Batumi took all three points from Lelo Tbilisi on Sunday afternoon in the Didi 10, winning 20-19 at home. It was a tight contest from the first whistle, with neither side able to pull clear for long spells. The visitors ended on top despite being second-tier in the standings going into the fixture.
Lelo Tbilisi sat third in the table with two wins and eight points, while Batumi were eighth with one victory and a loss. The hosts came in with momentum, having beaten Цикара 26-23 and Хвамли Тбилиси 31-19 in their previous outings. Batumi's run was less consistent — a 31-17 win over АИА Кутаиси followed by a 40-28 defeat to Вепхвеби.
Here's the thing: we had picked Batumi to win this one, confidence sitting at 67 per cent. And it came off. Not that the margin was comfortable, and not that the game was ever comfortable. But the away side held their nerve when it mattered.
By then the pattern was clear — Lelo pushed hard, Batumi responded with discipline. The final scoreline suggests a game decided in the closing moments, though without minute-by-minute data the exact turning point remains opaque. What's not opaque is that Batumi kept knocking on the door and found the back of the net when it counted.
The result leaves Lelo Tbilisi on eight points from two matches, still top of their mini-section. Batumi move up to six points with a win and a loss, closing the gap on the sides above them.
