The Malta Snooker Academy hosted another intense night of competition on Thursday, 19th February 2026, as players across four divisions faced off in the latest round of the National Snooker Championships.

Peplow Dominates in Premier League

In the night’s headline fixture of the CE Installations Premier League, Chris Peplow continued his strong 2025/26 campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Philip Ciantar. Peplow’s consistent scoring proved too much for Ciantar, solidifying Peplow’s position at the top end of the elite standings.

Clinical Displays in Lower Divisions

The lower divisions were defined by clinical “whitewashes” as several players failed to drop a single frame:

• Second Division: Kevin Vella secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Matthew Pace.
• Third Division: Patrick Atkins mirrored that success, defeating Gabriel Farrugia 3-0.

Masters Division: A Five-Frame Thriller

The Masters category provided the most dramatic clash of the evening. Louis Thompson narrowly edged out Peter Pace in a 3-2 thriller that went down to the final frame. In the same category, Manuel Cachia claimed a 3-0 victory via walkover (w/o) after Julian Balla was unable to compete.

All matches were held under the jurisdiction of the Malta Billiards and Snooker Association (MBSA) at the national academy.