Enhanced playing program, greater preparation time
and a renewed sense of self-belief by
Nigeria polo supremo, Adamu Atta was on display as Fifth Chukker gave Lagos
Centaurs a thumping 15-5 defeat to stretch their global standing and Majekodunmi Cup titles
haul to a new height.
After eleven breathtaking days of international polo
actions in Ikoyi, the polo world will surely now be reliving the magic and the
legacies thrown forth by the just concluded 2017 Lagos polo tournament.
Some of those enduring highlights include the near
clean sweep by Lagos Teams, winning three out of the four major titles at
stake, losing just one to Kano Agad. Agad
defeated Lagos Balmoral 61/2- 4 in the Low Cup final clash to win their first
ever major polo title in Lagos.
Team Agad (Nabil Dantata, Sadiq Dantata, Idris
Badamasi and Malik Badamasi) who were pundits’ outsiders shocked their more experienced
rivals, Lagos Balmoral (Baba Dangote, Isa Kwame and Luqman Adebayo and Kabiru
Seidu) in the tense Low Cup final, giving the long travelling Kano polo
enthusiasts plenty to celebrate for.
By far the biggest show of the tournament belong to
Atta and his 5th Chukkers who carted home
the event’s biggest prize and consolidate their status as the kings of
Lagos polo, having won the international tourney more than any other team in
the last decade.
The final decided before a full crowd that include
Senate President Senator Bukola Saraki, billionaire business mogul Aliko
Dangote, among other dignitaries, saw
Fifth Chukker (Adamu Atta, Babangida Hassan, Manuel Crespo and Santiago
Cernadas) firmly in charge from first chukka to the final sixth, adding the
Italian Ambassador Cup for good measures.
Lagos Centaurs boosting ( Bode Makanjuela, Bashir
Dantata (Jnr.) Leroux Hendriks and Tom De Bruin) has hope to re-enact their
opening game form where they held Fifth Chukkers to a 13-14 standoff, but Ata
and his big Boys were just too hot to handle.
I can't hide my joy. I feel proud of our team spirit
and determination. It was a great moment for us to be able outpaced the highly
motivated Centaurs who were bent on snatching the title at the slightest opportunity,”
Atta pointed out.
The crowded first phase of the tourney that pitted
teams from Kano, Ibadan and a battery of Lagos teams thrilled for six days
intense contests and at the end, it was Bowale Jolaosho’s Leighton Kings and
Sheyi Tinubu/ Lolu Ogoro’s STL 57 that ensured Lagos was on top, wining the
Open Cup and the Silver Cup respectively.
Leighton Kings (Hassan Fayad, Bowale Jolaosho, Santiago
Cernadas and Martin Juaregi) defeated the hard fighting Lagos A-Plus 10 - 6 1/2
to win the Open Cup, while STL 57 dispatched a determined Ibadan Jericho side al
to clinch their first Silver Cup title in the GTB sponsored 2017 Lagos
International Polo Tournament.
The Lagos international fiesta which climax with fanfare
was loaded with plenty of off the field entertainments. Various DJs entertained
guests on daily basis, there was a fashion show and top Nigerian artists like
Olamide ensure that the international polo extravaganza was truly grand.
The tournament is co-sponsored by Bell Oil &
Gas, Veuve Clicquot, Wapic Insurance, Old Mutual, Chapel Hill Denham, Metro
Capital, Arbico, and the Majekodunmi Family among others.
