Monday, 24 November 2014

EL-Amin Polo Powers to 11th Georgian Cup Title








The prestigious Kaduna international polo tournament came to a flourishing climax recently, with defending champions, EL-Amin defeating three tough oppositions to win their 11th Georgian Cup title.
The high profile tournament that attracted a record forty five teams, lived up to its highly revered tradition of cutting edge competition, high-scoring matches, fantastic goals and an outpouring of emotions.
A genuine competitiveness throughout with drama and excitement in equal measures, the Kaduna 2014 was a polo grand slam that refused to become predictable, even if the final standings suggested otherwise.
With the great and a surging crowd watching on at a packed legendary Murtala Mohammed Polo Ground, Nigeria’s polo kings, EL-Amin successfully defended the Georgian Cup title they won for the tenth times last year, defeating former winners, Abuja Rubicon on a balmy November evening in Nigeria.
 In doing so, they became only Nigerian high-goal polo organization in the over a century history of the noble game in the country, to win the one of the biggest and the most revered polo cup in Africa, a record eleven times.
To the delight of a 10,000-strong capacity crowd that included the eight first class emirs, hosts governor, Ramalan Yero, members of National Assembly, diplomats and the thousands of polo buffs, EL-Amin, overcame a 1-4 trailing to dominate their Rubicon opponents and win 11-6, after doling out three handicap goals to the Abuja side, to clinch their eleventh Georgian title
The quartet of Belo Buba, Ibrahim Mohammed, Mohammad Babangida and Patricio Cieza had earlier seen off Katsina Kangiwa14-9 and hard fighting local rivals, Kaduna Trappco 7-5 in a quintessential campaign to extend their unbeaten run in the Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF) high-goal circuit to eight solid years.
The opening match of the Georgian Cup between EL-Amin and Kangiwa set the tone for the rest of the tournament that attracted a record 45 teams from all the major polo clubs across the region.
Kangiwa, containing a sprinkling of big names including their Argentine professional, Fernando Bourdieu, were many neutrals' favourites to challenge, but the title holders who have mastered the tricks of the Georgian Cup high stakes, came from 1-5 down to triumph 14-9 and get their campaign off to a winning start.
The final match was a thrilling encounter between host Kaduna and Abuja. Victory was definitely within the Rubicon’s grasp after they had taken the title in 2012, but EL-Amin produced an inspired performance to mark their 19th anniversary full of pride and guts, with a thumping a victory.
The lead did not change hands until the third chukka of the explosive clash, but EL-Amin, who tackled like men possessed, erupted from three goals down to snatched a deserving victory with their trademark display to the delight of the surging crowd.
That statement and record achievement, though, doesn’t tell the whole story of Nigeria’s polo kings, masters of the Georgian Cup and the most consistent high-goal polo in Africa, which have played together for 20 years come 2015.
A peep into their loaded titles shelf leaves millions of polo buffs across the world in awe, as they stand out as the only Nigerian team in the 300 years old history of Georgian Cup, to have won the silver ware eleven times.