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