Sports
Almat Team Retains General Hassan Cup …2017 African Patrons Polo
Maurice Ekpenyong made history at the just-concluded 2017 African Patrons Cup Polo Tournament as he powered his Abuja Almat team to successfully defend the General Hassan Cup title they won on first attempt last year.
Lagos-based Bowale Jolasho and his Leighton Kings also shared the limelight of the biggest continental polo championship after edging two ambitious opponents to clinch the Patrons Cup.
Almat Group polo lords ( Maurice Ekpenyong, Nura Suleiman, Idris Badamasi and Rabiu Mohammed) who are still smarting from their Dantata Cup victory in Kano last month, secured a nail-biting 5-4 victory over Sheyi Tinubu’s STL/Titan ( Sheyi Tinubu, Tata Ali, Khalifa Ibrahim and Ibrahim Dantala) in the explosive final.
Having previously seen off a crowded field of eight other teams, many of them featuring Argentine and South African professionals, Almat came from behind in dying minutes of the tense final, to win with Rabiu Mohammed scoring the golden goal three seconds to the final bell.
“It was a fantastic campaign, but in the final game, STL/Titan wasn’t an easy one. They came out fighting and at a point, took over the lead. But we were too determined to just let it slip by and I want to thank my team- mates for their concentration and our numerous fans for their unflinching support,” declared Ekpenyong who captained Almat Group in the successful title defense.
His counterpart, Sheyi Tinubu who was playing his first Patrons’ Cup tournament congratulated the winners but hailed his team mates for putting up a good fight, though the result wasn’t exactly what they expected.
The Patrons Trophy final game that drew the curtain on the prestigious polo extravaganza pitched Leighton Kings against Honourable Aliyu Wadada’s Keffi Ponys in another drama filled finale that produced 14 high class goals.
Team Leighton (Bowale Jolasho, Babangida Hassan Katsina, Manuel Crespo and Martin Jauregi) started with a spark, with three quick goals in the opening chukka and remained in the lead throughout the fiercely fought final game.
Keffi Ponys, boasting Aliyu Wadada, Bello Buba, Leroux Hendrik and Tolito Ocampo fought back with two opening goals, but their late push did little to boost their campaign, as the Lagosians scored five more for an 8-6 final scores.
Many times patron of the year, Muhammad Babangida had earlier defeated Keffi Ponys in their opening game, to hand his Kangimi team ( Yahaya Atta, Diego White and Tom Dubrium), a runners-up winners in the Patron Cup series.
Crespo who pivoted the campaign of Leighton Kings’victory and Keffi Ponys striker, Bello Buba were adjudged the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) of the tournament, while Honourable Aliyu Wadada received special accolades as the most consistent patron African polo extravaganza.
Frontline Politician, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Prince Mathew, who represented Governor Yahaya Bello and Sadaukin Zazzau, His Highness Yusuf Idris, presented the prizes to the winners and the runners-up in a colourful closing ceremony at the foremost Fifth Chukker Polo &Country Resort in Kaduna.
The prestigious polo tournament which remains the only pan African polo event in the continent has built an impressive resume in a short time to becoming the biggest sporting event to support effort at eradicating the Breast Cancer in Africa would be contested for in the eight days polo grand slam staged at the legendary Murtala Mohammed Square in Kaduna.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.