The prestigious MTN international polo
tournament finally took off to a flying start in Katsina on Saturday, September
15 with 32 top polo teams vying for top honours.
The event attracted a capacity crowd to
the Sir Usman Nagogo venue, and took off with fanfare after an impressive
opening ceremony conducted by top officials of the Nigerian Polo Federation
(NPF), with MTN Regional Manager, Alhaji Aliyu Musa leading other top
dignitaries at the event.
In his speech before he bowled the first
al of the tournament, NPF President, Francis Ogboro, thanked the communications
giant for its support of polo. He urged all participants to always play by the
rules.
Ogboro, described MTN relationship with
Nigerian Polo as an enduring one while and assured the cheering crowd of a most
memorable time in Katsina.
General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Kola
Oyeyemi, said the game of polo “requires purpose, focus and consistency;
attributes which are symbolic of MTN’s distinctive approach to enriching lives
and improving the quality of life in our communities”.
With teams arriving from far communities
like Port Harcourt, Yola, Bauchi, Kaduna, Zaria, Minna among others, the polo
showdown was accorded the royal blessing of the Emir of Katsina and Life
Chairman Nigerian polo, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Kabir Usman and
the state government.
One of the most glamorous polo events in
Nigeria, the MTN fiesta lived up to its billings, with four Commasie Cup and
two Talba Cup games taking the centrestage on the first day of the grand event.
In the first game of the event, Katsina Tarno overwhelmed Katsina Gobarau 7-0,
just as Bauchi Kari outpaced Yola Fombina 5-3 in a hotly contested second
match.
The race for the Talba Cup got underway
with Katsina Danmarina handling Katsina Masanawa a thumping 6-0 defeat, before
Kaduna DeeBee Farm lunched a late rally to defeat Kaduna Trappco 31/2-2 to
close the day on a high note.
Katsina Polo Captain, Dahiru Bargiwa, who
confirmed that the host club would be vying for all the major prizes at stake,
stated that former champions, Katsina Max Air are set to confront Kaduna
Trappco in the opening game of the event’s biggest prize, Nigerian Cup, while
Katsina Kangiwa and Katsina IT Sec are battling for the medium-goal General
Hassan Cup.
He
listed the major prizes to include the high stake Nigerian Cup, which is the biggest
cup, the medium-goal, General Hassan Katsina Cup, The Talba Cup and the
low-goal, Commasie Cup respectively. Other coveted prizes to be won during the
weeklong MTN International Polo Fiesta includes; The President’s Cup, The
Governor’s Cup, Nagogo Memorial Cup, Maidabino Cup, Dikko Memorial Cup and the
Beginners’’ Cup among other individual awards.
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