ASC Polo Team and PBG Risala register victories in Zameen National Open Polo C'ship 2020

ASC Polo Team and The PBG Risala registered easy victories in the Zameen National Open Polo Championship for Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2020 matches played here at Lahore Polo Club ground.

In the closely-contested first match of the day, ASC Polo Team defeated Guard Group/Artema Medical by 9-7. 

ASC Polo Team opened their account through a field goal by Eulogio Celestino to take 1-0 lead, which couldn’t last long Guard Group/Artema Medical scored an equaliser through Raja Temur to level the score at 1-1. Just before the end of the first chukker, Raja Sami converted a 30-yard penalty successfully to provide ASC 2-1 lead.

The second chukker was fully dominated by ASC as they thrashed in two back-to-back goals - one each by Mumtaz Abbas and Raja Sami - to stretch their lead to 4-1.

ASC started the third chukker with a field goal through Eulogio Celestino to further enhance their lead to 5-1. Guard Group them bounced back well and slammed in two back-to-back goals - one each by Daniyal Sheikh and Taimur Malik - to reduce the margin to 5-3. Guard Group maintained their supremacy in the fourth chukker as well as they converted two more goals - both by Daniyal Sheikh - to draw the score at 5-all. In the dying moments of the fourth chukker, Mumtaz Abbas struck one to give his side a slight edge of 6-5.

The fifth and last chukker of the match saw ASC again prevailing over Guard Group and smashing in three goals against two by Guard Group to win the encounter by 9-7. Raja Sami thrashed in two and Mumtaz Abbas one goal for ASC while George Meyrick scored both the goals for Guard Group.

From ASC, Raja Samiullah emerged as top scorer as he fired in fantastic four goals while Mumtaz Abbas Niazi contributed three and Eulogio Celestino two goals. From Guard Group/Artema Medical, Daniyal Sheikh hammered a hat-trick, George Meyrick banged in a brace while Raja Temur Nadeem and Taimur Ali Malik struck one goal each.

In the second match of the day, The PBG Risala thumped Pebble Breaker by 12-6. From PBG Risala, Nicholas A Recaite smashed in superb five goals while Hamza Mawaz Khan cracked a quartet and Raja Mikael Sami hammered a hat-trick. From Pebble Breaker, Juan Cruz Losada slammed in three goals while Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa banged in a brace and Ahmed Ali Tiwana scored one goal.

Both the teams matched fire-with-fire till the fourth chukker while in the fifth and last chukker, The PBG Risala prevailed over Pebble Breaker and won the match by 12-6. PBG Risala captain Lt Col Rabnawaz Tiwana said that his side has prepared well for the mega event and they are hopeful of winning the coveted National Open Polo trophy this year.

“Our match against Pebble Breaker was a well-contested encounter, where both the sides fought well till the fourth chukker, but after that we dominated the fifth and decisive chukker and emerged as winners. We are eager to not only quality for the National Open final but also keen to clinch the prestigious National Open Trophy,” Rabnawaz Tiwana added.