Kenya polo team set for Kampala trip

Kenya Duma's Jules Camm and Leandro Rodrigues (left) of Brazil during 10-Goal International tournament at the Nairobi Polo Club last year. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

With the season opener set for Northern Kenya Polo Club on May 26-28 to prepare players for the international calendar, for the first time in many years Uganda will host Kenya in a 10-Goal international match on August 4-6 at Kakira Nile Polo Club, Kampala.

It will be a mixed-foursome format of play and the team will be selected after a series of national tournaments to prepare different sides that will take part in a number of international assignments this year.

Kenya Polo Association Secretary General Silke Hampson confirmed they will send a mixed team of men and women to Uganda for the three-day tournament.

"Definitely, we will head to Uganda as a morale booster to the home side that's trying to revamp her game and her standards and we're ready and equally obliged to honour the invitation," Hampson told Standard Sports.

She said the Kenyan team will be forced to transport their horses to Uganda as the host country lacks sufficient horses to host a tournament of such a magnitude.

"Although, it will be an expensive affair on our part, we will be forced to transport our horses to Uganda as they (Ugandans) do not have enough horses that could be used by all our players who will take part in the match," she noted.

Prior to that assignment, Kenya is also expected to take part in two other international assignments.

The first match will see the Kenyan men and women sides head to Zimbabwe on July 8-9 for a 13-15-Goal-Tournament either in Harare or Bulawayo.

Thereafter, the Kenyan ladies will host Zambia at Nairobi Polo Club on July 21-23, this being a reciprocal visit after Kenya toured Lusaka the previous year.