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.

They are the only team to give out up to six goals handicap difference and still win the match, thus confirming their legendary status in the game of kings in Nigeria. To date, EL-Amin remains the first African and Nigerian team to participate in the Gold Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

They are the only team to contribute three players, top rated Bello Buba, Ibrahim Mohammed and Mohammad Babangida to the National team at the Polo World Cup playoff in Malaysia.

EL-Amin pride themselves as the first to have won all the high-goal titles severally, Majekodunmi in Lagos, Emir of Kano in Kano, Nigerian Cup in Katsina, General Hassan Cup in Port Harcourt and IBB Cup in Minna in just their first ten years together.

  The Team of the Decade award winners is  indebted to their relentless chemistry which last week fetched them the Georgian crown, the Argentine Ambassador’s Cup, and the Sardauna Cup in a triple crown performance.

While Chief predator, Bello Buba became the first Nigerian player to win the Georgian title a record 15 times, Babangida who has won the Georgian title twelve times, added the Emir of Katsina cup to his bagful of honours.

“I dedicate this victory to my dad who has been the inspiration of the pillar of the team since inception in 1985. We thank the Almighty Allah for his mercies and out teeming fans for their support,” declared Babangida.

The Captain of the Nigerian National Polo team, who picked his maiden Georgian Cup victory in 1999 as the most memorable and the 2014 as the toughest campaign, adds “We hope to keep this squad together and make them a force to reckon with in the future.”

“This is the beginning of new journey for us and we are proud to set the record on home soil, where it all began in 1999 when the EL-Amin first won the Georgian Cup,” highest rank Bello Buba pointed out.

"On behalf of the Nigerian Polo Federation, I would like to congratulate EL-Amin for his historic achievement. This is another victory and a record they thoroughly deserved in a tough and highly competitive Nigerian polo scene, “said NPF President, Francis Ogboro.