Niger Delta’2014 Unity Polo: Abuja, PH, Katsina Show Class

The Niger Delta Polo Tournament that holds annually in Port Harcourt plays a major role in the sport’s calendar of the ancient city and the 2014 edition did not only lived up to highly revered tradition, it was truly spectacular.

The grandiose polo festival which offers a whole week of passionate and fast paced display of skills and horsemanship showcased by the ambitious, high, medium and low-goal teams left in its roaring trail many memorable legacies that would continue to captivate polo buffs across the world for a long time.

 As the biggest sporting festival in the oil rich Niger Deltas region of the country, the Unity polo fiesta lived up to its cutting edge competition, thrills and excitements, with Abuja, Katsina and host Port Harcourt carting home top honours.

 After eight days of bumper-to bumper polo actions pitching 28 top teams from across the country with all the big names in the noble game of kings, Abuja Guard Rubicon gave their teeming fans plenty to celebrate, wining the event’s biggest laurel, the General Hassan Katsina Cup.

The Senator Hadi Sirika powered Rubicon parading Malik Badamasi Jamilu Mohammed and their skipper, Musty Junaid outpaced Kaduna Kakuri in a three game contest as they romp top their third back- to-back victory and their fourth General Hassan Cup title in six years.

The Baba Kyari powered Kakuri were on the verge of creating the biggest upset of the event, after coming from behind to  defeat Rubicon 5-3 in their second game, dose setting the stage for the much anticipated make or mar tie breaker.

Rubicon, who escaped through the back door in the second game, had to dig deep into their wealth of experience to edge battle weary Kakuri who were overwhelmed by the superior horse power of Rubicon, with Malik scoring five goals in the tense finale that emend 7-1 in favour of the Abuja warriors.

Katsina contingent who carted home the President Cup last year, maintain pre-tournament rating as Suleiman Shema’s Katsina Sultana Farm turned back three other arch rivals, to keep the President Cup title for the second year running.

Port Harcourt Chilkied team boosting   Polo Club President, Anthony Isodje, Nigeria’s top rated Bello Buba, Polo Captain, Ahmed Shahimi and Hussaini Ahmadu, finished runners-up in the medium- goal President Cup race.

“Let me join my teammates in thanking our sponsors and superb support we got from the teeming polo enthusiasts who are always there for us throughout our games. It is with this acknowledgement that we dedicate the Governors Cup to our numerous fans across the country,” Isodje declares.

That moral boosting performance by Isodje and company was the tonic Port Harcourt teams needed, as they turned the Unity polo fiesta on its head, sweeping three more titles to emerged the overall champions of the prestigious polo carnival.

 It all started with Chapp-Jumbo who led his Beginners squad to win the Roland Cookey-Gam Cup, before Nasiru Danu’s powered Port Harcourt HND InterBiz team defeated, Bauchi Nadabo in a nerve wrecking finals, to add the T.Y. Danjuma Cup and sent the teeming home crowd to wild celebration.

With two major titles already in their kitty, host Port Harcourt were in no mood to take prisoners, as Bob Manuel Construction mounted by their immediate past President, Ibifiri Bob Manuel flew past hot favourites, Kaduna OHO to land their first  Governor’s Cup title.

Abuja based Udeme Etim and Dahiru Bagiwa also wrote their names in gold after leading their teams to win the coveted Rivers Cup and Crushed Rock cups respectively. Etim’s M. Saleh team defeated white washed Novotel 5-0 to win the Rivers Cup; just PH Mikano came out the winners in the tussle for the Total Cup.

The Tournament Chairman, Alhaji Tanko Ayuba who powered Port Hacourt InterBiz to victory, congratulated the various winners and urged the losers to correct their mistakes and come back fully prepared next year for victories. He thanks the NPF and the numerous sponsors for supporting the Niger Delta Polo tournament whose home since inception, has been in the Garden City.

The Nigeria Polo Federation (NPF) President, Francis Ogboro who presided over the international polo festival that received a big thumps up from FIP, was full of praises for the players for showcasing their awesome talents in a most friendly atmosphere.

 “The fact that tourists from abroad and polo enthusiasts from other parts of the country attend this festival annually; attest to the immense tourism and social values of the exciting game of polo, in the oil rich region and Nigeria,” he noted with pride.