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| Adamu Attah with GTbank MD, Segun Agbaje. |
photo credential: Klearpics
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| Millionaie Business, Aliko Dangote flanked by 5th chukka team. |
The sprawling city of Lagos once again, lived up to its
billings as mammoth crowd enveloped the Lagos Polo club, Ikoyi as the 2016 NPA
Lagos international polo tournament was consummated on Sunday, 21st February, 2014 after two weeks of exciting polo actions. It
would be recalled that, the 2015 edition went moribund due to turnaround
maintenances on the Ikoyi facility. However, the polo club resumed for action
as Lagos socialites thronged into the Ikoyi facility to witness the 2016
edition of the tournament which was staged into 2 phase.
The first week of the tour saw polo teams from Lagos,
Kaduna, Kano and nearby neighbour, Ibadan, all vying for Oba of Lagos cup,
Dansa cup and Lagos open cup respectively.
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| Adamu Attah with Vauve Cliquot representative |
The first stage of the 11-day tourney produced Kola Karim
led shoreline as double champions as they clinged the Open Cup and Oba of Lagos
Cup after beating Lagos Caverton and Lagos Ashbert respectively. In the Dansa
Cup category, which produce fierce challenges, Lagos SAO Polo emerged the winner
as they beat Lagos STL 5-41/2 in the finals. Ibadan Megamound and Lagos Ark
Polo also win the Dansa and Open Subsidiary finals of the dual phase tournament
sponsored mainly by GTBank and MTN.
The second phase which was the conclusive stage of the tourney came to an exciting end with
Lagos Fifth Chukker winning the prestigious Majekodunmi Cup following a 15-7
victory over Lagos Ironclad/Trojan.
The day's
other title clash in the 11-day tournament, mainly sonsored by MTN and GTBank,
saw Lagos Aerovote defeated Lagos Zippy 5-3 to emerge champions of the Low Cup.
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| GTBank MD, Presenting an award |
The Majek
Cup played before a full crowd that include Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan
Ali, billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote, GTBank Managing Director, Segun
Agbaje, among other dignitaries, saw Fifth Chukker (Adamu Atta, Babao Lawal,
Manuel Crespo and Julio Nolito) opening the score through Crespo and he doubled
the lead with a 10 yarder to close the chukka.
The second chukka was identical to the initial as a combination of poor
finishing and desperate defending prevented further goals but it was Crespo, an
eight goaler, again, who scored the games next two goals for a 4-0 lead.
Eduardo Menendez got Ironclad (completed by Tobi Edun, Kunle Tinubu and Frankie
Menendez) off the mark with a 40 yarder right at the start of the third chukka
but Crespo responded with another goal for a 5-1 lead. It was soon 6-1 as
Crespo who was later named the MVP for the Majek Cup, scored a reverse shot to
punish an uncleared ball by Ironclad.
Eduardo
scored to make the score 6-2 but Crespo was on hand to make it 8-2 with two
more goals and it was 8-3 by the end of the fourth chukka as Eduardo scored a
goal to keep his team on the game. The scoreline was 10-5 as Crespo and Eduardo
and Tinubu scored in the fifth chukker. The last chukka witnessed more
fireworks from Crespo, who spearheaded a magnificent display for a 15-7 triumph
for Fifth Chukker.
With all the players fired up for glory, it was equally a great battle in the
Low Cup between Aerovote and Zippy.
Yerima Yusuf
almost scored inside the opening 10 seconds but his long shot was cleared as
Zippy held on to their two-goal handicap advantage.
With no
field goal recorded in the opening chukka, the second chukka got off lively
with Leroux Hendriks scoring to extend Zippy's lead but Martin Juaregi hits
back for Aerovote taking the scores to 3-1.
Amodu Umar
finished a team play to reduce the deficit before Juaregi puts the ball over
the line but the goal was not given due to an infringement on the line by the
Argentine four-goaler.
Umar tied
the match picking a long grounded pass from Juaregi and the match was
delicately poise into the final chukka.
Juaregi,
named MVP of the Low Cup, scored to keep Aerovote's nose in front for the first
time in the match and he was on hand to widen the advantage for a 5-3 final
score.
The first
game of the day saw Team A (Tade Oyinlola, Adamu Yaro, Kenny and Ade Laoye -
substituted by Lolu Agoro) beat Team B ( Muyiwa Shonubi, Seyi Oyinlola, Femi
Oladele and Jamilu Umar) 4-3 for the Chagouri Bowl exhibition game sponsored by
IHS.
The cup
sponsors are Union Bank, Chapelhill Denhams, IHS, Arbico and Dansa.
The two-stage
tournament was co sponsored by Interswitch, CS Clobal Partners, Eko Atlantic,
Old Mutual, Samsung, Southern Sun, Veuve Cliquot, W8 Advisory, Lagos State
Government, Pepsi, Brand Communication and Blowfish. Ebony TV and Hello
Magazine are the media sponsors.
The complete story will be available in the fifth edition of
poloplus magazine come April, 2016.
