Polo: 14.5 Goal White Cap Championship kicks off today

Louis Roumeguere of Mambo Wholesalers (right) battles with Raphael Nzomo (left)of Kenagro during the Bell inn and Swonbourne cup at Manyatta Polo Club in Gilgil on July 19, 2019 [Photos: Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

As the 14.5-Goal White Cap Kenya International Polo Championships kicks-off this afternoon at Nairobi Polo Club.

The tournament has attracted the top cream of the world-class players.

Most of the players jetted into the country on Wednesday.

They included the quintuple of South African internationals in handicap 6 Tom De Bruins, handicap 5 Duncan Watson, Brad Mc Gibbons (4), Rory Twort (4) and Guy Watson (4).

Others are Tanzanian Hansi Bruins (3.5) and Gareth Evans (5) of United Kingdom. Two matches will be played this afternoon to be umpired by British veteran Charles Seavil.

In the first match starting at 2 pm, Samurai takes on Toyota and the second one pits White Cap against White Cap Lite at 3 pm.

South African Tom De Bruin and Tanzanian Hansi Bruins have been seeded with the Kenyan duo of handicap 2.5 Raphael Nzomo and Jules Camm in the handicap 14.5 Samurai side.

The Toyota team is led by South African Guy Watson and it includes the top Kenyan trio of handicap 5 Jammie Murray, Craig Miller (3.5) and Joss Craig (2).

The second match starting at 3 pm pits handicap 14 White Cap against handicap 13.5 White Cap Lite, which puts the latter at the advantage of starting the match with half fraction of a goal.

The White Cap team is led by Handicap 5 United Kingdom’s Gareth Evans alongside experienced Kenyan trio of handicap 5 Casimir Gross, Tarquin Gross (3) and Ben Stonewigg.

South African Watson (Duncan) is drawn with the Kenyan trio of Archie Voorspuy (3.5), Izzy Parsons(2.5) and handicap 2.5 Mbu Ngugi in the handicap 13.5 White Cap Lite team.

Nairobi Polo Club vice-chairman Raphael Nzomo predicted a tough match against Toyota in the second consecutive week after the 6-Goal Nairobi International Championships last weekend.

“The brand sponsorship is very inspiring to our players in a discipline ignored by the betting companies,” Nzomo told Standard Sports.

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