Polo team off to South Africa
DEFENDING champions Titan Law Zimbabwe team will be hoping to fly the country’s flag high again and retain their title when they take part in the CellC Inanda Africa Cup tournament in South Africa this weekend.
A four-man side led by veteran Gareth “Gaffy’’ Meikle, left Harare yesterday on a mission to conquer at this prestigious tournament whose value is also reported to be growing by the year and has now reached the R88 million mark.
The other members of the team that was picked after the Zimbabwe Junior Polo championships on August 5, are Thomas Wood, Smart Kuusawu and Nathan Stockil. Meikle, a Banket farmer has a reputation of a being a big hitter and his experience should no doubt come in handy as Titan Law seek to make it back to back wins at the Africa Cup, which has also attracted teams from, countries such as Nigeria, Uganda and Egypt.
According to the organisers of the tournament a big crowd of around 3 000 watches the tournament annually and they are expecting more in this year’s final that has been set for Sunday.
“The CellC Inanda Africa Cup returns this winter to the picture square Inanda Club, situated in the heart of Sandton on Sunday.
“CellC Inanda Africa Cup is a unique knock-out polo championship offering an action-packed day for polo lovers, and includes a display of exceptional horsemanship between competing African polo teams from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe, with the closely contested and fast paced final witnessed by a premium audience of more than 3 000 people annually.
“The CellC Inanda Africa Cup mostly attracts audience from business elite across the continent, celebrities, society figures and spectators.
“Over the past years, the cup has shown an increase in public relations and marketing value across the media spectrum. “In 2017, the Cup earned more than R88 million of media coverage, a giant leap from the 2016 media values of R44 million.This major polo event in Africa offers a completely different atmosphere for you to entertain clients and friends in style.
“This prestigious world-class polo entertainment texture from the quality of the thrilling matches, the festivities on the sidelines, the fashion experience and the nest champagne,’’ wrote the organisers on their website.
Titan Law Zimbabwe won it last year and are therefore the defending champions.