Polo: Kamani and Tisminieszky named best players

Samurai's Hiromi Nzomo during Chairman's Cup, at Nairobi Polo Club, on Sunday. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Handicap -2 Bobby Kamani and handicap 0.5 Natasha Tisminieszky were the best players during the Chairman’s Cup at Nairobi Polo Club, over the weekend.

Kamani, who rescued Team 24:7 from an imminent defeat to Jacaranda in the fight for top honours in the Subsidiary Championships, scored crucial goals that forced his team to share the spoils.

Both sides tied 6-6 in the two-match-two-day competition, which was being held on a round-robin series.

His partnership with Kelvin Jumba was superb, which resulted Jumba emerging as the top scorer of the junior tournament, with four goals.

He thanked some experienced players at the club for guiding them to becoming better players besides lending them (young players) their horses at the start of their career as young polo players.

“Special thanks go to experienced players like Raphael Nzomo and Phillip Arunga for their tutelage and for their generosity. They lent us their horses before we later bought ours,” Kamani told Standard Sports. [Ben Ahenda]

Nzomo (Raphael) emerged the top scorer of the tournament with eight goals.

His contribution saw his handicap 1.5 Samurai team of Izzy Stichbury (0.5), Hiromi Nzomo (0) and Eva Kamau (-1.5) force Tanqueray to a five-all draw. Both teams shared the title.

Other Tanqueray teams members were handicap 2 Phillip Arunga, Louis Roumeguere (0.5), Moses Wainaga (0.5) and Miranda Romijn (-1.5).

On her part, Natasha Tisminieszky was voted the Most Valuable Player after guiding Radio Africa to finish third in the tournament.

Their crucial goals saw them defeat Tusker Malt 3.5-1 before registering a similar victory against Ultimate to win the Losers Plate Final with maximum four points from two matches.

And with the conclusion of the tournament, the season takes a three and half-month break before resuming in May.