Pakistan Open Polo storms into action

LAHORE: Samba Bank and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) won the opening matches of the Pakistan Polo Cup 2018 sponsored by Guard Groups and Samba Bank here at the Lahore Polo Club ground on Tuesday.

In the first match of the day, Samba Bank defeated PBG/Remounts by six goals to four and half. For Samba Bank, Hissam Ali Hyder played outstanding polo and contributed fantastic four goals while the remaining two came from Shah Shamyl Alam. From PBG/Remounts, which had one and half goal handicap advantage, Mumtaz Abbas struck a brace and Nicolas Ruiz Guinazu converted one goal.

Samba Bank dominated the first chukker right from the word go as first they slammed in two field goals – one each by Hissam and Shamyl – to take 2-0 lead and then Hissam converted a 60-yard penalty through a long lofted shot to provide Samba Bank healthy 3-0 lead before the end of the chukker. The second chukker saw only goal coming from Samba Bank, when Hissam fired in a field goal through another long lofted shot to give hi side 4-0 edge.

The resistance was witnessed in the third chukker, when PBG/Remounts thwarted two tremendous back-to-back goals through Mumtaz Abbas Niazi to reduce the deficit to 4-2. But Samba Bank once again showed their class and banged in another brilliant brace to strengthen their lead to 6-2. Shamyl and Hissam were the scorers who hit one goal apiece. The only goal of the fourth and last chukker was scored by Nocalas Ruiz, which finished the match at 6-3. With one and half goal handicap advantage for PBG/Remounts, the final score was 6-4½ in favour of Samba Bank. Saqib Khan Khakwani and Bilal Haye supervised the match as field umpires.

In the second match of the day, it was two and half goal handicap advantage, which helped Pakistan Air Force win the lost match by five and half goals to five. When the final whistle was blown Olympia were leading by 5-3, but two and half goals handicap advantage declared PAF winners with the margin of 5½-5.

For Pakistan Air Force, Raja Mikael Sami hammered two goals and Sqn Ldr Hamza Iqbal contributed one while for Olympia, Goffredo Cutinelli and Ahmed Zubair Butt thwarted two goals each and Bilal Haye converted one. Ahmed Ali Tiwana and Shaukat Ali Malik officiated the match as field umpires.