Lady Lori triumph in Kenya Open Polo tourney

By Oscar Pilipili

Handicap two Philip Arungah exhibited great form when he converted four goals to guide Lady Lori Samurais to 8.5-6 victory against Drum Magazine in a match of CFC Stanbic Kenya Open International tournament.

Handicap three Craig Millar and Raphael Nzomo playing off handicap one contributed two goals each to help Samurais to win the match with 2.5 goals advantage.

Handicap four Oli Taylor recorded a hat trick, Julian Camm, who is a handicap 2.5, added two and Richard Stonewigg contributed one goal for Drum during the 8-12 goal match.

Nzomo scored the goal of the match when he covered the whole length of the pitch to convert Samurais sixth in the fourth chukka. Nzomo defensively picked the ball at the backline and backed up by Arungah and Millar carried it all the way, hitting it on the ground and in air as his fast horse raced towards the opponents’ goal. 

Drum’s Pete Griffiths tried to stop him but a charged Nzomo with sharp eye on the ball managed to accurately push the tiny white ball between the posts.

The match was scintillating with Schweitzer featuring for Samurais and Englishman Taylor for Drum.

Schweitzer said: “The fact that we have won the match does not mean we (Samurais) are the best team. All the teams here are good and I’m certain the competition would get hard by day.”

“We must keep on playing good if we want to reach the final and win the trophy,” Schweitzer said after the five-chukka match at Nairobi Polo Club on Friday.

It was a show of professionalism as Veuve Clicquote team of handicap five Selby Williamson of South Africa, Casimir Gross (40, Tarquin Gross (2.5) and Devin Shretta (0.5)  edged out CFC Stanbic quartet of Rory Twort (4), Jammie Murray (4), Charlie Dyer (1.5) and Joss Craig (0) 9-8.5 in the second match of the main cup.

Gross showed Veuve the way when he scored six goals while Williamson added three for the winning team.

Stanbic replied through Murray who scored four and Twort who added two for the losing team that started the match with fraction of a goal.

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