The sprawling city of Ibadan in the ancient Oyo
kingdom, celebrated one of its grandest moments, hosting the prestigious
MTN/Ibadan’2014 Polo Tournament, which came to colourful climax last weekend.
Expectedly, Ibadan’2014 rumble that further
highlighted the Home Based Super Eagles performance at the GHAN’2014, pitched
teams from three major polo clubs across the country and after an exciting week
of intensive campaign, the titles were lopsidedly shared between Kano and host
Ibadan.
Lagos that puts up a scanty participation were left
without any title to show for their effort, while Kano who arrived the Ibadan
capital city with a record seven teams, continue their Ibadan domination, smiling
home with two out of the three major titles at stake.
The Bompai based polo kings who have dictated the
MTN sponsored festival for four years now, produced the winners in the event’s
biggest prize, the Ibadan Cup, the second most wanted Ibadan polo title, Rotimi
Cup and finished Runners-up in the Ade Alakija Cup respectively.
Former champions, Kano Titans who were tipped to
reclaim the Ibadan Cup title they lost to a resurgent Ibadan Dream Team last
year, did not disappoint as they triumph over the ambitious Lagos Shoreline in
a marathon final that was decided over two days of intense battle.
The Tajudeen Dantata powered Kano Titans playing in
their handy local ponies, fought the battle of their lives as they out paced
Tunde Karim’s Lagos Shoreline to clinch the event’s biggest prize, the Ibadan
Cup presented in the early 1930s by Colonel R. Petit of the 9th Lancer of the
then British colonial masters.
Titans parading Tajudeen Dantata, Halifa Ibrahim,
Jamilu Umar and Ibrahim Abdu, Titan defeated the re-enforced Lagos Shoreline
boosting Tunde Karim, Abdulraman Mohammed, Lance Watson and Ahmadu Umar, 9-8 in
an historic Ibadan Cup final that took two Sudden Death chukkas to separate the
winners.
The eight-goal Kano Titans who started out as clear
outsiders, no thanks to their gapping low horse power against their Lagos
opponents who came complete with crack Argentine horses. They threw everything
at their Shoreline opponents boosting a South Africa professional, Lance
Watson, thanks to their sheer determination and guts.
The Dantata Boys who drew the first two ties, 5-5
and 8-8 respectively, prevail with a sudden death goal from Ibrahim Abdu who
feasted on Lance Watson’s inexplicable mistake to clinch the winner, 9-8.
“We were
completely ignored as jokers because lost last year and nobody gave us a chance
to win,” declared the elated Titan captain, Khalifa Ibrahim.
The Lagos who lost the Shoreline to their Kano
rivals, had hope to use the victory in Ibadan as a spring board in their
campaign for the forthcoming Lagos international fiesta billed blast off next
week. But in a fluid game like polo where every mistake counts, Lances’ mistake
from the back line was indeed very costly.
Last year, we could only managed a runners-up finish
in one of the major prizes, but this year we are celebrating because winning
the biggest title in a fiercely contested tournament like this, is not easy and
we are so proud of our players for giving us this important result, added Kano
Polo Vice Captain, Farouk Ibrahim.
That was how far the luck of Ibadan and Lagos could
go, as Kano turns the annual event into a local derby of some sort clinching
two big major titles and a handful of individual award to boot. Engineer Sani
Umar who missed the victory podium by the whiskers on account of goal
difference, make it counts this year, as his Kano Susplan ran out the Rotimi
Cup winners, just as Babaduna Kaloma lifted the Ada Alakija Cup with Kano
Suhel/Huawe side, his first major polo title in Ibadan.
At the end of the all- Kano finals, Susplan parading
Sani Umar, Suyudi Abdulahi, Jamilu Umar and Ibrahim Abdul edged their Kano DMS
boasting Tata Ali, Baccha Mustapha, Ado Ismail and their evergreen chairman,
Bashir Dantata, 51/2-1 in the fiercely fought final that was not reflected on
the scoreboard.
In contrast, Kano Suhel/Huawe featuring Yusif
Danmasani, Babaduna Kaloma, Gambo Usman and Bashir Musa were lucky to survive a
late surge from the quartet of Yakubu Nakudu, Sadik Wali Murtala Aliyu and Ado
Ismail in Kano Last chukker colours in the Ade Alakija Cup final.
The hard
fighting Last Chukker who left it too late, scored three un-replied field goals
in the tense last chukka, but was unlucky to lose 4-41/2 to Suhel who hauled
early field goals in the first two chukkas, and cling to the narrowest of
victory.
“Kano teams
have been consistently pushing for all the main prizes on offer in Ibadan for
many years now and we are not surprise at this year’s result because we are a
committed and disciplined players which makes it difficult for our opponents to
beat us,” declared Bashir Dantata who led the Kano contingent.
“This was a very successful outing for us. Wining
two of the three major cups and finishing runners-up in three, is not an easy
achievement considering the fact that we were playing against the best polo
clubs in the country,” added Dantata who pivoted Kano DMS to Rotimi Cup
runners-up finish.
"We are heading for the Lagos tournament with
the right frame of mind. Anybody who stands on our way in any of the cups we
would campaign for, would pay dearly for it," the Kano Polo Chairman, who
picked the Majekodunmi and the Open cups Cup as his main targets enthused.
Apart from carting home the prestigious prizes at
stake, Jamuli Umar and Ibrahim Abdu, bothn from Kano also won outstanding indivual
prizes. Umar was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the MTN/ Ibadan’2013 polo
tournament, while Abdu was rewarded for scoring the Best Goal of the Tournament
with his flying neck shot from 60 yards out.
In then last game of the tournament, MTN team playing
their first final in Ibadan, defeated Lagos Shoreline 6-4 to win the Shoreline
Cup, while Omoluabi squad was out paced by Spider Café 6-3 to win the debuting
Oranmiyan Cup.
Ibadan captain, Owoeye who described the event as
one of the most exciting Ibadan tournaments in years, hailed all the visiting
players and the teeming polo enthusiasts for making the glamorous fiesta such a
huge success.
“We are
particularly indebted to our main Sponsors, MTN and our numerous sponsors like
Diamond Bank, Lead City Group, Nigerian Brewery Plc, Investment One and the
Nigerian Foundries Ltd., among others, for their unflinching support which
ensures the successful hosting of this international polo tournament,” Owoeye
added.
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