South Africa polo stars ready for Timau event

Four-goaler Adrian Lavarinhas will lead South Africa in the Six-Goal-Kenya International tournament at Northern Kenya Polo Club.[Standard]

Four-goaler Adrian Lavarinhas will lead South Africa in the Six-Goal-Kenya International tournament at Northern Kenya Polo Club, Timau this afternoon.

He’ll be the only South African to play this weekend ahead of the big event next week.

Most of the South Africans are expected to start jetting in after this weekend’s competition, according to Kenya Polo Association president Jamie Murray.

“We expect all visiting internationals to have already jetted in for this competition this weekend,” Murray said.

Lavarinhas, who plays in KwaZulu Natal and recently led his team to win South Africa Open in Piettenberg Bay, will play for Thunder alongside Lochie Stichbury (1), Phyllipa Gulden (0.5) and Rowena Stichbury (-0.5).

Thunder's first match pits them against Bandur at 3pm in a tournament that could assist the South African identify the right ponies to use next week in the 12-Goal-Internatioinal-Championships where international players will be mixed in six teams of four players each (Mixed Foursomes).

Bandur has Casimir Gross (6), Nikki Barlow (0.5), Emily Stonewigg (-0.5) and Tom Manson (-0.5).

Murray authoritatively confirmed that South Africa is the only team that will present her players in the grand finale next week.

And therefore, her players begin their matches today with Lavarinhas as Tom De Breiner, who was the first South African to have confirmed participation in the event should be expected to arrive with the rest of his five teammates.

“The rest of the South Africans are expected to start arriving as from Monday onwards,” he stated.

As a result, Murray said there’ll be a South African in each of the six teams to battle in 12-goal matches. And the rest should be Kenyan internationals who all start with the Six-Goal-Kenya International tournament this afternoon.

“Since South Africa is the main team here, we’ll spread all their six players into the six teams with the Kenyan internationals who’ll take part in the senior event next week, but we will start it with this week’s tournament,” Murray explained.

The new development puts to a stop to expectations of participation of players from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Tanzania.