The 2026 Waterpolo Winter League saw a flurry of goals and historic performances across its divisions over the past two days at the Tal-Qroqq National Pool. While Sliema stole the headlines in the Premier Division with a record-breaking victory, the First Division provided nail-biting finishes and individual brilliance.

Sliema’s Historic Rout in the Premier League

In the standout fixture of the Premier Division, Sliema made a powerful statement by crushing Birżebbuġa with a staggering 24–9 final score. This result marks the highest winning margin recorded so far in the 2026 Winter League.

The evening belonged to Jake Cachia, who delivered a legendary performance by netting 8 goals, a single-match record for the current Premier campaign. Sliema’s offensive onslaught was further bolstered by Sam Engerer (5 goals) and Elijah Schembri (4 goals). Despite the heavy defeat, Birżebbuġa saw spirited efforts from Miguel Cassar and Miguel Curmi, who both recorded hat tricks.

Cook Leads M’Xlokk to Second Victory

Action in the First Division was equally compelling, with M’Xlokk maintaining their momentum by defeating Ta’ Xbiex 15–11.

The match was dominated by Alistair Cook, whose clinical finishing resulted in 8 goals for the Xlukkajri. Ta’ Xbiex, a club celebrating its 74th year since its 1952 founding, fought back through Marko Maruinic (5 goals) and Jan Culic (4 goals), but they could not close the gap against a disciplined M’Xlokk side.

Marsaskala Edge Exiles in Final Seconds

The most dramatic encounter of the weekend saw Marsaskala Aquatic narrowly defeat Exiles 11–10 in a First Division thriller. In a game that went down to the final whistle, Marsaskala relied on a stellar 5-goal performance from Matthew Soler to secure the points.

Exiles put up a fierce resistance, with Keith Tant leading their scoring with 3 goals. However, Marsaskala’s resilience—coming off a dominant 20–9 opening-day win against Otters—proved to be the difference as they secured their second consecutive win of the season.

Winter League Results Summary:

• Premier: Sliema 24 – 9 Birżebbuġa
• First Div: M’Xlokk 15 – 11 Ta’ Xbiex
• First Div: Marsaskala 11 – 10 Exiles