Il-kompetizzjoni li tissejjaħ is-Silver Cup imtella’ mill-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Bowling f’Malta (MBA) – turnew annwali tal-bowling għal plejers intermedji, li din is-sena intrebaħ minn żewġ żgħażagħ: Mikhail Mallia ta’ 10 snin għall-kategorija maskili, u l-istudenta tal-Iskola Nazzjonali tal-Isport, Jade Barbara, ta’ 13-il sena, għall-kategorija femminili.
Tnejn mill-iżgħar membri fl-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Bowling f’Malta (MBA) ġew inkurunati bħala ċ-champions tasSilver Cup ta’ din is-sena. It-turnew ta’ livell intermedjarju tas-Silver Cup huwa immirat għall-kompetituri
kemm nisa u rġiel ta’ kull età, li għandhom skor medju li ma jaqbiżx il-165 u l-170 rispettivament.
Wara sitt logħbiet fl-istadju ta’ kwalifikazzjoni, iż-żewġ rebbieħa ta’ dan it-turnew ikkwalifikaw fl-aqwa tliet
postijiet; Barbara ikkwalifikat għar-rawnd robin finali fit-tielet post, filwaqt li Mallia kien diġà jinsab fl-ewwel
post f’dan l-istadju.
Waqt il-kwalifikazzjoni, Mallia kiseb l-aqwa logħba tal-kampjonat, wara li kiseb skor scratch ta’ 278. F’din illogħba, huwa strajkja f’kull frame ħlief f’waħda, fejn ġab 8-spare.
Matul ir-rawnd robin finali, l-aqwa tmien kompetituri minn kull kategorija lagħbu seba’ konfronti diretti.
Għalhekk, kull kompetitur kellu jilgħab kontra kull finalist. Nofs it-total tal-pinfall tagħhom waqt l-istadju ta’
kwalifikazzjoni ġie trasferit għal dan l-istadju finali biex b’hekk jiżdiedu fuq il-punteġġ miksub fl-istadju finali
flimkien mal-punti bonus li ingħataw skont ir-riżultat tal-konfront dirett; 20 punt addizzjonali ingħataw lirrebbieħ ta’ kull konfront dirett, filwaqt li 10 punti tqassmu b’mod ugwali fost il-kompetituri li ġabu draw
f’waħda minn dawn il-partiti fil-finali.
Fil-kategorija maskili, Mallia, li bħalissa huwa iċ-champion nazzjonali tal-U12, irnexxielu jżomm l-ewwel post wara
seba’ logħbiet, hekk kif rebaħ 6 minn 7 konfronti diretti.
Mallia wkoll lagħab l-aqwa logħba fl-istadju finali tar-rawnd
robin, fejn kiseb skor scratch impressjonanti ta’ 241.
Għalhekk, Mallia kiseb r-rebħa tiegħu b’distakk qawwi millbqija tal-kompetituri; Travis Barbara, żgħażugħ ieħor li
jilgħab b’żewġ idejn, ikklassifika fit-tieni post, b’235 punt
inqas mit-total finali tar-rebbieħ.
Jade Barbara, ta’ 13-il sena, rebħet l-ewwel unur
individawali tagħha f’dan it-turnew tas-Silver Cup ta’ din issena. Minkejja li kkwalifikat għar-rawnd robin finali fit-tielet post, Barbara ma kinitx fost il-favoriti biex tirbaħ
dan it-turnew hekk kif kellha 17-il punt handicap f’kull logħba. Dan ifisser li kkumparata mal-bqija tal-punteġġi
medji komposti tal-finalisti l-oħra fl-2023, din il-kompetitriċi kienet teknikament is-sitt l-aqwa plejer fil-finali
ta’ tmien kompetituri.
Madankollu, iż-żagħżugħa qalbiena tat prestazzjoni fenominali hekk kif rebħet is-7 konfronti diretti li kellha
fl-istadju finali.
Travis Barbara, li jilgħab b’żewġ idejn, ikklassifika fit-tieni post b’235 punt inqas mit-total finali ta’ Mallia,
filwaqt li Aaron Belli, li jilgħab għall-‘’Malta International Airport’’ fil-League tat-Tieni Diviżjoni tal-BOV,
ikklassifika fit-tielet post. Dan kien l-ewwel turnew ta’ Belli f’dawn l-aħħar seba’ snin, u rnexxielu jitla’ ħames
postijiet fil-klassifika mir-rawnd ta’ kwalifikazzjoni. Travis Barbara, ħu Jade Barbara, r-rebbieħa femminili ta’
dan it-turnew, ukoll irnexxielu jitla’ post fil-klassifika fir-rawnd finali.
Il-podju għall-kategorija tan-nisa ġie komplut mill-bowlers tal-BOV Premier League Sandra Xuereb, li
kklassifikat fit-tieni post, u l-bowler żagħżugħa Kathryn Fenech, li kklassifikat fit-tielet post. Xuereb kienet fissitt post waqt ir-rawnd ta’ kwalifikazzjoni filwaqt li Fenech kienet fl-ewwel post wara l-istess rawnd.
MBA Silver Cup 2023: Youth winners triumph over experienced competitors
The Malta Bowling Association’s Silver Cup – an annual bowling tournament for intermediate players – was won this year by two young youths: 10-year-old Mikhail Mallia was the victor for the male category, while National Sports School student Jade Barbara became this year’s Silver Cup female champion.
Two of the youngest members in the Malta Bowling Association were crowned as the 2023 MBA Silver Cup
champions this past weekend. The Silver Cup is an intermediate level tournament for men and women of all
ages with a composite average not exceeding 170 and 165 respectively.
After six games of qualifying, both eventual winners qualified amongst Top 3 positions; 13-year-old Barbara
qualified for the round robin finals in 3rd place while Mallia finished qualifying in 1st place.
During qualifying, Mallia bowled the best game of the tournament after rolling a 278 scratch game. In this
game, he struck on every shot but one in which he scored an 8-spare.
During the round robin finals, the Top 8 from each category played seven direct encounters – one versus each
other finalist. Half of their total pinfall from qualifying was carried over into this final stage, the scores they
got during these one-on-one matches were added onto that total throughout, and bonus points were given
depending on the result of the direct encounter; 20 additional points were given to the winner of each direct
encounter and 10 points were distributed evenly amongst competitors that drew in one of these finals
matches.
Within the male category, Mallia retained his 1st place position after 7 games. The reigning national U12
champion also bowled the best game of the round robin finals after rolling a great 241 scratch score. Mallia
won 6/7 of his direct encounters and earned this title with some separation from the rest of his competitors;
2nd placed Travis Barbara – another two-handed youth bowler – finished with a total that was 235 points
short of Mallia’s final total.
13-year-old Jade Barbara won her first individual honour by winning this year’s Silver Cup. Despite qualifying
in 3rd place, Barbara was an underdog on paper to win the tournament; Barbara had 17 handicap points per
game throughout this competition, making her just the sixth best player on paper going into the finals
(judging by the finalists composite average since the start of 2023).
However, the young teenager clearly was not fazed as she phenomenally went on to win all 7 of her direct
encounters in the round robin finals – the only competitor in this year’s edition to do so from both gendered
categories.
Two-handed youth Travis Barbara finished a distant 2nd place while BOV 2nd Division bowler for “Malta
International Airport” Aaron Belli finished in 3rd place in his first tournament in more than 7 years. Belli
climbed up after qualifying in 7th place while Travis Barbara – Jade Barbara’s brother – improved from his 3rd
place qualifying spot.
The podium for the female category was rounded out by BOV Premier League bowlers Sandra Xuereb in 2nd
place and youth bowler Kathryn Fenech in 3rd place. Xuereb climbed the ladder from 6th place while Fenech
was the top seed after qualifying before the round robin finals commenced.