Handicap 4 Zambian international Pammy Greenshields steered Engel to a 8.5-5 victory over Axial as the Bell Inn/Swinbourne International Cup Championships started at Manyatta Polo Club in Gilgil yesterday.
Greenshields, who is a member of the Zambia national women polo team that arrived from Lusaka last Thursday for an international match against their Kenyan counterparts tomorrow at the same venue, was instrumental in the match.
She scored a goal in the second chukka and provided several assists to her teammates in the tie that was meant for the foreigners to test the Kenyan horses.
Starting the match at the advantage of half a fraction of a goal from their low handicap, Engel whose other team members included handicap 3 Kenya international Cindy Voorspuy, Megan Griffiths (3) and Georgina Millar (3) led 4-2 in the first two chukkas from goals by top scorer Millar (three) and Greenshields (one).
Handicap 4 Aisha Gross, who hopes to be selected in the Kenyan team this evening, scored a double for the handicap 14 Axial whose other team members included Zambian Megan Viljeon (4), Phylipa Gulden (3) and Australlian trained Hiromi Nzomo (3).
Griffiths and Millar (Georgina) each scored a double in the third and fourth chukkas to be on the driving seat as Viljeon, Gross and Gulden each scored once to reduce the deficit.
In another international mixed friendly match, Actara team of Zambian international Nunu Henderson(3) highly rated handicap 7 Kenya international Izzy Parsons, Natasha Tisminieszky (3) and Izzy Stichbury(3) picked a 7-3.5 victory over Amistra Xtra.
In the Division A Championships, experienced handicap 2.5 Raphael Nzomo steered Kenagro to a 6-3.5 victory over Mambo Wholesalers in a one-sided match against the low handicap losers.