Polo: Royal Salute overwhelm Samsung in Connaught Cup Championships

Gideon Moi of Sudbury investments in Action Against Royal Salute during The Moi cup and Christmas polo tournament an Manyatta Polo club in Gilgil Nakuru county on December 18,2016.PHOTO:KIPSANG JOSEPH

Win makes it perfect start for winners

Tourney used to select players for national team.

Royal Salute defeated Samsung 8-7 to make a formidable start in the Connaught Cup Championships as the race to pick a national side for the South African Invitational Championships kicked off in earnest at Manyatta Polo Club in Gilgil on Friday afternoon.

The national senior team is scheduled to play a series of matches against South African Development side in Johannesburg from September 7-11 and players the tournament in Gilgil are keen to catch the eye of the national team selectors. 

Buoyed by a high total of handicap nine among her players who included Handicap 3 Craig Millar, Handicap 2 Raphael Nzomo, Phillip Arunga (Handicap two) and Izzy Parsons (Handicap Two), the winners were made to struggle before overcoming the stubborn Samsung team led by Handicap Three Archie Voorspuy.

Other Samsung members were Mbu Ngugi (Handicap 2.5), Tiva Gross (Handicap Two) and Chloe Spoerry (Handicap One) who equally gave their opponents a run for their money in the first and final chukkas.

It was a battle of titans in the see-saw match which saw goals on both ends before Royal Salute overran their opponents to have the last laugh in the first match of the three round robin matches with the narrow score.

First to put the ball past the two posts was Parsons after eluding her markers to put Royal Salute on the driving seat.Minutes later, Parsons was on the mark again with another superb score before Gross and Voorspuy levelled for Samsung with all the four goals coming in the first chukka.

Nzomo added the third goal for his team with the support of Millar who scored two more goals before Voorspuy reduced the deficit for Samsung at the end of the second chukka for a 5-3 lead in favour of Royal Salute.

In the third chukka, the match was bossed by Samsung who overwhelmed their opponents with Voorspuy turning out to be the match maker with a score of two more goals to pile pressure on their opponents with a 5-5 deadlock.

However in the final chukka, Royal Salute rectified their mistakes in the third chukka when they completely outplayed Samsung by scoring three neat goals through one from Parsons and the other two by Millar as Spoerry put through one for Samsung with two more matches on hand.