FIRE CRACKERS CLAIMED SANTA GOLD CUP 2011.

SANTA GOLD CUP.

The Lagos Polo SANTA GOLD CUP 2011 came to an end yesterday with fire crackers finished as winners. The Osaro Giwa( aka Os Go) led fire crackers defeated Mustie led Mistle toes 4-3 to win the second edition of the santa gold cup.

How they qualified.
It was a day tournament which featured six teams. Fire crackers, Super Sleighs, Antlers, Seasons Reasons, Reindeers and Mistle toes.

Fire crackers defeated super sleighs in the opening match, Antlers beat Season reason 4-2 in the second match while Reindeers lost 3-5 to Mistle Toes.

L-R: Lagos Polo Club President (Dolapo Akerele SAN) & Lagos Polo Tournament Mgr (Mr. Ayo Olasoju)

Teams with the highest number of goals automatically qualified for final. After checks and balances, fire crackers lead the score table with 6 goals followered by runner up Mistle toes with 5 goals.

The final between fire crackers and mistle toe ended 4-3 in favour of fire crackers. It was a two chukker match filled with extra-ordinary maneuvers, coordinated passes , good horse control and fireworks shots from both teams.

LAGOS POLO ORGANISES SANTA CUP SECOND EDITION.

The second edition of Santa Cup will come up on the 26th December 2011 @ Lagos Polo Club, Ribadu Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos. It would be recalled Super Sleighs emerged the winners of the maiden Santa Gold Cup 2010 of the Lagos Polo Club. The Adamu Yaro inspired team galloped to a 2-1 victory over Mistle Toes to claim the Boxing Day tournament that drew the cream of polo aficionados. Organised and hosted by club's management committee, the Santa Cup that pitted four equally matched teams comprising an exciting mix of established names and upcoming players, was the highlight of the club's Boxing Day celebration.

Appropriate Team names and playing times shall be drawn on December 24th 2011.

POLOPLUS MAGAZINE- The birth of a new era.

Revolution in the area of Polo Journalism is imminent as an American Media Organization with Branch Office in Nigeria is set to Capture Polo Actions in Nigeria and other parts of the world, and have them produced in Print and Video formats.

Polo writers in Nigeria will join hands with the Organization to provide the much needed frame work to actualise the project which will take place early next year.

MARON CLAIMED 2011 CAPTAIN'S CUP.

The tussle for Lagos polo Mini Tournament Captain's Cup came to a dramatic end yesterday as Tavia lost gallantly to the Maron team.

L-R : OSAMA DEPP, MUSTAPHA FASHINRO & ALI

Lack of team work on the part of Tavia team led to their defeat. This was clearly noticed by spectators who gave their support to Tavia. It was a match Tavia could have possibly won if they had coordinated themselves from the beginning of the Match.

THE EXOTIC TROPHIES.

MARON & TAVIA IN SET IS ALH. T.J DANTATA & DAMIEL DUNCAN.

They were not coordinated and lost touch with the tempo of the match during the first, second and the third chukkers. They came back from behind but couldn't level the scoreline at the end of the fifth and the final chukker.

So far, the match was rated tough and uneasy win for Maron.

TAVIA BATTLES MARON FOR CAPTAIN'S CUP.

The battle for the prestigious Lagos Polo Captain's Cup comes to an end today as Tavia will clash Mallet with Maron. Both teams qualified for final yesterday in the semi-final ouster.
Tavia walloped Smooth FM 3 goals aggregate to 1 and Maron sent Ecad packing with 6 goals to 4.

The two weekends Mini tournament has been very explosive. The Captain's Cup Mini tourney paraded most of Lagos Polo Patrons and invited polo players from Ibadan polo club.

Guests were thrilled with classic polo manoeuvring and a warm evening of melodious music.

Sponsors of the 2011 Captain's Cup Finals are Tavia Technologies, Caverton, Maron, Delaney, MRS amongst others.

CAPTAINS CUP

The Lagos Polo Club Captain's Cup Mini Tournament is on.

LAGOS POLO MINI TOURNAMENT.

The Candido da Rocha Memorial Cup

The“Candido da Rocha Memorial Cup” was donated by Dr.Oladele da Rocha Afodu an ex-Oxford University and ex-Cambridge University Polo player. He is the first and still the only African polo player to have played in either or both University teams.
Dr. da Rocha Afodu’s maternal grandfather was the late
Candido da Rocha, born in Bahia, Brazil on October 3, 1867 to
Joao Esan da Rocha and Louisa Angelica da Rocha. Joao was of
Ilesha (Yorubaland) extractions.
Candido attended CMS Grammar School, Lagos and became
“Head Boy” in his final year at the school. Candido da Rocha
was a highly respected and very wealthy merchant and
financier in Lagos. He had a great passion for horses and
founded the Lagos Racing Club in 1891. He owned a horse
named “Vampa”, that won all racing distances. Vampa was a
male horse and his most memorable win was the Lagos Cup,
presented by the Honorable Humelever, the son of Lord
Leverhume, proprietor of UAC on his visit to Lagos in 1921.
Candido da Rocha died in 1959. At the time of death, he had
twenty descendants, however only Dr. Oladele da Rocha Afodu
developed an interest in horses.
Sometime in the mid 1970’s, Dr. da Rocha Afodu presented the
Candido da Rocha Memorial Cup for competition, to be played
between the Lagos Polo Club (where he has been a member
since 1958) and the Ibadan Polo Club (where he had been a
member between 1960 and 1962, when he practiced as a
Doctor to the University College Hospital, Ibadan). He has been
the most senior Nigerian polo player of the Lagos Polo Club and
he is also the first Nigerian polo player from the whole of
Southern Nigeria

FLASH BACK-MTN KANO INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Sunday, 19 June 2011

H.HAGO SHINES,KANO SHAKES AS 5TH CHUKKA AND LINETRALE CLASH.

The jostling over the MRS CUP came to and end yesterday in this year's edition of MTN Kano international tournament.H.hago won the cup by defeating Dantek.
In the Dantata cup category,Titans II sent YY Talba packing with 1/2 goal victory.It was a very tough match which ended 9 1/2 - 8 in favor of Titans II. Also, Goodfellows walloped Agad 11 goals-4 goals in the Dantata cup qualifier.Goodfellows paraded Bashir Dantata jnr.,Juan Roman,Abdulrahaman Muhammed and Tobi Edun while Agad paraded Glory Mbano,Adamu Yaro,Mumuni Musa and Ali Barjawi.

The high point of the day is the Emir of Kano Cup Match between 5th Chukka/AMG and Linetrale/Trafigura.Both teams have been rivals from time and have been defeating each other in various honours.
5th Chakka/Amg paraded top players like long-stroke meastro Babaginda Hassan,Murtala Mohammed,Argentine Internatioanl Ezekiel Martinez and another Argentine International Diego White.
Linetrale/Trafigura paraded Mustapha Fashinro,Dmien Duncan,Argentine International Mercello Pascal and Argentine International Pablo Geneti.
Two goals was awarded to Linetrale/Trafigura before role in,at the end of the second chukka,both teams had 3 goals each.The goals were in equal measure untill the 6th chakka when 5th chukka took the lead.
At the end of the last chakka,Fifth Ckukka won 8 goals to 7.
 Dignataries that watched the match were the Former President of Nigeria Polo Federation,Alh.Lawan Kaita,The President of Lagos Polo Club,Dr.Adedolapo Akinrele(SAN),The Patron of Fifth Chukka,Adamu Attah,The Marketting Manager MTN Nigera,Miss.Emamoke Ogoro amongst others.

QUEENS CUP

Richard Mille and Talandracas won their place in the semifinals of the Queens Cup

Richard Mille     9              -              7              La Bamba De Areco

Despite the rain and cloudy conditions, this was one of the best matches to be seen at Guards Polo Club for many a year. There was not one member of the team that did not pull their weight and both patrons – Richard Mille’s Prince Jefri and La Bamba’s Jean-Francois Decaux – were as impressive as the higher handicapped players on the field. There was nothing to call between either team in the first two chukkas and even at half –time, with the scores reading 4-3 to Richard Mille, thanks to some excellent play from 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough, who had scored all of Richard Mille’s goals at this stage, most punters felt that this game could still go either way.

Several flashes of brilliance from Facundo Pieres – including some wonderful ball control that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Federer/Nadal match at Roland Garros - kept La Bamba’s hopes alive in the second half. Meanwhile, some outstanding play from Alejandro Muzzio of Richard Mille also earned plenty of applause and kept the spectators  glued to their seats, ignoring the increasing rain showers. Richard Mille still had their advantage after four chukkas – 5-4 – but La Bamba went ahead in the fifth, thanks to goals from Decaux and Facundo Pieres.

So to the sixth chukka and a scoreboard saying 7-6  to La Bamba. An extra chukka seemed likely though, especially as some , some fast flowing play from the Pieres boys failed to convert to goals for La Bamba. Meanwhile, Muzzio found the equalizer and his team-mate  Max Routledge – last year’s HPA Young Player of the Year – then produced an outstanding goal to give Richard Mille the advantage once more. Muzzio then scored again to ensure that it was his team which took the ticket through to the semi-final.  

Talandracas        14           -              13           Dubai

This was a vocal, but exciting match, played at Zacara’s private ground. These two teams had played against each other last Sunday in their Queen’s Cup league match and Talandracas had been most impressive, winning that encounter 11-10. However they were 3-2 down at the end of this first chukka, and only got themselves back into this game thanks to some great goals from Facundo Sola, an new face to English high-goal but one we shall definitely be watching in the future. Lucas Criado and Adolfo Cambiaso had both scored for Dubai, but Rashid Albwardy’s team were 7-6 down at half-time.

Cambiaso scored two more in the fourth and this looked like the pivotal chukka of the match as Talandracas failed to score at all. Edouard Carmignac’s team kept their cool and their teamwork though – thanks to the experience of their captain, Milo Fernandez Araujo. Carmignac’s team responded with three goals in the fifth, to only two in reply from Dubai to level the score at 10-all going into the final chukka. Cambiaso showed why he is always to be feared on the big occasion – scoring three goals for Dubai – but Sola played even better, scoring four times for Talandracas, thus ensuring them a place in Wednesday’s semi-finals.   

Wednesday 8 June - Harcourt Developments Queen’s Cup Semi-Finals 2011

3pm       Enigma v 1870. The winner will receive the DeWitt Trophy.

5pm       Talandracas v Richard Mille. The winner will receive the Hubert Perrodo Trophy.

Both these matches will be played at Guards Polo Club.

ALL ASIA CUP 2011

FIT-FLOP FOREPLAY

FIT-FLOP FOREPLAY - The tension is building on the side of the field at SIAM POLO PARK as teams from Moscow and Ham Polo have arrived to check out the horses and the competition. It is evident that we have some real talent to bear at this year's INTERNATIONAL CLUB SERIES. The Russians are playing as a team for the first time in Thailand with Egor, Pavel and Evgeniy from the Moscow polo club. They have arrived with their chief gaucho Hernan Traverso who has been in Moscow for 6 years now. Hernan was immediately recruited into La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos and he was blushing with pride at the honor bestowed upon him. On the other side of the field, we saw Khun Ploy training hard with two of her teammates. Aviation enthusiast Affi Ashraf has been playing for 4-5 years at Ham, and in his beaming red helmet, it is certain that he will be a force to contend with on the field. Also gracing the Ham team is veteran polo legend Ba Pataudi who will be celebrating his 59th birthday in July. Ba plays in India and in Pakistan, and this is not an easy thing to do. Ba was telling us that there are 3 all important things in India -- Religion, Cricket, and Bollywood. Ba's brother, General Isfaniyar Pataudi, is the Head of the Pakistan Polo Association. Ba has been playing at Ham Polo Club for 25 years, and he is an Honorary Member of the Genghis Khan Polo Club in Karokorum, Mongolia. Ba's father was the High Commissioner to Malaysia for 5 years and also served as Captain to the Selangar Polo Club team which at that time was located exactly where the Petronas Twin Towers are standing today. His father was playing of 5 goals at age 55 years of age. Ba is looking forward to attend the Finals of the polo this 25 June at Royal Selangar.
THURSDAY - An exciting first match with Ham clinging onto a 1/2 goal lead in the final chukka until young Ba streaked down the field and claimed victory for Ham. The Russians played extremely well as a team. Hernan blinded all competition with the bright pink bandages on his polo boots. Egor was explosive in the front and Pavel was in charge of equestrian acrobatics as he managed to stay aboard amidst a most outreaching display. Bangkok VR team had a challenging game with Singapore as the Paisano Andrada played a very solid game with passes up to his fast-improving team with Stijn, Gerry and Jon firing relentlessly on goal. Khun Tal was too strong for Singapore to contain and had 3 amazing goals fed by Khun Lu to secure a VR victory. MORE NEWS TO COME.

Easter Cup,Owen Cup and Churchward Plate all for grabs as Lagos polo club Easter tournament opens.

 

Its the finals of the "Easter Cup" this weekend Fri 22 - Sun 24, April 2011 at the Lagos Polo Club, Awolowo Rd, SW Ikoyi, Lagos. All games start at 3pm daily. We look forward to entertaining you and your guests. See you all there!!!! Happy Easter.

 

NBC Sports to Feature Live Telecast of Rolex Equestrian Championships Presented by Land Rover

April 5, 2011

Lexington, KY – Mark your calendar, plan the party and get the big screen ready! For the first time in its history, the Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover will air LIVE on NBC Sports, Sunday, May 1, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT.
With the support of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and Equestrian Events, Inc., organizer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone, NBC Sports will broadcast the final show jumping rounds LIVE, alongside taped highlights of the dressage and cross-country phases. One of the world’s most prestigious equestrian competitions and America’s only CCI4*, Rolex Kentucky returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, April 28-May 1. The event attracts tens of thousands of spectators and millions of viewers on telecasts worldwide.
“Those final rounds during show jumping are full of suspense and excitement – you just never know when rails will fall,” said Lisa Ball, President of Equestrian Events, Inc. “We are thrilled that fans across the nation will be able to share in that excitement along with the thousands of fans here at the Kentucky Horse Park.”
The 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event will crown the 14th USEF National CCI4* Champion, and is the only North American leg of the HSBC FEI ClassicsTM  Series. The world’s best horses and riders will compete for their share of $250,000 in prize money as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing which is awarded to any rider who wins Rolex Kentucky, Mitsubishi Motors Badminton and Land Rover Burghley, consecutively. (The term “consecutively” shall not be limited to wins which occur within the same competition year or same calendar year.)
Past winners of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event include United States Olympic Medalists David and Karen O’Connor, Kim Severson and Phillip Dutton, New Zealand’s Blyth Tait and Nick Larkin, Pippa Funnell and William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain and Andrew Hoy, Clayton Fredericks and Lucinda Fredericks of Australia

Ghantoot Polo Team beat Dubai Polo team 9-6 in HH Presidents Cup

Ghantoot Polo Team came back from Friday’s loss to current President’s Cup leaders ADCB to beat Dubai Polo Team 9-6 in the seventh game of the season-ending tournament.

Every player on the Ghantoot side got their name on the scoresheet yesterday with Ahmed Al Nueimi and Sebastian Petrachi claiming one each and Ghantoot’s polo captain, Nasser al Shamsi scoring two.

Argentine professional, Gonzalo Azumendi continued his fine vein of form to claim another five-goal haul after notching the same amount in his team’s loss to ADCB two days ago.

On the losing side, Dubai Polo Team’s Nicolas Petrachi scored three goals, talented young Emirati player, Habtoor Al Habtoor got two while Gaston Devrient claimed one.

Ghantoot, who are the defending champions in this annual tournament will now face Al Basti on Thursday.

Azumendi said: “We won all our chukkers so we were always one step ahead. Nasser did a great job marking the Dubai guys and Sebastian kept their number four in his sights at all times.

“We managed to control the game so we are very pleased.”

The tournament, which is being held at Abu Dhabi’s Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, has been running since March 20. It is held under the patronage of Ghantoot’s chairman, Sheikh Falah bin Zayed al Nahyan and the grand final will take place on Friday next week.

ADCB have already secured their place in the final but the other slot remains open at this stage in the tournament.

Ghantoot’s Al Shamsi said his team performed very well.

“We are the defending champions and the hosts in this tournament and it is the most important event of our season and so we know it is very important that we play to the best of our ability,” he said. “Today was a very gratifying effort. We gelled well as a team and I think the communication between our players is getting better each match.

“On a personal level I am very happy with my performance but we must reserve a special mention for Gonzalo who has been exceptional all week.

“Now we look forward to our final game. We will play our hearts out and hope it is good enough to get us into the final on Friday.”

Ghantoot’s opponents on Friday, Al Basti will be tough to beat. They kept a clean sheet against Tom Ford last night, while managing to put five goals past their opponent’s defenses at the same time.

Tom Ford are no slouches. They beat Dubai Polo Team 3-6 just two days ago and won their opening game.

The scoreboard showed that Al Basti’s goals came from Abdullah bin Desmal and Juan Manuel Roman who both got one, while David Bernal notched three.

HH President of the UAE Polo Cup games 3 and 4

A dominating performance from ADCB Polo Team in the HH President of the UAE Polo Cup has set them up as the team to beat after they put eight goals by opponents, Tom Ford.

 

The season-closing tournament, the most important event in Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club’s calendar, is being played out at the Royal Abu Dhabi venue all this week, with the grand final being held on April 1.

 

The Argentine professional, Hugo Barabucci, a seven-goal handicapper, banged home an impressive eight goals for ADCB in the four-chukker match, which finished 8-4.

 

 

Not to be outdone, his talented Emirati teammate, Nasser al Dhari scored a hattrick, while fellow Argentine, Matias Colombres, added one goal to the final score.

 

Their opposition, Tom Ford Polo Team, scored a respectable four goals in total and during the first two chukkers the teams were evenly matched. But once ADCB drew ahead at the half-way point Tom Ford found them too hard to live with.

 

Goals were scored for Tom Ford Polo Team by Ramiro Dagna and Oscar Colombres, the brother of opposition player, Matias.

 

“It was a great game, we played so well today,” said al Dhari. “Hugo was a class act as always and I was very happy with my performance.”

 

“Tom Ford played well also but today we were just stronger and a little more aggressive. Like us, Tom Ford won their opening game so we knew that we had to beat them.”

 

ADCB will clash with defending champions, Ghantoot on Friday who have a point to prove after losing their opening match. A win would seal ADCB’s place in the final.

 

“If we win on Friday we will be clear for the final so I’m very much looking forward to that,” said Dhari. “We intend to play pretty much as we played today. We need to keep the pressure on and not take anything for granted.”

 

Tom Ford Polo Team’s patron, Faris al Yahbouni was philosophical in defeat and said that his team may be down but they were not out.

 

“Even though I hate losing it's a real honor playing in this tournament,” he said. “We now have to put that defeat behind us and focus on our next game. Our team played very well and we will gather momentum for Friday’s match.”

 

In the second match of the day, Dubai Polo Team beat Al Basti Polo Team by just one goal in a match that finished up 7-6.

 

A young Dubai team, featuring Emirati rising stars, Rashid bin Drai and Habtoor al Habtoor, put in a true team effort with all four players adding to the scoreboard.

 

Bin Drai and al Habtoor both got one goal, Nicolas Petrachi scored three, including the winning goal and Gaston Devrient notched twice.

 

“It was an amazing game today, open and extremely fast with a lot of running,” said the Argentine.

“Our boys Rashid and Habtoor played a great game and really make the difference for us.

 

“Al Basti played well it was a very close game that could have gone both ways, but thanks to  Rashid stopping a 50 yard penalty that would have seen the scores tied, we managed to hang on until the end.”

Tom Ford Polo Team Makes Winning Start in HH President of the UAE Polo Cup

Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club: The first round of the HH President of the UAE Polo Cup got underway yesterday evening (Sunday) with defending champions Ghantoot going down 4-3 to new additions, Tom Ford.

 

The tournament is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club and sees five teams compete, including an outfit from Dubai Polo Team.

 

 

Ghantoot, last year’s winners now have an uphill battle to make the final and are next scheduled to play ADCB on Friday.

 

Gonzalo Azumendi for Ghantoot and Oscar Colombres for Tom Ford both scored in the opening chukker. Tom Ford continued their momentum with Tarek Fatheldin getting the ball between the posts in the next quarter to give Tom Ford a one-goal lead.

 

Ahmed al Nueimi clawed one back in the third chukker but Colombres replied immediately with another goal and although Azumendi was again on the scoresheet in the fourth and final chukker, Colombres notched again for a hat trick. The final score was 4-3 to Tom Ford.

Biker polo is a rough and tumble sport

The horses have two wheels and the surface is gray concrete rather than a verdant field, but polo has come to downtown Chattanooga.
Every Monday afternoon, an organized game of bike polo (also known as bicycle polo or cycle polo) takes place on one end of First Tennessee Pavilion.
Orange cones mark the goals, and plastic garbage cans, concrete blocks and other containers are put down temporarily to block the end of the court.
“It’s a team sport on a bike,” said participant Anderson Bailey, 29. “That’s an exciting thing. It’s all fun.”
It’s been compared to street hockey and has been called hardcourt bike polo or urban bike polo.
Unofficial organizer Jon Wareham, 28, said Outdoor Chattanooga may have gotten together a grass bike polo game in the past, but he is not aware of any other hardcourt games.
He said Seattle residents claim to have started the game in the United States, but online sources variously trace it internationally to Ireland and India.
The hardcourt game is “ideally three on three,” according to participant Andrew Gage, 26, owner of Velo Coffee Roasters.
The winner is the first team to score three goals between the orange cones (or be ahead) after 10 minutes. A mallet similar to that in traditional polo — but often cobbled together — is used, and the ball resembles one used in street hockey. A helmet is mandatory.
Rules vary from city to city in a hardcourt game, according to online sources, but a universal one used in the First Tennessee Pavilion contest requires players who touch the ground with their foot to cycle to a designated point on the court and tap a specific item with their mallet before they return to play.
Bailey said players probably should be 18 years or older and be comfortable on a bike. The bike, he said, should be “one you don’t care about — not a high-end road bike.”
Participants say learning the game requires more than basic bike-riding skills.
“It takes a different skills set — riding with one hand, maneuvering,” said Wareham, a graduate student at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“It’s totally awkward, unorthodox, steering and braking with one hand,” said Shane Darwent, 27, a photographer and sculptor.
“It’s challenging and difficult,” said Bailey, a potter. “We all fall down. At least, most of us do.”
It’s not a game for the thin-skinned, either.
“It’s kind of like playing hockey,” said Wareham, whose legs bare the marks of collisions. “There’s an opportunity to crash. Anything you do [against another player] can come back to get you.”
That said, according to Bailey, “we’re not very aggressive.”
The sport offers a good cardio-vascular workout, though, according to players.
“We were whupped after two hours last week,” said Darwent.

WORLD POLO RANKINGS

1.Mac Donough Pablo
2.Pieres Facundo
3.Cambiaso Adolfo
4.Pieres Gonzalo Jnr
5.Nero Juan Martin
6.Ullia Hilario
7.Sterling David Jnr
8.Monteverde Lucas
9.Novillo Asrada Jnr
10.Castalgnola Bartolome

Lagenda Hookahs storm to Bukit Kiara Merdeka League victory

The Lagenda Hookahs stormed to victory over La Pampa in the Bukit Kiara Merdeka League Tournament, leading from start to finish of an exciting final held on Saturday 19th March.  Slow starters in their first three matches, Lagenda Hookahs came out flying in the final with two quick goals in the first chukka by eventual MVP Julian Sagarna.  They led a stunned La Pampa 4 1/2 - 1 at half time and cruised home 6 1/2 - 4 winners.

It was a great result for the "legendary hookahs" as La Pampa was the heavy favourite to win the match.  La Pampa's two pros Abdul Haddi and Hayudin failed to fire.  Julian and Peter controlled the match with overlapping runs and better ball possession.  Peter's horse power was widely praised and allowed him to keep possession and run down the clock in the crucial last two chukkas.

La Pampa could not gain meaningful possession of the ball, and despite a bried comeback with three goals in the third chukka, it was not to be as the Hookahs ran down the clock after Peter scored a 60 yarder in the final chukka.

Peter Abisheganaden had a full cpmpliment of the penalties, scoring with a 30 yarder, a 40 and a 60 in the game.   He was named Most Valuable Amateur Player of the tournament.

Julian scored three field goals in all and took the honour of Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Dato' David Morais played the first two chukkas before being substituted by Yeo Kuo Lee.    David's horse "First" won the Mitavite sponsored prize for Best Playing Pony.  The 8 year old West Aiustralian Mare was trained and played by Peter Abisheganaden in the tournament.

Yeo Kuo Lee, who has just shifted most of his horses to Tanamera, brought his inimitable style to the tournament.

Jennifer Too had a sterling match at No 1, and an excellent tournament, holding her own and scoring some crucial goals for the Lagenda Hookahs.

La Pampa's patron J C Flilipi had an excellent final, playing very well for a rookie in his first final.  Mohd Zekri Ibrahim was dangerous as ever in attack but was never given much service from midfield.

Lagenda Hookahs played the tournament intending to raise funds and awareness of their adopted charity, Nur Salam.  They proudly wore the Nur Salam logo on their shirts, which were also on sale for chairty through the tournament.  They also challenged their opponents to bets, asking their opponents to make donations to Nur Salam if the Hookahs were ale to beat them.  Some very graciously said they would donate whether they won or lost.

A batch of Nur Salam kids came to watch their second match, last Sunday, which they won 6 - 3 against Danga Bay 2.  They were treated to an afternoon tea and given Lagenda Hookahs shirts.  They were also visited by two local celebrities, Farid Kamil and Ako Mustapha, who came by specially to meet the kids.

"The kids were the inspiration for our win in this tournament," said team captain Peter Abisheganaden.  "We wanted to win it for them. "

"In the last chukka of the final I had a 60 yarder and I knew if I scored, it would break La Pampa's belief.  I told myself I had to do it for the kids.  They were my inspiration every time we needed to come back and in every crucial situation.  I'm glad we didn't let them down."

 

Mercedes-AMG Returns as Title Sponsor of Miami Beach Polo World Cup

Location: On South Beach, between 20th and 22nd Streets, behind the Setai Hotel 

2012 CLS63 AMG Makes South Beach Debut for Grand Polo Event

MONTVALE, N.J., March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz USA announces that its Mercedes-AMG performance brand is returning for a second season as title sponsor of the Miami Beach Polo World Cup from April 21st to April 24th, 2011, and plans to showcase the all-new 2012 CLS63 AMG to Southern Florida car enthusiasts.

The AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup, the official branded event property, is the world's largest polo tournament to take place on a beach and this year's event benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami and the National Foundation for Missing and Exploited Children.  In its seventh consecutive season, the separate men's and women's polo events take place on Miami Beach between 20th and 22nd streets behind The Setai Hotel.

In addition to supporting the AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup, Mercedes-AMG is the proud sponsor of the AMG men's and women's polo teams that feature notable and top players from around the world including John Walsh, the well-known presenter of America's Most Wanted and spokesman for the National Foundation for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as number one female player, Sunny Hale.  

Alongside the well-trained thoroughbred horses at the AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup, Mercedes-AMG is displaying a stable of its own high performance vehicles including the SLS AMG supersports car and the all-new 2012 CLS63 AMG equipped with the newly developed AMG V8 biturbo engine, featuring a peak output of up to 550 hp and 590 lb-ft. of torque.  Guests can see this newest Mercedes-AMG 4-door coupe in-person at the tournament before it reaches Mercedes-Benz dealerships in early June.

"The game of Polo shares a natural affinity with AMG, both rich in heritage and prestige, requiring skill, power and performance to succeed," said Greg Clark, Manager Exclusive Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz USA.  "The AMG brand has been deeply involved with polo tournaments from around the world and we are thrilled to continue this tradition in the U.S. with the title sponsorship of the AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup."

Just as the polo pony is carefully selected and trained for quick bursts of speed, stamina, agility and maneuverability, AMG engines are built on the overall principle of "one man, one engine," to deliver the epitome of peak performance and craftsmanship.  Every single AMG engine is handcrafted from start to finish by a single Master Engine Builder at Mercedes-AMG GmbH in Affalterbach, Germany.

Attendees who wish to experience the power and performance for themselves can test drive AMG vehicles at the AMG Driving Academy where top professional instructors teach the fundamentals of performance driving at one of three world-class locations. Each program progresses to a set of high-speed exercises that puts each participant through their paces on the entirety of each of these racetracks.  A description of the 2011 AMG Academy program including locations, levels and preliminary schedules can be found at http://www.amgacademy.com/.

About Mercedes-AMG

Mercedes-AMG is the high-performance subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Car Group and is headquartered in Affalterbach, Germany. AMG engineers lend the benefit of more than 40 years racing experience to the development of new Mercedes-AMG vehicles.

Transmissions, brakes, aerodynamics, exhaust systems and, most importantly, the hand-crafted engine built and signed by one of only fifty AMG Master Mechanics reflect AMG's holistic approach to performance.

By blending AMG genes with Mercedes DNA, AMG has delivered thrilling performance and exclusive refinement to discerning customers since the brand's introduction to the U.S. in 1995. Since then, U.S. sales of AMG vehicles have grown to account for as much as 40% of worldwide Mercedes-AMG sales.

While all Mercedes-Benz authorized dealers offer AMG products, 26 dealerships across the U.S. have attained 'AMG Performance Center' status where more personalized expert service for these high-performance vehicles is offered. http://www.mercedes-amg.com/  

ABOUT Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2007, Mercedes-Benz USA became the title sponsor of IMG's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami.  Mercedes-Benz is also the title sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. For more than 40 years, MBUSA has taken pride in its commitment to the customer by providing superior quality luxury vehicles coupled with outstanding customer support. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at http://www.mbusa.com/ and http://www.maybachusa.com/.

Goose Creek ebounds to beat Little Owl 11-10

Four first half goals from Chris Nevins had Little Owl ahead 7-5 at the end of the first half, but a concerted effort by Goose Creek turned the tide in the final three chukkers delivering a hard-fought 11-10 score.

“We just fell asleep,” said Little Owl 6-goaler Jason Crowder.  “Everything was going great in the first four chukker, and then . . .”, trailed off.

Nevins converted a penalty goal to open the match, but Goose Creek responded with three straight goals with Chilean 7-goaler Jose Donoso converting two 60-yard penalty shots for goals and Mason Wroe adding a goal from the field.    Crowder ended the chukker with his first goal of the game and the first chukker ended with Goose Creek on top of a 3-2 score.

Crowder scored a penalty goal in the second and Nevins scored from the field for Little Owl.  Goose Creek got a single goal from Martin Zegers, and the score was all even at 4-4.

Two more goals from Nevins in the third and Crowder’s third goal of the game gave Little Owl seven goals.  Zegers converted a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal, but Goose Creek found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-5 halftime score.

Joe Wayne Barry and J. P. Uihlein stretched the Little Owl lead to four goals, 9-5, in the second half before Goose Creek could respond.  Zegers and Wroe each connected from the field for goals, and the fourth chukker ended with Little Owl holding a 9-7 lead.

The fifth chukker belonged to Goose Creek.  A smothering defense was complimented by a three goal barrage that tied and then surpassed the Little Owl total.  A 40-yard penalty conversion from Zegers and a pair of goals from the field from Donoso had Goose Creek holding on to a narrow 10-9 score as the chukker ended.

With both teams struggling for control of the ball in the final chukker, A Little Owl player was fouled.  Nevins made short work of converting a 40-yard penalty shot, and the score was tied, 10-10.

With time running out, Zegers would score his fifth goal of the match and secure the 11-10 hotly-contested game for Goose Creek.

Martin Zegers led the Goose Creek attack with five goals.  Jose Donoso scored four times and Mason Wroe added two goals for the win.

Nevins scored five times for Little Owl, getting two goals from the field and three goals on penalty shots.  Jason Crowder accounted for three goals and J. P. Uihlein and Joe Wayne Barry scored single goals in a losing effort.

Prince postpones Dubai polo trip amid Arab turmoil

Britain's Prince Harry has postponed a planned polo visit to Dubai on March 19 amid escalating unrest in the Arab world.

Harry's office at St. James's Palace in London said Friday the prince felt it would be "insensitive for him to participate in a sporting event at a time when there are matters of greater priority to focus on in the region."

St. James's Palace said the Sentebale Polo Cup that has been scheduled to coincide with the royal's visit has been canceled.

The wave of protests sweeping the Arab world has already led to the ouster of longtime leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, and an uprising in Libya. The March 13 Bahrain Grand Prix was also canceled.

- AP

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2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

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A massive 8.9/9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean nearby Northeastern Japan at around 2:46pm on March 11 (JST) causing damage with blackouts, fire and tsunami. On this page we are providing the information regarding the disaster and damage with realtime updates.

The large earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for countries all around the Pacific ocean.

Local Japan Emergency dials:
171 + 1 + line phone number to leave a message
171 + 2 + line phone number to listen to the message

Phone numbers to consult about missing persons: (Japanese language)
Iwate: 0120-801-471
Miyagi: 022-221-2000
Fukushima: 0120-510-186 / 090-8424-4207 / 090-8424-4208

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Abu Dhabi fly off with Gold Cup

Abu Dhabi Polo lifted the 2nd Threadneedle Dubai Gold Cup held at the Dubai Polo and Equestrain Club on Friday.

In a fast-paced and closely fought final, Abu Dhabi put on a strong display to edge past Dubai Falcons 9-7.

Argentinian Facundo Sola made the bulk of the scoring with eight goals for the winners.

Abu Dhabi made a positive start taking a strong 3-1 lead in the first chukka.

The final between Abu Dhabi Polo and Dubai Falcons in progress

While Sola accounted for all three, Salvador Ulloa scored the first one for the Dubai team as they took an early lead.

The Falcons bounced back in the second chukka to level with their opponents at 4-4 after Ulloa scored twice more and Mario Gomez struck once. Oscar Colombres’ goal was the only one Abu Dhabi scored during that period.

In the third chukka, Sola struck twice and Ulloa and Gomez struck once each to ensure their teams were locked at 6-6.

With the match heading towards a close finish, Sola put on a brilliant performance as he led his team to an unbelievable victory scoring three goals to seal the title.

Sola was adjudged the Player of the Tournament while his horse Hormiga was declared the Best Horse.

In the playoff for third place, Ghantoot beat DCC Sumaya 8-7.

President of Al Habtoor Group Sultan Al Habtoor was present at the awards ceremony.