PBG/Remounts, Fatima Group move up in Garrison Polo

LAHORE: PBG/Remounts and Fatima Group notched victories in the Lahore Garrison Polo Championship 2018 matches played here at Lahore Garrison Polo Club on Wednesday.

In the first match of the day, PBG/Remounts defeated Newage/Diamond Paints by eight and half goals to six. Nicholas Maria Ruiz smashed in superb sox goals for the winning side, who had half goal handicap advantage, while Saqib Rider slammed in two goals. From the losing side, Hissam Ali Hyder and Taimur Ali Malik hammered a hat-trick each.

The first chukker was evenly poised as both the teams struck one goal apiece to make it 1-1. The second also saw both the sides playing magnificent polo and scoring two goals each to square the things at 3-3.

PBG/Remounts had an edge in the third chukker when they took 6-4 lead by thwarting three tremendous goals while Newage could score only one.

Although the fourth and last chukker was also evenly poised as both the teams converted two goals each yet the lead which PBG/Remounts gained in the third chukker and half goal handicap advantage helped them win the encounter by eight and half goals to six.

Goffredo Cutinelli and Hamza Mawaz Khan supervised the match as field umpires.

The second match of the day proved to be a one-sided affair as star-studded Fatima Group outclassed BBJ by ten goals to three and half.

Hamza Mawaz Khan emerged as hero of the day as he fired in fabulous five goals while Mian Abbas Mukhtar hammered a hat-trick and Eulogio Celestino and Sufi M Farooq Amin contributed one goal each.

From BBJ, which had one and half goal handicap advantage, Bilal Haye banged in a brace. Fatima Group struck five goals in the first two chukkers to take a healthy 5-0 lesd while BBJ converted one goal in the dying moments of the second chukker to make it 5-1. Fatima Group added two more goals in the third chukker to further enhance their lead to 7-1.

While in the fourth and last chukker, three more goals came from Fatima Group stretching their lead to 10-1 while BBJ struck one goal to finish the match at 10-2.

With one and half goal handicap advantage for BBJ, the final score was ten goals to three and half in favour of Fatima Group. Major Shayan Abbasi and Raja Temur Nadeem officiated the match as field umpires.