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.
