Master Paints Black emerge Honda Polo champs

LAHORE: Master Paints Black struggled to overpower their sister team Master Paints/Guard Group to win the Honda Cup here at Lahore Polo Club ground on Sunday.Black Masters won the final with half a goal margin to take the title by 4½ goals to 4 difference. Jami Li Hardi displayed outstanding polo skills and techniques and hammered a hat-trick in Master Paints Black’s title triumph while Raja Temur Nadeem scored the remaining one goal from the winning side, which had also half goal handicap advantage. From losing side, Hamza Mawaz and Nicolas Corti banged in a brace each.The match started with a field goal by Master Paints/Guard Group to take 1-0 lead. Both the sides launched a series of attacks on each other’s goals but their efforts proved futile as the first chukker ended with Master Paints/Guard Group having 1-0 lead.The charged-up second chukker was evenly poised as both the sides played exceptionally well and succeeded in converting two goals each. Jami Li Hardi struck the first goal of the second chukker for Master Paints Black to level the score at 1-1 and then Raja Temur fired in a goal to give Master Paints Black 2-1 edge. Master Paints/Guard Group bounced back in style and converted two 30-yard penalties successfully by Nicolas Corti and Hamza Mawaz to pull back 3-2 lead.It was all alone Jami Li Hardi, who dominated the entire third chukker, as he first slammed in a field goal to draw the score at 3-3 and then successfully converted a 30-yard penalty to provide Master Paints 4-3 lead.The fourth and last chukker saw only goal coming from Master Paints/Guard Group, when they converted a 30-yard penalty through Hamza Mawaz to square the things at 4-4.No further goal was scored by either side and when the final whistle was blown, it was four-all. But the half-goal handicap then made the difference for Master Paints Black, declaring them winner of the final with the score of 4½-4. Nicolas Scortichini and Saqib Khan Khakwani officiated the main final as field umpires.The subsidiary final was won by EN EM Estate, who overcame spirited Barry’s by 6-5. It was closely-contested match where both the sides gave tough time to each other and in the end, EN EM Estate emerged winners by a narrow margin of 6-5. From the winning side, which had two goal handicap, Bilal Haye pumped in a brace while Omar Asjad Malhi and Mumtaz Abbas Niazi hit one goal each. From the losing side, Bautista Bayuger hammered a quartet while they got one own goal by Omar Asjad Malhi.Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited President & CEO Mr. Hironobu Yoshimura graced the final as chief guest while Sales & Marketing Manager Mumtaz Ahmed, Deputy Manager Sales and Marketing Nadeem Iqbal, Honda Township CEO Mir Shoiab Ahmed, Lahore Polo Club President Malik Atif Yar Tiwana, executive committee members Ahmad Nawaz Tiwana, Saqib Khan Khakwani, members, families and a great number of polo lovers were present on the occasion to witness the action-packed polo final.

from The News International - Sports http://bit.ly/2E4CKw0