Guard Group/Master Paints annex Pakistan Polo Cup

LAHORE: Guard Group/Master Paints lifted the Pakistan Polo Cup after overwhelming Samba Bank by seven goals to four and a half in the final played here at Lahore Polo Club ground on Sunday.

Samba Bank Chairman Dr Shujaat Nadeem and Guard Rice CEO Shahzad Malik graced the occasion as guests of honour while Samba Bank CEO and President Shahid Sattar, LPC President Malik Atif Yar Tiwana were also present on the occasion. Hamza Mawaz Khan emerged as hero of the day as he scored a quartet for the winning side while Taimoor Ali Malik once again excelled a with his phenomenal game as he slammed two goals. while Sufi Farooq converted one goal. From Samba Bank, which had half goal handicap, all the four goals were hammered by Hissam Ali Hyder.

Hissam opened the Samba Bank account by converting a spot penalty to take 1-0 lead which was doubled soon by another field goal of Hissam to make it 2-0. Hamza Mawaz then struck a field goal to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Guard Group/Master Paints thwarted two back-to-back goals to pull back 3-2 lead in the second chukker. Taimoor Malik and Hamza Mawaz contributed one goal apiece. Guard Group/Master Paints dominated third chukker as well and thwarted two back-to-back goals to farther strengthen their lead to 5-2. Sufi Farooq and Hamza Mawaz were goal scorers this time, as they converted one goal each. Samba Bank then fought back well and banged in a brace through Hissam to reduce the margin to 5-4.

In the fourth and last chukker Guard Group/Master Paints scored two more goals - one each by Taimoor Malik and Hamza Mawaz - to take an unassailable 7-4. Bilal Haye and Raja Arslan Najeeb officiated the main final as field umpires.

In the subsidiary final, one and half goal handicap helped PBG/Remounts beat Olympia by eight and a half goal to eight. Nicholas Ruiz Guinazu was star of the day for the winning side, who hammered four goals while Saqib Rider struck two and Mumtaz Abbas Niazi hit one. From the losing side, Goffredo Cutinelli scored a quartet while Ahmed Zubair Butt and Abdul Rehman Monnoo banged in a brace each but their efforts could not bear fruit as one and half goal handicap declared PBG/Remounts winners of the subsidiary final.