President awards trophy at 62nd National Open Polo Championship final

LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari watched the final of the 62nd National Open Polo Championship as a chief guest and presented the trophy to the winning team, DS Polo, at Lahore Polo Club on Sunday.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Punjab Governor Sardar Salim Haider Khan, Bank Alfalah Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Atif Bajwa, Lahore Polo Club President Malik Azam Hayat Noon, executive committee members, and a large crowd of polo enthusiasts witnessed an exhilarating final of the championship.

In a thrilling contest, DS Polo edged past FG Polo 7-6 in the closing moments of the match. FG Polo dominated for four and a half chukkers, but DS Polo turned the game around with two decisive goals in the final minutes to claim the Bank Alfalah National Open Championship trophy.

For DS Polo, Lao Abelenda led the charge with four goals, Max Will Charlton added two, and Daniyal Sheikh struck the winning goal. FG Polo’s Raul Laplacette delivered an impressive performance with five goals, while Mian Abbas Mukhtar contributed one.

President Zardari gave away awards in various categories: the Best Pakistani Polo Player Award was given to Hamza Mawaz Khan, while the Most Important Player Award went to Mian Abbas Mukhtar.

In the 0-4 goal category, the Best Player Award was given to Raja Samiullah, and the Most Improved Player Award to Muhammad Ali Malik; in the –2 to 0 goal category, the award was clinched by Abdullah Khattak, and in the 0–2 goal category, Chaudhry Hayat Mahmood was honoured.

In the 2–4 goal category, Raja Mikael Sami received the Best Player Award, Ibrahim Sultan was recognised with the Emerging Talent Award, and the Lady Player Award was given to Manam Faisal.

The Spirit of Polo Award went to Faisal Khan, the Most Valuable Pakistani Player Award to Ahmed Ali Tiwana, while the Best Foreign Player Award was presented to Max Charlton. The Syed Wajid Ali Trophy went to Daniyal Sheikh’s mare Anatolia. Secretary Lahore Polo Club Lt. Col (retd) Umar Amir was recognised for his team’s excellent performance.