2023 Carnival Polo: Rubicon pip Malcomines, emerge winners of President’s Cup
By Victor Okoye
Rubicon Polo team emerged winners of the 2023 National Carnival Polo Tournament’s top prize; the President’s Cup in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the week-long international carnival fiesta which galloped off at the Nigeria Polo Resort/Guards Polo Club on Dec. 9 came to an end on Sunday.
Five cups were competed for during the tournament to showcase and celebrate the tourism potentials and cultural heritage of the country.
No fewer than 28 teams across the country as well as participants from home and abroad took part in the competition.
The teams competed for the President’s Cup, Legislative Shield, FCT Minister’s Cup, Guards Challenge Trophy and the Argentine Ambassador’s Cup.
Serial champions, Malcomines had their hands full as they battled their arch rivals.
The President’s Cup was a family affair as both sides could not be separated at the end of an intense, nail-biting, five chukka high- goal encounter between Hadi Sirika’s Rubicon and Malcomines of Jos.
Homeboys and brothers, Abdulmalik (+4) and Idris (+3) Badamasi marshalled Sirika’s +14 goal Abuja Rubicon and combined well with Peco Polledo of U.S (+6) to produce a total of seven goals which was shared between them.
Former Aviation Minister’s son, Abdulrahman Sirika (+1) goaler completed the quartet of a well-oiled machine.
Murtala Luashi’s (+1) Malcomines on the other hand boasted of a +12-team in its stable.
Argentine import Manuel Crespo (+6) dubbed the ‘Assassin’, was the team’s star player and scored a total of four goals for the team.
The Jos-based team also had such talented stars as Hamisu Buba (+3) who was instrumental to two goals scored and Ashraf Yahaya also a +3-goal player.
The game was fiercely contested for and had to be decided by a coin toss after it ended in a 7-7 score draw.
However, the result of the coin toss performed by the Minister of Youth, Jamila Ibrahim went in favour of Rubicon as they emerged victorious against their perennial rivals from Jos.
The result meant the Abuja Rubicon Polo team laid claim to the title which had eluded them for the last three editions of the competition.
Interestingly, both sides had also clashed earlier on Saturday in the Argentine Ambassador’s Cup, which saw Rubicon also emerge victorious after a pulsating encounter, which ended 6 to 5 goals.
Hadi Sirika, the patron of Rubicon after his team’s victory, told newsmen after the game that the two perennial rivals in the President’s Cup stood head and shoulders above the rest.
He said that Malcomines was a team to beat in the near future.
“I think it was a very tough match. It was played with equal strength players.
“The game was very tactical, but I think what went very well for us was the element of horsepower.
“The professionals also did very well and went back in defence at the last chukka, which I think helped matters, and tactically, it came out to be the winning strategy,” he said.
In the Legislative Shield final, Max Air walloped Dokaji Farms 12 to half a goal at the end of a one-sided encounter to claim the Cup.
The FCT Minister’s Cup final saw FK3 defeat a hard-fighting Nigeria Police Polo team 5 to 3 goals in the final of the FCT Minister’s Cup to emerge winners.
In the final of the Guards Challenge, NSK Farms thrashed Dolce Polo team 9 to 2 goals to claim bragging rights of the cup.
NAN also reports that the 2023 National Carnival Polo which was its 15th edition was graced by the Emir of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III and traditional rulers.
Others are ministers, governors, legislative members, the Chief of Defence Staff as well as members of the diplomatic community. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Joseph Edeh
