Ibah, Dogonyaro, Tati Farms shine at 2018 Abuja Unity Polo Tourney
Ibah Team on Friday defeated Kaduna Shabazz 6 1/2 to 4 in a pulsating encounter as the battle for honours in the Legislative Shield continued at the 2018 Abuja Unity Polo tournament.
The tournament, which galloped off on Tuesday at the Guards Polo Club, Abuja is expected to climax with the closing ceremony later today.
The Polo Unity tournament, which was conceived as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s Democracy Day is aimed at celebrating the country’s continued peaceful democratic co-existence as a nation over the years.
Though new comers to the polo unity tournament, both medium-goalers with decades of high profile polo experiences in their kitty began the first chukka with intense pressure as they both looked to out-do each other.
The Ibah team had in its ranks, Khalifa Maitashi (+3), one of the finest young and promising player in the country as well as Ado Ismail (+1).
However, it was the Ibah team who dominated proceedings with three unreplied goals scored by Maitashi (+3) at the end of the first chukka after being awarded half a goal to level the teams’ difference.
Both Kabiru Bayo (+1) and Murtala Dankaka (0) scored a goal each for their sides at the end of a tightly contested second chukka for a 4 1/2 to 1 goal scoreline.
The third chukka was however, another one-sided encounter as Kaduna Shabazz seemed to lose steam going down 5 1/2 to 1 after Maitashi scored two more unreplied goals to record his fifth in the tournament.
Kaduna Shabazz staged a comeback in the fourth and final chukka as Adams, Baba and Bayo combined to make it 6 1/2 to 4 which was however not enough to claim victory.
In other matches, also played on Friday, Dogoyaro Farms bounced back from their heavy defeat on the opening day as they thrashed iStrategic 5-2 in the Guards Challenge Stream 2 category.
Tati Farms also bounced back from their opening day defeat as they edged Chai Thai Revolution 6 to 5 1/2 in a tightly contested encounter in the Guards Challenge category.