National Open....let the games begin..!!

The Prestige of Pakistan

The 2012 National Open Championship for the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup starts from tomorrow. Wow, I got goose bumps just writing the top line. The penultimate, the grand finale, the mother of all cups, the top prize, the numero uno team, the king of the hill..... i can go on...really.. but i think you get the point. This is Pakistan's most coveted trophy, check out the math, 

14 -goal handicap

5 - chukkers per game

0 - handicaps awarded, open format. 

2 - foreign players in a team allowed. 

8-  teams.

4 - games a day

30- matches. 

8 - match days. 

2- weeks of action packed polo. 

1 - winner !!.. 

Starting Feb 28 at the Lahore Polo Club, let the games begin..!!

Played on a league system where every one plays everyone once, the top two team play the final on Sunday 11 March. 

Here are the teams. 

1. Colony Sugar. 

Now this is a strong side and the title favorites by far. They've won both the Aibak Cup and the 125 year old Punjab Cup with convincing margins. This team revolves around the, near lethal, combination of Raul Laplacette (6) and Santiago Mendivil (4). The supporting cast is Naveed Sheikh (+2) and Hussain Iftikhar (+1). Raul and Santi have shown how well they combine, specially on the offensive since Santi is known for his blistering runs across the field every time Raul hits a long ball. Naveed and Hussain are excellent blockers and constantly hassle the opposition. They're mounted superbly, the whole team .i.e., and are well coordinated unit that comes in with a game plan every time. 

Player to watch: Santi Mendivil. Straight out of a 1970's Mardi Grass festival, with his long locks and a Jesus look, chomping a gum all throughout the game, certainly the image personified of a Latin polo god. Keep your eye on him, ladies... can't take their eyes off him.!!. 

Santi on Nina. Pic by HRK Niazi. 

2. Master Paints. 

Gaston Moore and his side kick Ignacio Del Tour with the two Sufi brothers. Now I've written a lot about the prowess and ability of Gaston, and if you've been following this blog, you'd know what I mean. But tell you what, that was all good during the 12 goals tournaments, come 14 goals, the game has changed. Gaston is a marked man and has taken more hits and bumps than Mike Tyson's opponent. Its a simple game plan for the opposition. Take Gaston out and the game is in the bag. Good strategy but easier said than done. This guy is a one man demolition squad and very very effective. The critical element is his three supporting players. They play well enough and he can take them to victory. 

Player to watch - Gaston Moore. He'll hang from his horse, tap in the air, bump you harder than a freight train and will hit a back hander, only to be the first one to pick it up himself. 

Gaston, out of the saddle, one stirrup gone, horse nearly down, still has the ball.... go figure..
Pic. by HRK Niazi

3. Pakistan Army

General Patuadi marshaling his trooping quartet, with high hopes of lifting the Cup. The right idea but the not so right combination. This team revolves around James Harper (6), Timmy 'Tenora' Raja (3), Ahmed 'Nachi' Tiwana (+2) and General Pataudi (3) who, from rear guarding is now spear heading the attack. It's a good team on paper but seem to be running out of luck and  a few game plans at times. The General has wisely switched from taking the knock-in to streaking down the field on Harper's long passes. It's an effective strategy and with the General's fast horses, he's almost unreachable. But they seem under pressure when they play, and need to relax and start enjoying their polo. James Harper has a great mind and knows how to use his team mates well. Timmy must get stronger defensivly as it will be his job to the take the number 2 player out in the other team. Nachi has some great shots in his arsenal and can do well.  No reason why they don't do well in this tournament. They're a strong 4 man team. 

Player to watch. James 'ram rod' Harper. He's deadly in penalties, hits a long ball and has the sweetest back hander in the game.

4. Nestle. 

Pakistan's answer to the Fast and the Furious. Our very own Desi (local) boys getting together to give it a shot at the title. And mind you, the shot is more like a canon ball of fire. This is a seriously good team. Qubilai Alam (3) at back, and there's a 100 yard knock-in for you, good luck bringing the ball back, ahead of him is Raja 'Sammy' Sami Ullah (5), the lynch pin of our national side. Then it's Saqib Khakwani (3), a hard worker in the middle and at the tip of this streaking arrow is young Hamza Mawaz (+2). Take this combo, mix it up and you have a very very effective winning combination. Their only draw back, when compared to others, is their lack of depth in the pony lines. It's my favorite pick of the lot and I rate them pretty highly. They've played a week and are pumped up and rearing to prove a point. I think they just might..!

Player to watch - Sammy, the mainstay and the play maker. In the game he's got the heart of the lion and the strength of a bull. 

Hamza, eyes on the ball. Pic. by Ahmed Sajjad Kayani

5. Guard Group/Newage. 

Taimur 'TM' Malik (+2) and Adnan 'AD' Jalil (+1) put together a team with Shamyl 'pretty boy' Alam (4) and Hissam 'Namu" Hyder (6), Pakistan's pride and joy. This has got to be the most unpredictable side in the competition so far. They can beat any team or they can turn in to a one big fouling machine and give the game away. Shamyl is playing well and with Namu back from Dubai after playing the Cartier Cup, he's fit as a fiddle. They have the horses and the skill to win this. They key is the combination between Shamyl and Namu and its critical for TM and AD NOT to foul. Get this going and they're all set. 

Player to watch - Namu. at 6 goals is Pakistan's highest handicap player and certainly the play maker of the team. 

Namu playing in Dubai. Pic. courtesy The First Group Polo/Namu's FB page. 

6. Diamond Paints/Hattaf. 

The stingy paint and gun combination (no, not paint ball) of Mir Shoaib's (+1) Diamond Paints and Hassan Commando's (+2) Hattaf Security company. Vieri Antoneri (6) is back in the side after his week long stint in Dubai and with Bilal Haye (3) completing the team, the Diamond boys are set to go. Its a good team that took Gaston's side in to the sudden death chukkar last week. Hassan taking the knock-ins and Vieri & Co. galloping ahead. Who knows, they might post an upset. 

Player to watch - Vieri Antoneri. He's an attacking forward, a lot depends on him. 

7. BBJ Pipes. 

Ahmed Zubair's (+2) last minute team comprising Garrardo Mazzini (6), Ahmed Ali Tiwana (3) and Major Umer Minhas (3). I can't say much here except that they need to have better horses as the others are mounted superbly. Mazzini has been a regular visitor here and way back in 2004-5, he was a force to be reckoned with. Mazzini the Monster he was popularly known back then. His supporting cast is Ahmed Ali, fast and flashy, Umer Minhas, hard working in the middle and Ahmed 'dead-eye' Zubair. Give Mazzini good horses and he'll turn his magic back on. 


Player to watch - Mazzini, he's here to prove there's still a roar left in him. 




8. Al Khan/Ciros


Dr. Iftikhar Ali Khan 'Simba' (+2) finally throws his hat in the ring and enters a team centered around Manual Crespo (7), Shaukat Ali Malik (+2) and Omar Malhi (+2). Simba is a one man orchestra and his presence on and off the field cannot go unnoticed. He's a great motivator and  you will hear him above all in the ground. Manual Crespo will get an earful after every play, good or bad. Shaukat and Malhi combine together to give horses to Crespo who should be decently mounted now. This team can pull a few surprises so i'm not counting them off any time soon. 


Player to watch - I have to say.... Simba... !!!. you simply can't ignore him in the field. Watch the game and you'll know what i mean. 

The Punjab Cup Trophy, L to R, Simba, Asif (Ciro's),
 Salman Taseer  (Late Governor of Punjab) & Carmilla Conroy, US envoy to Punjab.
Pic by Baba Dody, Pakistan's premier polo photographer.  

This sums up the teams and their intro. I'll try to keep you updated on the games and how they progress. Stay logged in... till then, 


cheers, 


Agha 

Junior Polo League, 2012 Final.

From being practice chukkars for member's children, played for a few minutes before an early Sunday crowd,  the last few years have seen these transform in to a full fledged tourney called the Junior Polo League (they have their own logo also). Ranging from the oldest player at 16 to the youngest at 10 years, these boys have come a long way and have improved considerably over a short span of just two years. 

The League revolves around 12 to 14 players of various ages that compete every Sunday against each other. Between Qubilai Alam and myself, we try and make these boys learn the basic rules of the game, the plays, the shots to select, the man to mark and pretty much from the elementary to the advance. We run on foot alongside as umpires and coaches and call the plays as the game goes on. The slightest foul is blown as it's important to realize the rules of the game from the beginning. 

The Nurpur JPL tournament was played on a round robin basis with three teams competing against each other. This is for the second year running that the Noon family sponsored JPL and asked for a proper tournament than just organized chukkars. The players were rated based on age and playing ability and the names were drawn out of a hat. 

The teams were, 

NURPUR KNIGHTS.
1. Saif Noon (12 years)
2. Taimur Noon (12 years, Saif's twin)
3. Agha Hashim Ali (12 years)
4. Agha Musa Ali (14 years)


NURPUR MUSTANGS
1. Agha Adam Ali and Suleman Alam ( both 11 years)
2. Hayat Mahmood (14 years)
3. Mir Huzaifa (16 years)
4. Fateh Mahmood (13 years)


NURPUR SPURS
1. Osama Tanvir Tariq (13 years)
2. Aleem Tiwana (13 years)
3. Shah Changez Alam (12 years)
4. Sufi Haroon (15 years)


A pregame line up was presented to the Nurpur grandstand where all three teams were lined up, along with the two umpires, and the national anthem of Pakistan was played. Big moment for these young players and a proud moment for Pakistan, getting its first look at the future of this great sport. 

Here's a quick round up of the how the games went. 

Knights VS Mustangs

Knights came in a goal under from the first round and were quickly put under pressure by a blistering run by Hayat only for the ball to just miss the goal post (triangular traffic cone). An attack in reply by the Knights saw the ball crossing the back line for a knock in. This is where the game changed, Huzaifa took a knock in, miss timed it just a bit and Hashim pounced on it like a hawk and put in goal to tie the score now 1 -1. That boosted the confidence of the Knights and they were all pumped up. Musa's pass to the forwards saw Taimur Noon with a fantastic neck shot to score followed by another cheeky steal for Hashim from Hayat this time, with Saif claiming a penalty 2 (30 yard) for his team. Musa put that one in at at walk. Knights were on fire and quickly added another goal to seal the game in their favor. Mustangs were a little off and a little unlucky there. Tried to hit the ball too hard and perhaps were a bit complacent from being ahead in the first round. Good intense chukkar to watch. 

Final score Knights 4 - 1 Mustangs. 

Moment of the match - Hashim's cheeky steal at the knock in. 

Quote of the game "I forgot to put on my knee guards, can I go now ?" Fateh, right before the throw in. 

Mustangs VS Spurs

Now this was a game that was important for both teams. Mustangs had just gone down against Kinghts and Spurs needed to win this one desperately to stay in the tournament. Remember, 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw and we're playing round robin. All goals are important and its a must win for both teams. Spurs are slightly handicapped by two things, they're already down 2 goals from the first round and Shah Changez is nursing an ankle injury. The game started with a 4 - 2 in favor of Mustangs and a couple of good runs on both sides of the field quickly saw Sufi Haroon putting one in for the Spurs. Well done and a good job to close the deficit. Another good shot by Spurs, going to goal only for a line infringement at the goal mouth by their own team player. Mustangs with the penalty, long shot by Hayat, good runs and some good back handers by Aleem and Osama to keep the ball in the middle. Clever play by Fateh for the Mustangs to stop the ball and take his time to whack it through for another goal. Mustangs up 5 - 3. Spurs with another come back goal to make it 5 - 4, good play by them. This team is not giving up but a last minute dash by Mustangs for another goal that put them through to end with the whistle. 

Final score Mustang 6 - 4 spurs. 


Moment of the Match - Fateh's clever play at the back for a goal. 
Quote of the game "Hey, no one's marking me .!" Agha Adam (gleefully) to the umpire. 

Knights VS Spurs

Last game of the tournament and Spurs still have a chance to throw this tournament wide open. If they can win this then all three team will be tied on points and who knows what the goal averages will be like then. The Knights take the field again with a goal ahead leading 2 - 1 from the 1st round. Musa has his troops organized and they have a game plan ready. Got to admit that the Knights did look pretty organized and were constantly bucking each other up during the game. That's a good sign in any team. The Spurs were charged up for this game too and the players were ready for the battle. The ball thrown in and soon there was a solid 4 man formation attack by the Knights in front of the Spurs goal, lots of mallets swinging in for back handers, lots of taps missing to put the ball through and in walks Aleem's horse to calmly kick the ball in for an "own - goal". Lots of Noooooos and Aaaaaarghs from the Spurs teammates but lady luck wasn't with them today. Knights go up 3 - 1 and soon make it 4-1 to pretty much steal the fate of the game. But Spurs were still fighting on, a missed ball was quickly pounced upon by Sufi Haroon who hit a long shot at goal, Musa riding in fast to take a back hander and both mallet clash just a few feet short of goal, the ball stays there but Haroon couldn't stay in the saddle. A tumble and 'thump' he's on his back. A rather hard fall but the boy had spunk and was up again to play, ably supported by loud cheers and claps from the crowd. A throw-in in front of goal resulted with a penalty at the goal mouth for Spurs which Osama Tanvir converted. Time's up, final whistle and game over.

Final Score Knights 4 - 2 Spurs. 


Moment of the Match - Haroon & Musa's neck to neck race towards the goal. 
Quote of the game "Yay, we get a prize too..!" Suleman Alam from the pony lines. 


What a good tournament and so well played by all the teams. You win some and you lose some, but the winner in the end is always the sport of polo and in this case, the Junior Polo League. 

Sitting, L to R : Fateh, Hayat, Osama, Taimur, Changez (red cap), Saif, Aleem, Adam & Hashim.
Standing, L to R :Agha Murtaza, Tia Noon, Salman Noon, Uncle Hamid Noon, Agha Musa, Qubilai Alam & Adnan Noon

You can track them online as well on https://www.facebook.com/groups/192414020770088/

If you have any pics of the games, please send them over and i'll add them. Meanwhile below are a few grainy pics taken from a video cam. 


Cheers, 


Agha 

NURPUR KNIGHTS

Hip hip Hurray... JPL...!!

pregame line up

Nurpur Cup Final... big shots and hard bumps..

It was cloudy and windy but the tempo of the games today a heat and passion of their own. The main final of the Nurpur 12 Goal tournament was played between Pakistan Army and Bank Alfalah. The heavens were kind enough and, despite a spatter of rain drops here and there, the day was mostly rain free. 

The Noon family had a done an elaborate arrangement for lunch for their friends and family and pretty much for all the members of the Polo Club. It's heartwarming to see so many old faces come to this (now almost a tradition) luncheon. This year is the 125th year of Lahore Polo Club and a special one for the club's history indeed. Lahore Polo Club is one of the oldest institutions in Pakistan and one of the most prestigious clubs in the South Asian Region. 

Game 1 was the subsidiary final between Guard Filter and Master Paints. Gaston Moore decided to rest his back and Sufi Amir decided to rest his knee. In came Ignacio Del Tour (4)  and Mir Shoaib (+1) as the subs making MP a 9 goal side to GF's 10, who play unchanged.

Young Hamza on his favorite horse, 17 year old High Spot.
Pic by HRK Niazi. 

 It was a good opportunity for Del Tour to try out the horses that he's to play next week in the 14 goals. He also happens to be Gaston's wing man from next week onward and would be interesting to see how they combine together. 1st Chukkar belonged to GF who quickly capitalized on some broken plays to go up 2 nil (actually 1/2 a goal on handicap for MP) before Sufi Haris decided to reply back with a solo effort.

Ahmed Ali Tiwana leading the charge for GF,
Del Tour challenging him for a ride off.
Pic. by HRK Niazi. 

Del Tour started to get the hang of the horses and got his name on the score board soon in to the 2nd Chukkar. From there on the game was a cat n mouse between the two as they were neck an neck all the way. The 3rd Chukkar ended at 4 1/2 to 4 in favor of MP. The last Chukkar was a great display of some fancy stick work from Hamza and some great back handers for  Del Tour. Saqib put them ahead by a goal and a half only for Hamza to bridge the gap by a lovely 60 yarder. 

Final Score - Master Paints 5 1/2, Guard Filters 5. Good game all around, GF should've won it considering Gaston wasn't playing and it was Del Tour's first game. 

Game 2, Main Final

Pregame prediction - For Bank Alfalah, Waseem Sial comes in for Hussain Iftikhar. He is the patron after all and was free to play on Sunday. It brings the team handicap down to 11 goals against Army's 12, who play unchanged. The edge is always with the higher handicap team and penalties are crucial at this level. On that account James Harper has an edge over Raul Laplacette. 

Lets see how the game went....

It seems as if Waseem Sial had read my prediction, chewed it up and spat it out with a vengeance to prove me wrong. And he sure did prove me wrong. What a game he played today. At (0) goals he made some great plays. A near side under the neck shot for his teams second goal, a line read well when everyone else had gone the wrong way, a foul taken off James Harper... I mean come on, what more do you want him to do... he's already done enough and beyond the call of duty. 

Sameer Oberoi's blistering run down the center on 'kallo'
Pic. HRK Niazi

James Harper on the other hand had a sniper rifle telescope at the end of his mallet. A penalty from a 100 yard out went flying in for a goal, an 80 yard neck shot missed the goal post by an inch and some open back handers that left mouths hung open in amazement. Give him time and he plays a peach of a shot every time. As usual his record on penalties was 100 %, what a weapon to have in your arsenal. 

Harper on an 18 year old horse owned by General Pataudi.
Pic. by HRK Niazi

Raul Laplacette was his cool un-flustered self as usual. He had a string of one of the best mares in the country and where Harper out smarted him on anticipation, Raul caught up by superior pony power. A couple of bone crunching bumps rattled many a saddle today as both teams left no quarter upturned when it came to man marking. Good job all around. 

The Nurpur billboard in the background adds color to the setting.
HRK Niazi

Atif Tiwana's cheeky runs in the 60 yard box for a couple of goals, General Pataudi's flawless back handers, Sameer Oberoi's racing moves down the middle and Nachi's clever flicks were a treat to watch today. 

The score board at times could not possibly portray the actual intensity of the match. BA were leading 3 1/2 to 1 by the end of the 1st Chukkar and it looked like it was going to be a one sided affair. Harper gave it his best and brought the score back to 3 1/2 to 3 before Raul and Atif combined well to take it ahead to 5 1/2 to 3. Another goal by Atif Tiwana in the 4th left the score card reading 6 1/2 to 3 and the game seemed to be in the bag for the bankers. 

Pakistan Army replied back with two goals from Harper but the clock, and their luck, had run out by then. 

Raul on 'Miranada' BPP 2010
Pic. by HRK Niazi

Bank Alfalah won the Nurpur 12 Goal Cup with a convincing score of 6 1/2 to 5. No prizes for guessing the man of the match,  Raul Laplacette. Well played amigo. 

cheers for now, 

Agha 

See-Saw Semi Finals.

Folks, got a bit late in writing up on Friday's games. with organizing the Nurpur Junior Polo league, playing the low goal Nurpur Cup and work, was just too pooped to write in. Here's a quick synopsis of what happened in the two games. 

Game 1 

Bilal Haye and Raul Laplacette, elbowing for the ball.
Pic. by HRK Niazi

Diamond Paints against Bank Alfalah and one has to hand it to the Diamond boys. I had a long sitting with Hassan Commando the other day and he had cottoned up to the idea of changing the line up and what a wise decision that was. He too the knock in himself and put Vieri and Bilal Haye in front of him. Suddenly Diamond Paints started looking like the team it should. From a rag tag, loosely jointed, not connecting team to a extremely potent attacking side. Although the Bankers opened the scoring, Vieri was quick to reply with a 40 yard dead center of the uprights. 

Vieri and Hussain Iftikhar.
Hussain on his home bred mare 'Lucky' out of an Australian mare.
Pic. by HRK Niazi

The 2nd Chukkar went to DP as well with Vieri converting a 60 and tapping in a field goal. Raul Laplacette had earlier put in a field goal. The game see-sawed with two goals a piece in the 3rd Chukkar and DP took the field in the 4th with a goal ahead and what a good game it was to watch. Raul Laplacette put in a spot penalty to equalize and then made a fantastic run down the middle to score putting his team ahead for the first time. Time eventually ran out for Diamond Paints but they'll take a lot back from this game as they've slowly becoming a team to be taken seriously.

Raul on one of Naveed's new mare, imported this season

Vieri on Tequila, won BPP in 2006

Final score 6 to 5 for Bank Alfalah. Two straight wins and they're in the final tomorrow and are the clear favorites. 

Game 2

This is the pool which was wide open. Newage Cables and Pakistan Army are on 2 points, with a win each. Master Paints, with Gaston Moore playing today, have to win by a margin of 3 goals from Pakistan Army to book a berth for the finals. I had written earlier that this was a game worthy of a final and at times the semi final matches are far more keenly contested and exciting then the main finals. It certainly proved my right. Harper on Gaston and vice e versa on almost every play. In fact all the four players on each side were well in the game. Sufi Amir picked up a an injury before the 2nd Chukkar could begin and in came Moin 'Bomber" Yaqub. Not having played for 4 weeks, Moin was a dicey bet but he held his own. 

Gaston on Pintada watched closely by Ahmed 'Nachi' Tiwana.
Pic. by HRK Niazi

Gaston played his usual spectacular best and Harper, the cool, calm and collected was in his element. By the middle of the 4th, Master Paints we ahead by two goals and Saqib Khakwani pushed a well judged line to claim a 40 yards for MP. This was it... the ticket to the final. Two goals up, one more to score, the Chukkar almost over.... game, set and match. 

Gaston on Pincha, a new import by Sufi brothers this year. Beautiful mare.
Pic. by HRK Niazi. 

Gaston on his favorite mare Pintada, tees the ball, takes his time, walks his horse slowly towards the ball, Harper on the line, ready to pounce in for the block, Gaston takes a few practice swings, walks up... swings.... and OUT...!!!!... can you believe it..??  and out by miles.. total miss hit... Pakistan Army could not believe their luck... a few plays later ..Ting Ting Ting.. end of the Chukkar bell and Pakistan Army go in the final on a better goal average despite a loss. Master Paints will have to play for the Subsidiary now against Guard Filters while Army takes on Bank Alfalah. 

Expecting a good game tomorrow if the heavens allow... 30% chance of rain...!!

cheers, 

Agha 

Nurpur 12 Goals...Day 2..Game on..!!

Spring is in the air in Lahore. 

A sharp crispy breeze, reminiscent of a winter slowly phasing away and a bright blue sky. Take a deep breath and it feels like a gulp of freshness. Best place to be in the world right now. What a beautiful day it was and what a tournament this is turning out to be. 

Lahore Polo Club looks as colorful as a local bride dressed up (need to get you some pics of that, of the club i.e. not the bride...). The Nurpur marketing team has done a wonderful job of putting up colorful banners on almost every pole at the club. This is a group that deals with dairy products, fresh juices and flavored milk etc. We're ever so grateful to the Noon family for sponsoring a big tournament on a yearly basis now. 

Two new teams enter the field today in each game. 

Game 1 was between Guard Filters and Diamond Paints. I've already written enough about Guard Filters so no introductions there but bear in mind that their goal average is -3.5 after yesterday's loss to Bank Alfalah, so not only do they have to win today, but that too by a hefty margin to stand for a chance in the final. 

Diamond Paints is a reasonably mounted, happy-go-lucky, yet completely unpredictable team, and perhaps the only one that enters without a set game plan, unless there is one and happens to be a closely guarded secret locked inside someone's helmet. They want to have fun playing polo, they constantly shout at each other and Hassan Commando's witty comments are incessantly non stop through out the game. I had the pleasure of umpiring their game and there were some good chuckles between me and Simon Tosh at some of the verbal jibes slung amongst them. Vieri's explicit Spanish indeed enhanced the flavor.   Mir Shoaib (+1), Hassan Commando (+2), Bilal Haye (3) and Vieri Antoneri (6) were the fantastic four for Diamond Paints. 

High for GF, they're a four man running side and man-to-man are better on the play then the Diamond boys. Make Vieri release early and let the chips fall where they may. 


High for DP, better mounted, Vieri the king pin, so give him room to control the game. 

Lets see how the game went.. 


A game that had little tempo yet spurts of brilliance countered by some moves that left pretty much everyone baffled. Way too many fouls and way too many wayward shots. Let me put it this way, Vieri has probably not hit as many back handers as he hit today. I'm sure he has a stiff neck from looking back most of the day. GF boys had a good game and for the first 2 chukkars the game was a see saw of goals both ways. GF has a goal and a half on handicap and at half time the score was 3 1/2 to 3 for GF. The 3rd Chukkar saw some brilliant plays as a team from GF, they scored 3 goals through Timmy, Hamza and Ahmed Ali and that pretty much took the luster out of Diamond Paints. TM took a hard knock on his wrist from a full blooded Vieri mallet and one had to admire TM's grit and size of this wrist that sustained such a blow. Any lesser a man (in size) would've gone straight for an x-ray. 

Hassan Commando leading the charge for Diamond Paints.
 Photo HRK Niazi. 

The 4th Chukkar had to wait a bit as TM's best mare 'Golden Chance' decided she's had enough and refused to enter the field. Took a dozen men to coax her and she finally came in to give TM another 'chance'. Diamond Paints were just too frazzled and not well organized on both sides of 5b and paid for their follies. 

Ahmed Ali and Vieri. Photo by HRK Niazi. 

Final Score 7 1/2 - 4 for GF bringing their goal average to an even zero after today. Diamond paints need to change their line up. Hassan Commando must come at back and take the knock ins, he can hit a long ball and can do with both Vieri and Bilal up at front. Vieri is a natural forward and a force when attacking. They play against Bank Alfalah on Friday and unless they adapt quickly, looks like the bankers are in the final again. 




Game 2, the semi final for Newage Cables who beat Master Paints yesterday. I just realized how many paint manufacturers play polo in Pakistan. Guess what.. there's another one.. Black Horse paints, he plays too.. !!, but more on that another day. Newage Cables with AD (+1) as the patron is a good team with Shamyl and Santi combing well in the last game. But do remember that Gaston Moore wasn't playing, so... 


Pakistan Army's formation command was led by General Patuadi at back, James Harper (aka 'Sharper' by the grooms at the club) in the middle, Ahmed Nawaz (+2) and Captain Faizan (+1) up ahead. I didn't get to see this team play last week so I wasn't sure how they will set themselves up. My guess was Harper, who's no stranger to polo in Pakistan, as he's been coming here regularly (I think he can speak some Urdu now even, who knows), would be the mainstay and will want to control the play. Ahmed (Nachi) and Faizan should be the natural forwards with the General minding the back door. 


High for Newage, up in confidence from a win, +2 on the goal average, playing together for more than a week now so pretty much combining as a well oiled machine. 


High for Army, Harper is fairly attuned to local conditions. Knows the grounds and the horses, knows how to win in the tough world of Pakistani polo. 


Lets see how the game went....


OK, whatever you've read so far... erase it.... whatever I wrote about Newage...erase that too... can't say what James Harper had for lunch but he sure was spitting fire and come hell or high water, this flame was not going down. A one man demolition squad, who scored 9 goals, yup you read it right, 9 goals single-handily for Pakistan Army. It was 2 goals a piece in the first Chukkar but soon after they were up 7 to 2. The next 3 chukkars was a James Harper show all the way. 100% on penalties, excellent long passes to use his forwards, Nachi putting one in and some solid defending by the General, who just might contemplate giving Harper a regular commission in the Army. Smart move to let Pataudi take the knock ins that kept Harper free to make a play on a long ball. Good strategy. Diamond Paints should take a page from this book. 

James Harper. Photo by HRK Niazi

Nothing taken away from Newage, they tried hard but naturally got desperate when down 7 - 2 1/2 in the 2nd Chukkar alone. A valiant effort and quite frankly a good come back from 7-2 to as close as 9 - 7 1/2. A few crucial plays and some good solid attacks should've been converted. The pressure from the defensive line made Newage forwards resort to some shots at goal from long distance. Were they able to run it a bit more, who knows, a goal at that stage could've changed the complexion. Picking up a technical didn't help their cause either. Can sure do without such free hits to the opposition. 

Shamyl on Valentina. Photo by HRK Niazi

Final Score 10-7 1/2 for Pakistan Army, who trot back to the stables with 2 points and a plus 2.5 goal average and have pretty much thrown this pool wide open. 


Friday sees Gaston back in the saddle for Master Paints and Army will have to go through him. Knowing Harper, he'll have a game plan for Gaston but then again, Gaston ain't no small fry. He'll have a few tricks up his sleeve as well. Cracker of a game to watch, don't miss it. 


If the army wins, they get to the final, if Master Paints win, its down to the net goal averages as all 3 teams would be on the same points. Each goal counts... game on..!


PS. I had mentioned Santi hanging from the neck taking a shot. Here's a pic by HRK Niazi, seems without his contribution, this blog would be pretty dull. Have a look.. 

Santiago Mendivil and Saqib Khakwani.
Pic by the great HRK Niazi. 

Cheers, 


Agha 

Nurpur Cup, 12 Goals, Day 1

Under a brilliant blue sky at Lahore today, round one of the preliminary games were played. The weather indeed has changed from the rather harsh winters to a crisp cool breezy, sunny, nearly springyday. The fields are showing new grass and a shade of green can be seen. 

Thankful for such little mercies as the brown, dull, winter look of the fields just wouldn't lift the game. It's something else to watch or play a tough game on lush green lawns, a treat indeed.

Game 1 was between Bank Alfalah and Guard Filters. Now you gotta remember that Guard Filter's an all Pakistani team where the Patron (TM +2) is a fair contributor, specially when on the offensive. He's got a decent string of Argentine, as well as local thoroughbred, horses and he manages to keep his team pumped up. Playing for him is the forward half of Pakistan's national side comprising of Ahmed Ali Tiwana and Taimur Nadeem (Timmy). Both young, well mounted and aggressive in defense and attack, both playing of 3 goals. At the tip of this attack is young 16 year old  Hamza Mawaz (+2), fast, fiery, talented and goes like a bat-outta-hell on every play. Certainly the future of our polo and has many years to go.

On the other side of the throw-in line were the Alfalah boys. Finalist from last Sunday, trotted in today with two changes to their side. For Naveed it was Sameer Oberoi, and for Waseem Sial came in Hussain Iftikhar. Both better substitutions from last week. Hussain is a seasoned veteran of good polo and has an excellent string of thoroughbred ponies. He's got one of the best near side back handers in the country. Wouldn't even mind taking a knock-in that way as well. Sure has some distance to it. Sameer (+2) on the other hand is fast, hits a long ball and is good with the man. Enough info on the subs for the moment, Raul Laplacette would start feeling left out, as he's the pivot for the bankers. Atif Tiwana, a wily old fox at polo completes the team.

High for GF, they're a running 4 man side. Mark Raul well, make him release, and you have the game in the bag. Play man, one-hit, man polo.

High for BA, the game has to revolve around Raul Laplacette. He's mounted superbly on Naveed's mares. The team needs to make room for him to set the plays. A better team also. 

Let's see how the game went.....

As predicted, Raul took control from the start and used the subs very well. Made a big difference to the side, these two players coming in. Although the game started with Hamza scoring on a solo run, Raul quickly settled the affair with a long pass to Sameer and quickly following up with 2 goals in the first chukkar alone. Guard Filter was neck to neck for the first two chukkars but with Raul left alone it was never going to be that easy. He capitalized on every opportunity and scored some fantastic goals, including a 60 yards that he sent out of the park. 

Hamza hooking Hussain, photo by HRK Niazi. 

Guard Filters tried hard but were just not connecting, they were marked, at times out-horsed and certainly left huge gaps in their defense. Sameer and Hussain both had a good game. By the end, Guard Filter got a bit desperate and some hard bumps resulted in a few technicals. We've got Simon Tosh of UK umpiring all the games and he's a hard man on any foul play. A player each sent out for each team in the 4th chukkar.  

Final score: 8 - 4 1/2. Bank Alfalah take 2 points and are on top of their pool. Raul pumped in 5 goals for his team. 

Game 2 was to be a cracker of a match in anticipation of Gaston Moore, who, rather disappointingly, couldn't play because of a back problem. Substituting him was Vieri Antinori (6) and with a big player like Gaston going out, it was always going to be difficult for Master Paints (Sufi brothers and Saqib Khakwani) to shine with the same dazzle as last Sunday's. Let me add that Master Paints is a very organized team with a never ending string of Argentine ponies that seems to lengthen every year. A strawberry roan Appaloosa called 'Pindata', played by Gaston, is an outstanding pony, in fact took BPP honors in last year's championship, and that was her first season ! That's just the tip of the iceberg, polo pony-ishly speaking. 

Gaston Moore on Pindata last Sunday.
Photo by Saadia, Pakistan's first female polo photographer. 

Against them were Newage Cables with the two 4 goalers in Santiago Mendivil and Shamyl Alam, followed by Shaukat Malik (Shauki) and Adnan Jalil (AD). Now a lot was expected from this team since they had a bad last week playing together. Shamyl was keen on changing the line-up, rightly so, and one was looking forward to a better performance.

High for MP, big in confidence from last Sunday's mega win. Not a single bad chukker between all the four players, all mounted well.

High for Newage, Gaston Moore is not playing, has to be a confidence boosting factor, mark well and the game should be a clincher.

Let's see how the game went.....

What a thriller that nearly went right down to the wire. 2 goals a piece in the 2nd chukkar, 3 goals a piece in the 3rd chukkar, 4 all in the 4th and finally Newage edging out Master paints to clinch it 6 to 4. Well played both teams. Vieri tried his best on new horses, as he wasn't used to them, but the difference today was Santi and Shamyl. They combined well together with Santi always attacking and Shamyl, almost always solidly defending. We saw some daredevil display of Santi out of the saddle, sitting on the horse's neck and playing a shot.....spectacular!! 

4 goals by Santi and 2 by Shamyl with Shauki and AD contributed well with some good runs to gain yardage. Valiant effort by Master Paints all round but it was expected that there will be gaps, specially when a new player comes in. 

Santiago and Vieri, Photo by H.R.K. Niazi

Newage riding high on this win and top their pool a the moment. Their next game is a tough one against Pakistan Army tomorrow. They'll treat that as a semi final, cause if the win.... its the final for them. 

keep logged in to see how the day goes tomorrow. 

cheers,

Agha

12 goals in full swing...!!

Sunday 5th Feb saw the prologue of how the high goals are going to look like in weeks to come, the penultimate being the National Open of 14 Goals.

Gaston Moore has indeed stamped his authority, once again, on the polo canvas here at the Lahore Polo Club. He single handily dismantled a much better side (or so it seemed on paper) and shook hands, at the end of the 4 chukker drubbing, with Raul Laplacette (6), Atif Tiwana (3), Naveed Sheikh (+2) and Waseem Sial (0), all wondering what really hit them..!

Playing for Master Paints, with the two Sufi brothers (Amir & Harris) patrons (both of +1 goal each), and Saqib Khakwani (3) completing the quartet, Gaston trumpeted to his own tune from the get go. He struck home 4 goals in the 1st Chukker alone and used his patrons very well. Who coincidentally are playing rather well this season and certainly contributing far far more in both offense and defense. Gaston's long passes to Amir made it look, at one point, as if only Amir and Gaston are playing. Harris's excellent pushing of the line on to Raul Laplacette made him release a back hander on more than one occasion. With the new turning rule enforced by HPA it makes it all the more difficult for big players to hold on to the ball for long. They have to let it go pretty quickly. Harris riding on Raul's tail and making him release took 5 goals out of that play, if you know what I mean, only for Gaston to pounce on it and turn it towards home. Brilliant play there by Harris, all credit to him.

Picture 2 shows Gaston Moore and Atif Tiwana. Picture courtesy by my good friend H.R.K Niazi, an avid traveler, a witty humorist and a great polo photographer. Just don't steal his pics please.

From Monday onward, the second of the 12 goals (The Nurpur Cup) begins with most of the teams remaining the same. A quick run down of the contenders are as follows.

Master Paints - Gaston Moore and his merry men.

Bank Alfalah - Raul Laplacette and Atif Tiwana. Sameer Oberoi (+2) joins them for this week as Naveed is off to India on a private visit. Sameer is more aggressive, works harder in the field and talks less also.

Guard Filters - The only all Pakistani side (and my favorite) with young Hamza Mawaz (+2), Timmy (3), Ahmed Tiwana (3) and TM (+2). A side to watch that can cause a major upset to the big teams.

Newage Cables - AD (+1), Shaukat Malik (+2), Santiago Mendivil (4) and Shamyl Alam (4), could all do with a better result for this week.

Diamond Paints - Mir Shoaib (+1), Hassan (Commando) (+2), Bilal Haye (3) and Vieri Antinori (6), the BFF team that enjoys a pleasant evening , smiles all the time regardless of winning or losing and is the most entertaining to watch. Got the right spirit, needs to win more.

Pakistan Army - spearheaded by our Chairman polo association General Pataudi (3), pivoted by the ram rod James Harper (6) and flanked by Ahmed Nawaz (+2) and Captain Faizan (+1). Another team that needs to pull up its socks and start winning. Good expectations this week.

That just about wraps up the coming week's scheduled. Stay logged in for more update as we go along. More on the Nurpur Cup and the upcoming Junior Polo League that's also in full swing.

cheers for now.

Agha