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The opening week of the 2023 NPA/GTCO Lagos International Polo Tournament came to a climax with Lagos-based teams sweeping all the three prizes at stake, sending a strong signal to the visiting teams as the polo festival enters its second week on Tuesday.
Lagos Leighton Kings defeated arch rivals Trojan/Ark 8-2 in a fierce final to retain the Open Cup they won last year. Debutants, Art Hotel, wrote their name in gold overwhelming their Dangote/ Sublime opponents 9-7 in a closely fought final to win their first-ever Oba of Lagos Cup.
Earlier, the Bowale Jolaoso powered Leighton Kings, parading Muyiwa Oni, Facundo Ratamar and Nico Recaife, had set the pace for a repeat of their four titles haul with an emphatic 12-41/2 victory against visiting Wiltten Aviation to clinch the Adedapo Ojora Cup played in memory of the former Captain, Lagos Polo Club.
On Sunday, the same squad was back in action, outpacing Trojan/Ark boasting Kay-ode Awogboro, Kunle Tinubu, Santi Marambio and Lorenzo Larumba in a tense final to successfully defend their Open Cup title they’ve won a record four times.
The Open Cup final witnessed by a capacity crowd that included royalties, top business tycoons, diplomats and thousands of polo buffs, saw Leighton jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first chukka, with Jolaoso, Oni, Ratamar and Recaife all contributing goals to another Open Cup warfare victory.
Tinubu and Awogboro powered Trojan/Ark had gone to the final game hoping to shock the defending champions, but their poor marksmanship and lack of horse power were their biggest undoing as they could not match the firepower of the Kings, who are still in the hunt for the event’s biggest prize, the Majekodunmi Cup.
Unlike the Trojan/ Ark, Lagos Art Hotel, lining up the only female professional in the tournament, Neku Edun, Yashin Amusan, who stood in for the injured Sadiq Cantata, J.J. De Alba and Genaro Ringa, were quick and purposeful as they beat Dangote/ to clinch the Oba of Lagos Cup crown.
The 2023 NPA/ GTCO international polo festival that galloped off in grand style last week, continues on Tuesday (today) as three teams, including title holders Lintex-Intercontra, former champions, Leighton Kings and the ambitious NexGen debutants battle for the event’s biggest prize, the Majekodunmi Cup.
Tournament Manager, Mayowa Ogunnusi, confirmed that Leighton Kings and NexGen team were billed to clash in the opening game of the Majekodunmi Cup series. Two subsidiary prizes, the Independence Cup and the Italian Ambassador’s Cup are also on offer in the second week that will climax on Sunday.