Winter Polo Cup Final '13 Exciting Affair
Malir Garrison Polo & Saddle Club (MGPSC) at its Wintry
Best!
Report filed by Adil Ahmad (Editor, TCS CONNECT Customer
Magazine)
Published in TCS CONNECT Jaunuary 2014 Volume 13 Issue 1
Action Pics Credit: Khalid Saeed
Celebrating Horsepower
the horsemen of the Indus vying for the ball, as Hamza in black (extreme right) sets up the attack
Malir Garrison Polo & Saddle Clubhouse (MGP&SC)
impressive indeed!
Witnessing the clash of the Indus
horsemen amidst the tranquility of Malir’s winter evening and the thundering
hooves of high-end horsepower defies description and has to be experienced
before it can be fully appreciated.
The polo ball gets the royal treatment before being hit all over the ground by eight fully charged horsemen of the Indus
On the day of the Final, with the flags aflutter, the BLACKS ran away
with it 8 goals to 4, marking the REDS to perfection, specially the REDS
mainstay Colonel Baloch, the terror of the polo pitch throughout the four days
of the Tournament, notching up an impressive tally of 12 goals.
Flags aflutter
Colonel Javed Balouch, leading light of the MGP&SC
Obaid Nasir in red leads the pack
40 Horse, the Custodians of the Malir Garrison Polo & Saddle Club (MGP&SC)
In the Final
the Colonel managed to send through just 2 balls through the goalposts for the
REDS, such was the tight marking by the BLACKS in the shape of Hamza.
Farhad Shaikh playing the 'Back' position at #4 for the MGPSC BLACKS - great ball control
Hamza
scored 3 goals for the BLACKS, with Farhad Shaikh chipping in
with 2 goals along with being instrumental in setting up some forceful attacks
on the REDS goalmouth.
Hamza and Rafay harmonize as Umer Said in red tries to tackle while Farhad in black (extreme right) looks for intruders
Young Obaid Ullah Nasir, all of 14 years old and a class
9 student of the Army Public School, contributed with 2 goals, mixing it in
aggressively with the big boys.
Obaid Nasir leads the chase
The Polo Perch - Commentators 'Box' - best seats in the house!
Reward & Recognition
Capt. Ameer Zaman and Havaldar Akram scored a
goal a piece to have the BLACKS bag the very beautiful crystal Trophy. Well
played all!
The Winning Team MGPSC BLACKS - Havaldar Akram, Farhad Shaikh, President MGPSC,
Chief Guest, Capt. Ameer Zaman, and Rafay Shaikh.
Earlier in the tournament, on day 2 of the Winter Polo Cup
2013, the MGPSC Reds squared off with the MGPSC WHITES. The WHITES were playing
their first match of the tournament and were still a bit rusty and dull around
the edges. The REDS had played the BLACKS on the opening day and made a great
contest of it, losing by 1 goal, and missing a number of scoring opportunities.
So on day 2 the REDS had worked out their game plan and ironed out the wrinkles
in their attack and defense.
Playing for the WHITES were Samee Ibrahim (Capt), Major
Saleem Baboo, Major Meher Ali Baig, and Daniyal Hashmi, with Mohammad Saad Nasir
in reserve. The REDS kept their foursome intact with Colonel Javed Hussain
Baloch, Umar Said, Maisam Javaid Baloch, and Obaid Ullah Nasir, with Ammar
Javed Baloch in reserve.
The REDS really loosened their mounts in the 1st
Chukkar and launched a ferocious attack on the WHITES goalpost with Colonel
Javed Baloch scoring 3 goals and Umar Said scoring 1. The WHITES tried to close
the deficit with Major Saleem Baboo and Major Meher Ali Baig scoring 1 goal
each. In the 2nd Chukkar the WHITES mounted a spirited counter
attack with Samee Ibrahim scoring 2 goals, but the REDS struck back with Maisam
scoring a well orchestrated field goal.
The 3rd and 4th Chukkars were seesaw
affairs with fortunes fluctuating as Colonel Javed Baloch struck thrice for the
REDS, and Samee Ibrahim countered with two goals for the WHITES. But the WHITES
had let slip the initiative, and conceded the match to the REDS 6 goals to 8.
Colonel Javed Baloch, the captain and mainstay of the REDS,
really set the field on fire today, scoring 6 goals against the WHITES. Against
the BLACKS he scored 3 goals. Speaking to him after the match he said: “The
WHITES were a much better team but they missed a lot of scoring opportunities.
Having played yesterday as a team the REDS had an advantage over the WHITES who
were playing their first match as a team. We very closely marked the two main
players on the WHITES team, Samee Ibrahim and Major Saleem Baboo. Our two
youngsters Maisam and Obaid rose to challenge each time the ball was passed to
them and attacked fearlessly.”
The way things stood on day 3 of
the Tournament, the WHITES needed an emphatic win to make it into the Final,
having surrendered to the REDS the day before 6 goals to 8. The BLACKS
meanwhile had beaten the REDS on the opening day of the Tournament 5 goals to
4, and secured for themselves a place in the Final once the REDS beat the
WHITES. The only way the WHITES were getting into the Final was by thrashing
the BLACKS by a good margin. And that didn’t happen. The BLACKS were on fire once
again and brought down an avalanche of goals onto the WHITES winning 7 goals to
1, with Hamza scoring 3, Rafay 2, and Farhad and Captain Ameer Zaman scoring 1
goal each. Major Saleem Baboo scored the solitary goal for the WHITES. Tough
luck WHITES.
The Malir Garrison Polo & Saddle Club (MGPSC) remains Karachi ’s best kept
secret, efforts to the contrary not withstanding! If you’d like to gain an
understanding and appreciation of this ‘King of Games & Game of Kings’,
then a good starting point would be to join https://www.facebook.com/groups/horsepowerpage/
and view the many polo albums contained therein, and put in a request for a
conducted tour of the Malir Garrison Polo & Saddle Club (MGPSC).
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