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