POLO: Baringo face Elementaita in Rift Valley Cup final today

Handicap 4.5 Baringo picked a 6-5.5 win over Naivasha as the Rift Valley Cup Polo Championships started at Manyatta Polo Club in Gilgil yesterday.

Playing under sunny and windy conditions, both teams started the match on a high note while pushing each other despite Naivasha starting the match at the advantage of a fraction of a goal from their weak handicap.

Naivasha team of experienced handicap 2.5 Raphael Nzomo, Henry Limb (2.5), Louis Roumeguere (0) and Fred Kambo (-1) gave a good account of themselves despite losing the match by half fraction of a goal.

Geoff Morley and Natasha Tisminieszky each scored a double with Kenya international and handicap 3.5 Archie Voorspuy providing much assistance to his Baringo team members in the pulsating match with goals scored in the first, second and fourth chukkas.

Phyllipa Gulden opened the scores for the winners in the opening chukka before Voorspuy made it two in the second chukka.

Nzomo, who was instrumental for his Naivasha side made it much easier for experienced Henry Limb’s hat-trick who scored a double in the first chukka and another one in the final chukka.

Baringo face Elementaita in the winner’s finals today.

On their part, Naivasha take on Nakuru in the losers’ finals to decide on the play-offs winners.

In the match between Elementaita and Nakuru, handicap 2.5 Izzy Parsons scored a hat-trick as handicap 2 Kimoi Moi managed a double for Elementaita to secure a 6.5-6 win.

Starting the match at the advantage of half a fraction of a goal from their low handicap, the victors scored two goals in the first chukka,but Nakuru snatched a 4-2 lead into their favour in the first chukka.

It was Richard Stonewigg who caused the damage by a scoring a hatt-rick for Nakuru before Kaila Millar returned one for a 4-2.5 lead.

In the second chukka, Elementaita made a comeback and dominated their opponents with Parsons passing the ball through the sticks and Stutti Millar thereafter increasing the tally to 4.5-4.

Parsons was on the mark again with two quick goals. []