Neptunes Best Gyms Malta and San Giljan MAA Daikin both registered important victories as the BOV Summer League Premier Division continued with two closely contested fixtures at the National Pool Complex on Saturday.

Neptunes overcame a determined Sirens Build Fitness side 18-14, while San Giljan produced a strong finish to beat Sliema Nexawin 15-10 in the day’s headline clash.

Neptunes hold off Sirens

Neptunes were made to work hard for their victory after Sirens recovered from an early deficit to draw level by half-time.

The winners edged the opening quarter 5-3, but Sirens responded superbly in the second session to level the scores at 9-9 at the interval.

Neptunes regained the initiative after the break, tightening up defensively to outscore Sirens 4-2 in the third quarter and establish a two-goal cushion heading into the final period.

Sirens reduced the deficit to 15-14 during a tense closing quarter, but Neptunes finished strongly with three unanswered goals to secure an 18-14 victory.

Marko Zuvela starred for Neptunes with five goals, while Stevie Camilleri added four and Ivan Nagaev contributed three. Daniel Angyal was Sirens’ standout performer with seven goals, with Gianni Farrugia scoring four.

Quarter scores: 5-3, 4-6, 4-2, 5-3.

San Giljan overcome Sliema

San Giljan MAA Daikin strengthened their position near the top of the standings after seeing off Sliema Nexawin 15-10 in an entertaining encounter.

San Giljan made an excellent start, racing into a 3-1 first-quarter lead before extending their advantage to 8-4 by half-time after dominating the opening two sessions.

Sliema responded impressively after the interval, winning the third quarter 5-3 to cut the deficit to just one goal at 11-10 and set up an exciting finish.

However, San Giljan showed their experience in the final period, shutting out Sliema for the remainder of the match while scoring four unanswered goals to seal a deserved 15-10 victory.

Jerko Marinic-Kragic was once again San Giljan’s driving force, finishing with six goals. Nikolai Zammit added three, while Alec Fenech scored twice.

For Sliema, Jayden Cutajar and Daniel Rizzo each scored three goals, while Dino Zammit contributed two.

Quarter scores: 3-1, 5-3, 3-5, 4-1.