Narrow win for Master Paints in ISL National Polo

LAHORE: Master Paints edged out spirited Barry’s by a narrow margin of 8-7 to become the first finalist team of this year’s prestigious International Steel Limited (ISL) National Open Polo Championship 2019 for Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup 2019 at the Lahore Polo Club Ground on Wednesday. It was high-flying Juan Cruz Losada who powered Master Paints to victory with his superb six goals.Master Paints showed their supremacy right from the word go, as they launched a series of attacks on Barry’s goal and succeeded thrice in converting goals to take a healthy 3-0 lead in the first chukker. Barry’s fired in second chukker through Raja Sami to make it 3-1. But Master Paints also fought back well and managed to get a 30-yard penalty, which Hamza converted quite comfortably and stretched their lead to 4-1. Barry’s succeeded in scoring a field goal to reduce margin to 4-2. Just before the end of the chukker, Losada converted a fabulous field goal to strengthen Master Paints lead to 5-2. Barry’s came with better game plan in the third chukker as they succeeded in scoring two goals through Bautista to reduce the deficit to 5-4. By the close if the chukker Master Paints got a 60-yard penalty which was converted by none other than Losada to enhance their lead to 6-4. Barry’s once again changed a game plan to tackle high-flying Master Paints in the fourth chukker by hammering a hat-trick of goals to take 7-6 edge. Here Bautista contributed with a brace and Raja Mikael scored once .In the fifth and decisive chukker, Master Paints smashed two back-to-back goals through Losada to pull back 8-7 ultimate lead.In the second match of the day, Diamond Paints/Newage toppled BBJ Pipes by 8-4. Salvador Ulloa was top-scorer from the winning side with superb six goals while Adnan Jalil Azam and Hissam Ali Hyder hit one goal apiece. From the losing side, Mumtaz Abbas Niazi scored a brace while Bilal Haye and Nicolas Corti contributed one goal each.

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