breaks.  
  
Chris Cauchi’s opportunism and John Farrugia’s non-stop play, apart from the good work of Privitera and Degiorgio, kept Sirens in pole position. But Neptunes, once 5-3 adrift in the second quarter, kept battling with the likes of John Xerri De Caro, Anthony Cachia and Christian Gialanze pulling their weight manly, as did Niki Lanzon. 
 
But the irrepressible Paris had no peers, though. With Sirens leading  7-6 at the start of the last session, Sergio Afric could not have demanded more from his team as they staged a furious rally to overturn the tables on their opponents with that remarkable Paris goal 21 seconds from time.  
  
Sirens felt luck was not on their side, and righlty so, after that ill-fated effort from Valletta.  
  
 

Sunday, September 28, 1997
SIRENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
NEPTUNES. . . . . . . . . . . 9
(4-3, 1-1, 2-2, 1-3) 
Sirens: K. Sciberras, K. Montfort, J. Bugeja, P. Privitera (1), C. Cauchi (2), J. Valletta (2), D. Cutajar, W. Degiorgio (2), S. Rizzo, D. Schembri, S. Zammit, J. Farrugia (1), N. Cassar.  
Neptunes: Ad. Cachia, Ant. Cachia, N. Lanzon (2), G. Stellini, D. Camilleri (1), J. Xerri De Caro, J. Paris (6), N. Xuereb. E. Cachia, C. Gialanze, M. Azzopardi, C. Sladden, K. Lanzon.  
Referees: Gianfranco Tedeschi, Armando Grilli.
 
 
KNOCK-OUT FINAL 
 
Sliema retain Cup  
  
Sliema made up for a rather opaque league season with a flourish, culminating in success in the Cisk Lager KO competition. They clinched the prize after a hard-earned victory over sporting rivals Neptunes in what turned out to be a largely balanced contest played in the best of spirits.  
  
Chris Gialanze, scorer
of a goal in the final, is
shadowing Sliema's
Francesco Cutajar.
 Waterpolo is about taking chances, principally on man-ups, and committing fewer mistakes than your opponents. These are  important elements of fine tuning when two teams of equal strength face each other.  
  
Essentially the Blues won because they thrived on almost every opportunity that came their way when they had a man extra. In this respect a five on six record card plus a penalty, says it all.  

Other qualities which, in my view, tilted the balance Sliema’s way was their robustness both in the phase of releasing themselves forcibly from the shackles of their opponents as well as when caging in John Paris on a double to half-zone cover.
    
Otherwise it was an extremely close duel with neither team being able to assert any sort of lasting tactical superiority on the other.  
  
In a nutshell, Neptunes were smarter in the opening sessions, despite being let down by some atrocious finishing which let Sliema off the hook. The Blues’ recuperative powers, especially when twice beating the clock to net crucial equalisers at the end of the second and third sessions, sparked a comeback by Peter Decesare’s team.  
However, all along they had been sharper in their set-pieces and that helped them gain confidence as the match drew into the final stages.  
    
Neptunes have only themselves to blame for failing to lift the Cup. They could hardly come to terms with smooth shifting of the ball ­ besides some unforced errors resulting in misplaced passes ­ on their man-ups and that made for very poor two on eight statistics.  
  
They must have rued three great lost chances in the opening minutes and that, in the end, cost them dearly. Despite this they kept conducting the match, edging ahead every time, until almost midway through the third session when Sliema took the lead for the first time on 4-3. The Reds’ press was proving effective then.  
  
Mark Galea Pace was out on three faults in that third part of the game but the Blues, with Kurt Dowling (he netted a hat-trick) hanging precariously on two major fouls, found a new lease of life with Edwin Pisani and Francesco Cutajar, each scorer of a vital goal, pulling their weight admirably.  
    
Patrick Cachia won several expulsions against his immediate shadower. His last-ditch equaliser to make it 5-5 seconds before the end of the third session, paved the way for a gruelling last quarter which had Dowling netting twice  to give the Blues a 7-5 lead.  
  
There were almost three minutes left. Paris, who together with Niki Lanzon gave the Sliema defence some anxious moments, sealed his hat-trick seconds later to make it 7-6.  
 
Excitement brewed in the final two minutes. The Balluta team’s final fling had Paris trying an untimely flick that sailed over in the fading seconds.  
    
The Sliema supporters could then sigh with relief.  
  
Adrian Cachia receives the Cup from Farson's representative, Pierre Stafrace, Brand Manager (Cisk), watched by ASA President Robert Ebejer.
 
Tuesday, September 30, 1997
SLIEMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 
NEPTUNES. . . . . . . . . . . 6 
(0-1, 3-2, 2-2, 2-1)  
Sliema: J. Caruana Dingli, K. Izzo, M. Manara (1), M. Galea Pace, P. Cachia (1), K. Dowling (3), M. Pisani (1), K. Engerer, C. Debono, F. Cutajar (1), J. Cachia, J. Soler, S. Micallef.  
Neptunes: Ad, Cachia, Ant. Cachia, E. Cachia, G. Stellini, D. Camilleri, J. Xerri De Caro, J. Paris (3), N. Xuereb, N. Lanzon (2), C. Gialanze (1), M. Azzopardi, C. Sladden, K. Lanzon.  
Referees: Gianfranco Tedeschi, Armando Grilli.