The Sportivi Nazzjonali Contest finals were held yesterday evening in a hotel in Sliema. The game of Pool was represented in two categories with the Mens National Team in the Team of the Year Contest and Clayton Attard in the Sportsman of the Year Contest.

Both representatives ended up empty handed and did not even place in the first three places from the five finalists in every category.

During 2008 the Mens National Team won the European Pool Championships and were only beaten in the semi finals of the World Pool Championships.  Both events saw the participation of world's top professional pool players and no one could have argued that the events were of a low standard or amateurish.  On the other hand Clayton Attard won the Best Player Award in the same World Pool Championships.

Albeit these impressive results once again the game of Pool was forgotten and not honored for top marks achieved during the year. Votes were cast by local sports journalists members of  the Association of Sports Journalists. 

The association also states that Lyden Debono, finalist in the Juniors Singles Event in the European Pool Championships in 2008, was not even honored a place in the final five contestants in Under 17 category contest.