Maltese Players Compete in Xball and 10-Man at the 2022 NXL European Championships

Maltese players competed in two formats at the 2022 NXL European Championships at Ace Paintball in Dreux, France, from 15 to 18 September.

HBI Malta entered Division 3 Xball, while Chris Cioffi also competed with HBI in Sunday’s Open 10-Man tournament.

A challenging Xball campaign

HBI Malta joined a field of 32 teams in Division 3, facing United Strasbourg, ENERGY, Consilium Dei Zuerich and Trash Pandas in the preliminary stage.

All four matches ended in 0 to 4 defeats, leaving HBI Malta without a win or a scored point. The team finished 32nd and did not advance to the knockout rounds.

Their opponents included eventual runners-up United Strasbourg and fourth-placed Trash Pandas. It was a difficult campaign that demonstrated the standard required to compete in European Division 3.

Chris Cioffi joins HBI for Sunday’s 10-man competition

Chris also took to the field with HBI in the Open 10-Man division on Sunday 18 September.

HBI recorded victories against Hafuba 10-man, ASSALA LEGENDE 10MEN and arctics army. They also received a win by forfeit against KAOTIKS.

The team lost to Royal Lions Dreux and LOUSTIK RISING, as well as losing their other encounters with ASSALA LEGENDE 10MEN and arctics army.

That gave HBI three played victories, one forfeit win and four defeats across eight scheduled preliminary fixtures. They finished sixth out of seven teams and did not qualify for the semi-finals.

Maltese participation across two formats

The weekend brought contrasting results for Malta’s players. HBI Malta faced a tough Xball campaign, while Chris’s participation with HBI included three victories on the field in the 10-man competition.

Taking part in both formats added to the Maltese presence at the championships and gave our players experience against a range of international opponents.

Thank you to the players, their teammates and everyone who helped make the trip to Dreux possible.