VALDA and Trade Mark polo teams got off to a flying start as they recorded wins in their respective opening games of the 2015 Guards Polo Club Carnival tournament in Abuja on Tuesday.
VALDA competing in the low goal category upset the highly-rated Y.B. Farms 4 – 3 1/2 in the first game of the day.
Y.B. Farms were given a 1/2 goal advantage by the umpire before the start of the game to level the handicap difference between both sides.
The first Chukka was keenly contested as Y.B. Farms looked to show their superiority from the start.
However, it was VALDA which drew the first blood through their most experienced player, Khalifa Maitash, to earn a 1-0 lead.
Y.B. Farms came out smoking in the second Chukka as Abdulmalik Badamasi scored two quick goals to put his team ahead.
Thereafter, Abdallah Bappai leveled up, while Tata Ali added a third for the VALDA.
Taking a 3-2 lead into the third chukka, the momentum swung to team VALDA’s side as they added two more goals through the influential Bappai and Maitashi to make it 5-2 at the end of the chukka.
Badamasi grabbed his hat-trick as he scored the only goal in the dying minutes of the fourth and last chukka to make it 5-3 which proved to be a mere consolation for Y.B. Farms.
The second game of the day was a one-sided affair as Trade Mark defeated Blue Alchemy 4 – 21/2 in the medium goal category.
Bashir Dantata was the most outstanding player of the team as he grabbed a hat-trick for Trade Mark, while Nasiru Lukat added a fourth.
After the match, Aliyu Umar of Trade Mark, who doubles as the tournament’s manager, said teamwork and patience were key to their victory.
He said: “Knowing full well that our opponents came into the game with a 1 1/2 goal advantage, we had to be patient as we pressed hard to level the handicap difference.
“Our opponents chose to be more defensive so as to guard their goal advantage but it worked against them at the end of the day.”
Jamilu Umar of Blue Alchemy, who scored the only goal for his team, said his team had a strategy going into the game but they were unfortunate to have lost.
“Our game plan was to play deep and catch them on the counter attack but it didn’t work out for us at the end. We will definitely make up for the loss in our next game,” he said.
The tournament, which kicked off on Tuesday, is expected to end on November 22 (NAN)
