Yola Polo’2017: Yola Haske & William Clinch Gen Hassan Cup
Katsina Max Air Lifts UNIBEN Cup
Former champions, Katsina Max Air team and new comers, Yola Haske & William are letting the sparks fly in all direction with scintillating displays that has fetched two cups in the prestigious 2017 international polo tournament hotting- up in Yola, the Adamawa State capital city.
Bello Buba pivoted Katsina team edge home crowd favourites, Yola BSC to earn the first cup of the tournament, the University of Benin Cup, while new comers made a splashing debut, winning the coveted General Hassan Katsina Cup on first attempt.
An elated Nigerian Polo federation Vice President, Tanko Ayuba who led the debutants to victory in the opening game of the Yola polo festival, believes that the young team from Yola will go far in the highly competitive Nigerian polo scene, if the players maintain their composure and train hard ahead of every tournament.
“Our successes so far is a result of total commitment of our players to win a major prize at the tournament and winning here in front of our great Lamido and our supporters, can also be seen as reward for our hard work even when we were trailing in the early chukkas,” declares Ayuba. His remark was re-echoed by Lamido and Chief Host of the event, the Lamido Adamawa, HRH Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Musdafa, who saluted their tenacity and hail Yola Polo Club and the Nigerian Polo Federation (NPF) for presenting the platform for all Nigerian polo players to excel.
Buba who turned the tourney on its head with his scintillating displays showed why he is Nigeria’s number one, guiding the Max Air from Katsina over Yola BSC in the UNIBEN Cup final, which was the prize to be decided in the international polo event that attracted over twenty teams this year. Though Max Air could not make it to the top in the race for the Governor’s Cup, the Kaduna based Buba and the skillful Asharaf Yahaya are undoubtedly the stars of the glamorous fiesta as they led their respective teams to successes in their quest for honours.
Yola-based Yahaya pivoted Yola Yelwa to a 13-2 1/2 win over Katsina Gobarau, the biggest goal haul by any team in the ongoing Yola polo grand event, and runners-up finish against Maiduguri EL-Kanemi in the Late Lamido Aliyu Musdafa memorial Cup chase.
That victory by the Umar Kalgo powered El-Kanemi team parading Nuhu Haruna, Kayode Noah and Abdullahi Lawal, remains the biggest polo prize won by any polo team from the crisis ridden Borno State.
Expectedly, the Lamido Aliyu Memorial Cup win was celebrated with pomp in the Borno capital city and across the state that is still grabbing with humanitarian crisis.
“We are happy to win the Aliyu Lamido Memorial Cup. We are particularly happy that this victory has brought smiles to our numerous supporters back in Maiduguri who for obvious reasons could not be here in Yola to cheer us,” declares Kalgo in an emotion laden remark after the tense final.
Their achievement was single out for mention by NPF President, Francis Ogboro who thumps the EL-Kanemi polo team patron, Umar Kalgo for maintaining the proud heritage of Maiduguri polo, and for promoting the noble game of polo across the country.
The polo boss thanked the Grand Patron of Yola Polo and NPF Board of Trustees member, Lamido Adamawa for hosting the Nigerian polo family, insisted that the unequalled involvement of the royal father in the promotion of the noble game of polo in Nigeria has helped in redirecting the energies of the youth and engaging them positively.