Malta Bowling Association

The inaugural PBA Style MBA Tournament proved to be a demanding yet highly entertaining event, with Tomas Caruso and Alja Bergauer emerging as the first-ever champions after mastering the challenging PBA Sport “Chameleon” oil pattern. Qualifying Round The six-game qualifying block saw the top eight men and top eight women progress to the match-play stage. In the men’s division, Matthew Magro led the field and was the only player to average over 200, finishing with an impressive 204 average. He was followed by Tomas Caruso, Mark Spiteri, Mikhail Mallia, Kenneth Arpa, Samuel Caruso, Philip Gruppetta and Dennis Mercieca. The women’s qualifying was dominated by Cynthia Frendo Duca, who finished 47 pins ahead of second-placed Tiziana Muscat Carannante. Alja Bergauer qualified third, followed by Sue Abela, Liliana Spiteri, Kathryn Fenech, Charlize Bartolo and Jade Barbara. Jade secured the final qualifying spot after tying on total pinfall with Celianne Micallef, advancing thanks to a higher final game. Men’s Match Play The one-on-one round robin produced plenty of excitement, with the Caruso brothers rising to the top of the standings. Tomas finished ahead of his younger brother Samuel, with both bowlers winning five of their seven matches. Mark Spiteri also claimed five victories to finish third, followed by Kenneth Arpa in fourth and Matthew Magro in fifth. The stepladder finals began with Matthew Magro defeating Kenneth Arpa 184–172, before overcoming Mark Spiteri 192–168. His run ended in the semi-final, where Samuel Caruso prevailed 200–164, earning a place in the championship match. The all-Caruso final turned into a commanding performance from Tomas. Opening with a string of strikes, he effectively had the title secured by the seventh frame before cruising to a convincing 229–153 victory over Samuel. Women’s Match Play The women’s round robin was equally competitive. Cynthia Frendo Duca opened with a victory over the returning Kathryn Fenech, who was competing for the first time in 13 months and finished with four match wins. However, Alja Bergauer also won five matches and, thanks to a higher overall pinfall, moved into first place to secure direct qualification to the title match. Tiziana Muscat Carannante also recorded five victories to retain second place, while the biggest climb came from Kathryn Fenech. After losing her opening match, Kathryn responded brilliantly by winning six of her remaining seven matches, climbing into fourth place. Charlize Bartolo finished fifth with four victories, followed by Liliana Spiteri in sixth, Sue Abela in seventh and Jade Barbara in eighth. In the stepladder finals, Kathryn defeated Charlize 155–147, before producing another excellent performance to eliminate Cynthia 201–190. Her impressive run came to an end against Tiziana, who claimed a 200–187 victory to reach the final. The championship match belonged to Alja Bergauer, who delivered one of the performances of the tournament to defeat Tiziana 246–142 and become the inaugural women’s PBA Style MBA champion. A Successful Debut The first PBA Style MBA Tournament successfully showcased the challenge and excitement of sport-pattern bowling. The demanding Chameleon pattern tested every competitor, rewarding consistency, precision, and smart lane play. Congratulations to Tomas Caruso and Alja Bergauer on becoming the first champions of what promises to become a highly anticipated event on the MBA calendar.

🏆 Our 2026 BOV National Champions are Sue Abela and Kayden Lagana! 🏆 What a thrilling conclusion to this year’s championship! Sue Abela claimed the women’s national title in one of the closest finishes imaginable, edging out Cynthia Frendo Duca after the pair finished level on total pinfall across 24 games. With the scores tied, the title was decided by the final game, where Sue’s 171 narrowly surpassed Cynthia’s 170, securing the championship by a single pin. In the men’s competition, Kayden Lagana overcame fierce competition, particularly from defending national champion Nicolai Mallia. A superb performance on Day 4 saw Kayden overturn the deficit, finishing 170 pins ahead to claim the 2026 BOV National Championship title. Congratulations to both our champions on their outstanding achievements, and well done to all the competitors for delivering a fantastic championship!

Marthese Cossai and Melvin Galea win the MBA Gold Cup in ten pin bowling. The MBA Gold cup, for male bowlers below 180 average and female bowlers below 175, is always keenly contested and this year was no exception. The 8 male qualifiers were led by Edward Xuereb, followed closely by Melvin Galea, Aaron Belli, Daniel Grech, Daniel Ricciari, Kyle Camilleri, Nicholas Falzon and Luke Mercieca. Melvin took the lead after game 1, winning his first against Edward, and staying in the lead till game 4. Game 5 saw Edward overtake Melvin again only for Melvin to overtake him again after game 6 and stay ahead, just 29 pins ahead overall.  Aaron Belli held on to 3rd place. Nicholas Falzon, who had started a distant 7th place, managed to win 5 and draw 1 of the 7 direct encounters but only managed to move up to 5th place due to the initial gap. In the top 6 ladies, Marthese Cossai qualified in first place, with Jade Barbara close by in 2nd place. Cossai, after losing her lead immediately, managed to claw it back with 4 wins out of 5 to edge out young Jade Barbara by 34 pins with youth Charlize Bartolo just 12 pins behind in 3rd place. Liliana Spiteri placed 4th, ahead of Sandra Xuereb and Celianne Micallef.   Marthese Cossai u Melvin Galea jirbħu l-MBA Gold Cup fil-bowling Il-Gold Cup tal-MBA, għal bowlers irġiel taħt il-medja ta’ 180 u bowlers nisa taħt il-175, hija dejjem ikkontestata ħafna u din is-sena ma kinitx eċċezzjoni. It-8 kwalifikanti rġiel raw lil Edward Xuerab fl-ewwel post, segwit mill-qrib minn Melvin Galea, Aaron Belli, Daniel Grech, Daniel Ricciari, Kyle Camilleri, Nicholas Falzon u Luke Mercieca. Melvin ħa l-vantaġġ wara l-ewwel logħba, b’ rebħa  kontra Edward, u baqa’ fil-vantaġġ sar-4 logħba . Fil- ħames logħba , Edward reġa’ għadda lil Melvin ,  iżda  Melvin jerġa’ jabżu wara s-sitt logħba u baqa’ fuq quddiem, 29 pin biss fuq Edward . Aaron Belli żamm it-tielet post. Nicholas Falzon, li kien beda mis-seba’ post, irnexxielu jirbaħ 5 u jġib draw f’waħda mis-seba’ laqgħat diretti iżda rnexxielu biss jitla’ fil-ħames post minħabba d-distakk inizjali. Fl-aqwa 6 nisa, Marthese Cossai kkwalifikat fl-ewwel post, b’Jade Barbara qribha fit-tieni post. Cossai, wara li tilfet il-vantaġġ tagħha immedjatament, irnexxielha terġa’ tiksbu b’4 rebħiet minn 5 biex għelbet liż- żagħżugħa Jade Barbara b’34 pin, filwaqt li żagħżugħa oħra Charlize Bartolo kienet biss 12-il pin warajha fit-tielet post. Liliana Spiteri ġiet fir-raba’ post, quddiem Sandra Xuereb u Celianne Micallef.

Sue Abela and Nicolai Mallia are the 2 winners of the MBA Memorial Cup 2026 The Memorial Cup is a yearly event that commemorates the passing of local bowlers who have had a strong say in shaping our sport in Malta. Its an eagerly anticipated event and in fact we had a full complement of 40 bowlers (11 women and 29 men) taking part. Mallia triumphed in the male section with a 1333 total, ahead of Matthew Magro(1305) and Kayden Lagana’ (1296), all 3 bowling with no added  handicap , while Abela shot a remarkable 1394 (232 scratch average, + anther 18 pins handicap  ) to run away with the women’s section ahead of Cynthia Frendo Duca ( 1215 with handicap) and Melissa Swift (1194 with handicap).     Sue Abela u Nicolai Mallia huma ż-żewġ rebbieħa tal-MBA Memorial Cup 2026 Il-  Memorial Cup hija avveniment annwali li jikkommemora l-mewt ta’ bowlers lokali li kellhom sehem qawwi fit-tiswir tal-isport tagħna f’Malta. Huwa avveniment mistenni bil-ħerqa u fil-fatt kellna kumpliment sħiħ ta’ 40 bowler (11-il mara u 29 raġel) li ħadu sehem Mallia trijonfa fit-taqsima maskili b’total ta’ 1333, quddiem Matthew Magro (1305) u Kayden Lagana’ (1296), li t-3 kollha lagħbu mingħajr handicap miżjud, filwaqt li Abela lagħbet punteġġ notevoli ta’ 1394 (medja ta’ 232 scratch, + handicap ieħor ta’ 18-il pin) biex rebħet it-taqsima tan-nisa quddiem Cynthia Frendo Duca (1215 b’handicap) u Melissa Swift (1194 b’handicap).

Another successful championship for Team Malta at this year’s MBC Championships held in Zagreb, Croatia. Team Malta achieved outstanding results, winning: 2 Gold Medals in the Singles Event by Kayden Lagana and in the Ladies Doubles by Cynthia F. Duca and Tiziana Muscat Carannante. 1 Silver Medal in the All Events category by Kayden Lagana. 1 Bronze Medal in the Mixed Doubles by Cynthia F. Duca and Nicolai Mallia. We were just a whisker away from securing even more medals, but there will always be another opportunity next time. Please read more in the attached press releases: Men Singles – Kayden Lagana wins GOLD – read more Ladies Doubles – Cynthia F Duca and Tiziana M Carannante wins GOLD – read more

Congratulations to Kayden Lagana on winning the Masters 2026 title. In the final, Kayden defeated Nicolai Mallia with a score of 257–221, after both bowlers qualified in the top two positions following the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals. On their way to the final, Nicolai delivered a strong performance, winning his match 279–202 against his younger brother Mikhail, while Kayden secured his place by defeating Nicholas Muscat 256–172. The top six also included Matthew Magro and Tomas Caruso, who narrowly missed out in the earlier “low man out” stage by just a few pins. This year’s Masters competition showcased an exceptionally high standard of play, with impressive scoring averages recorded across all three stages. Notably, two perfect games were achieved during the event, one by Shaun Montanaro in the first stage and another by Mark Spiteri in the second stage, highlighting the quality and competitiveness of the tournament. 300 Game Shaun Montanaro 300 Game Mark Spiteri  

Strong Performances by Maltese youth bowlers at the European Youth Championships in BerlinThe Maltese youths delivered yet another strong show at the highlight competitive European Youth Championshipsfor ten pin bowling, with 2 Bronze medals from Nicolai Mallia (Singles and All – Events), and 8th place in the Mastersby Kayden Lagana’. The teams also came agonisingly close to a medal: 5th place in the 4 man team (Mallia, Lagana’,Tomas and Samuel Caruso, one step away from the medal zone at just 17 pins away at totals of 5086-5107), and ajoint 5th place (just 6 pins away from medal zone) in the doubles by Mallia and Lagana’. Mallia also shot a perfect300 game in the team’s event. 25 country teams took part in the 4 man team, with a total of 112 boys in the singles.The sole Maltese girl, Celianne Micallef, also performed well after a shaky first day to finish a respectable 34th placeout of 57 in the girls All events.Mark Spiteri, National Coach, accompanied the players throughout the event.Thanks goes to BeActive – SportMalta for their invaluable support, as well as The Superbowl for providing specifictraining slots for the players to train before the event. Prestazzjonijiet qawwija minn bowlers żgħażagħ Maltin fil-Kampjonati Ewropej taż-Żgħażagħ f’BerlinIż-żgħażagħ Maltin taw wirja oħra qawwija fl-aqwa Kampjonati Ewropej taż-Żgħażagħ tat-ten pin bowling, b’żewġmidalji tal-bronż minn Nicolai Mallia (Singles u All – Events), u t-8 post fil-Masters minn Kayden Lagana’. It-timijietresqu wkoll qrib ħafna ta’ midalja: il-5 post fit-tim ta’ 4 irġiel (Mallia, Lagana’, Tomas u Samuel Caruso, pass ’ilbogħod miż-żona tal-midalji b’17-il pin biss ’il bogħod b’total ta’ 5086-5107), u l-5 post konġunt (6 pins biss ’ilbogħod miż-żona tal-midalji) fid-doubles minn Mallia u Lagana’. Mallia kellu wkoll logħba perfetta ta’ 300 flavvenimenttat-timijiet. 25 tim nazzjonali ħadu sehem fit-tim ta’ 4 irġiel, b’total ta’ 112-il tifel fis-singles. CelianneMicallef ippartecipat fil kategorija tall-bniet u spiccat l-34 min 57 tfajliet b-average tajjeb hafna.Il-coach nazzjonali Mark Spiteri akkumpanja l-kontingent Malti.Grazzi lil BeActive – SportMalta għall-appoġġ imprezzabbli tagħhom, kif ukoll lis-Superbowl talli pprovdew slotsspeċifiċi ta’ taħriġ għall-plejers biex jitħarrġu qabel l-avveniment.

Team Malta Announced for Mediterranean Bowling Championships Team Malta for the upcoming Mediterranean Bowling Championships (MBC) in April has been officially announced following a 24-game qualification tournament held over the past two weekends at The Superbowl. Women’s Team Tiziana Muscat Carannante and Cynthia Frendo Duca secured the top two qualifying spots, with Melissa Swift finishing in third place after an intense three-way battle that began on the first day of competition. Muscat Carannante produced a remarkable comeback performance. After 18 games, she was in third place, trailing Frendo Duca by 102 pins. However, over the final six games she delivered an outstanding 216 average, propelling herself into first place. Swift mounted a strong challenge and managed to close the gap to Frendo Duca during the opening two games of the final day. Nevertheless, Frendo Duca regained her rhythm, extending her lead to finish 63 pins ahead of Swift. Seventeen-year-old Celianne Micallef completed the women’s standings in fourth place. Men’s Team In the men’s division, national champion Nicolai Mallia dominated from the outset, maintaining first place throughout the tournament. He concluded with an exceptional 240 average, finishing 301 pins ahead of second-placed Kayden Lagana’, who averaged 228. The battle for second place remained open until the final day, with Miguel Xuereb, Matthew Magro, and Mauro Anastasi all within striking distance. Lagana’ delivered the strongest performance on the last day, posting a 1,415 total to finish 212 pins ahead of Xuereb. Magro placed fourth, just one pin behind Xuereb. Several impressive games were recorded across the 24-game event, with the highest being a 299 scored by Mallia. The Championship The prestigious Mediterranean Bowling Championships — a competition in which Malta consistently excels, even against major bowling nations such as France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Spain — will take place in Croatia from 26 April to 3 May. Team Malta will be under the guidance of National Coach  Mark Spiteri.  Malta will once again be aiming to make its mark on the Mediterranean stage. MBC 2026 — MBC – Mediterranean Bowling Confederation

Kenneth Arpa wins the inaugural tournament of the 2026. Kenneth Arpa led from start to finish in this 6-game total pinfall event, which was the first “nourethane” event in 2026, in line with what is happening at some other events worldwide.Arpa started off with a huge 258 game 1, to take an early lead with Alan Ciantar in pursuit. Arpahad a low game in game 5 (149) that may have given a hint of hope; however, the tough conditionsmeant that the gap was just too big, and it was down to Ciantar, Giancarlo Tolu, Mark Spiteri, andMatthew Magro to fight for 2nd and 3rd place. Ciantar edged ahead by 5 pins over Tolu, with Magrojust another 9 pins behind and Mark Spiteri in 5th place.Next tournament is the MBC qualifiers, at the end of February. Kenneth Arpa jirbah l-ewwel tournament tal-istagun 2026. Kenneth Arpa mexxa mill-bidu sat-tmiem f’dan it-tournament ta’ 6 logħbiet, li kien l-ewwelkompetizzjoni “mingħajr blalen urethane” fl-2026, f’konformità ma’ dak li qed jiġri f’xi avvenimentioħra madwar id-dinja.Arpa beda b’ logħba kbira ta’ 258 , biex ħa vantaġġ bikri, b’Alan Ciantar warajh. Arpa kellu logħbabaxxa fil-ħames logħba (149) li setgħet tat ħjiel ta’ tama għall-oħrajn; madankollu l-kundizzjonijietdiffiċli fissru li d-distakk kien kbir wisq, u kien f’idejn Ciantar, Giancarlo Tolu, Mark Spiteri uMatthew Magro biex jiġġieldu għat-tieni u t-tielet post. Ciantar spiċċa fit-tieni post, quddiem Tolub’5 pins, u b’Magro biss 9 pins oħra lura. Mark Spiteri jissetilja fil-5 post.It-tournament li jmiss huwa l-kwalifiki ghall-MBC, fl-aħħar ta’ Frar.

BOV MBA Premier League – New Competition Format  Following an extended period of competition under the traditional scoring format—namely 2 points per individual game win and 2 points for total pinfall—the BOV MBA Premier League has adopted a revised competition format designed to enhance competitiveness and align with current international team match-play standards. This format was proposed by the National Coach, Mr Mark Spiteri, following consultations with International Coaches. The proposal was subsequently reviewed by the MBA Technical Committee, and feedback was sought from the majority of the Premier League players. Based on the positive technical and competitive feedback received, the MBA Committee formally approved the implementation of this format. League Structure The BOV MBA Premier League shall consist of eight (8) teams. Each team shall comprise four (4) players per match. Matches shall be contested under a Team Match Play format. Match Format Each match shall be played on a head-to-head basis, whereby each player from one team is paired against a corresponding player from the opposing team. All players shall compete over the scheduled number of games as determined by the league regulations. In addition to individual match play, a team total pinfall contest shall be conducted for each game. Points Allocation Individual Match Play Points Each individual game win shall be awarded two (2) points. In the event of a tie, points shall be split equally, unless otherwise stated in the league regulations. Team Total Pinfall Points The team achieving the higher total pinfall for each game shall be awarded two (2) points. Total Points Available A maximum of thirty-two (32) points may be earned per team per match. Purpose and Competitive Objectives The revised format increases the emphasis on direct one-to-one competition, while maintaining the importance of overall team performance. This structure promotes: Individual accountability Strategic team line-ups Enhanced competitive balance Alignment with international league and championship standards