11th Manipur Polo International tournament 2017
The Manipur Polo International held every year from November 22 to 29 and organised by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA)-having become a part of the Manipur Sangai Festival- is becoming one of the most important calendar polo events in the world today <br> By: N Ibungochoubi
30 November 2017 | Manipur
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The Manipur Polo International held every year from November 22 to 29 and organized by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA)-having become a part of the Manipur Sangai Festival- is becoming one of the most important calendar polo events in the world today.
The 11th Edition of the invitational polo tournament held this year was participated by teams from Argentina, England, Morocco, USA and the two host teams India A (IPA) and India B (Manipur).
The significance of the tournament, being played at Mapal Kangjeibung, the oldest living polo ground in the world, is getting yet another fervor as the state's mega-festival 'Manipur Sangai Festival' is also held at the same time attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. This year's tournament will be fondly remembered by the people of Manipur for many reasons. The teams were slotted in Pool A (England, India B(Manipur) and Morocco) and Pool B (Argentina, India A(IPA) and the USA) for the Robin League: Two top teams to play in the semi-final.
The India B (Manipur) fought it's way to the Semifinal defeating England (8-3) and Morocco (15-2)-in the Robin League. England entered the Semifinal from the same Pool while Argentina and USA entered the Semifinal from the other Pool. The Argentina Vs USA (4-4) drawn match was an absolute thriller much to the delight of the spectators that awaited the fight of two 10-goal teams.
The semi-final matches- Argentina vs England (10-5) and India B(Manipur) vs USA (7-6) enthralled the enthusiastic polo lovers of the people of Manipur. For the India B(Manipur) having lost to the USA in 2015 and Australia in 2016, both in the final, it was an energy and spirit redefined to put up a good show in front of the local crowd. Playing under tremendous pressure against the USA in the Semifinal and Argentina in the grand final was an exceptional experience and a reason to rejoice. The home team-winning the Semifinal against the USA team in a closely fought match (7-6)- had a bigger match to meet the following day.
The home team comprising three players chosen for the first time to play against the foreign teams- L Atangba, Th Jacob and K Jogendra were full of energy backed by senior and experienced players S Bimol, P Ojit and T Pradeep Kumar. Although none of the players from Manipur are assessed for handicap, the level of their standards was gauged from earlier experiences.
The home team played well against an 8-Goal team from the USA some years ago. In the similar ground and environment, the organizers presumed that the Manipur team could be approximately around that number of goals. Hence in the invitations 8 to10 goals mentioned. The final match drew a large crowd- the matches of the tournament too telecast live by the national television network Doordarshan. In a nail-biting finish, the India B (Manipur) won Argentina (7-6).
It was befitting the large board-"We gave the world the game of Polo", the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association organized the tournament with a deep sense of ownership and commitment to "Save the Manipuri Pony", as a central a theme of the mega event.
2. Th Jacob
3. P Ojit
4. T Pradeep Kumar Singh
5. S Bimol Singh
6. K Jogendra Meitei
2. Hicham Zine
3. Rachid Haddouche
4. Philippe Darroux
2. Juan Cruz Gramajo (3)
3. Juan Pablo Saravia (2)
4. Miguel Uriburu (3)
2. Dfr Ram Singh (1)
3. Col Tarsem Singh (2)
4. Dfr Vijay Sing (2)
2. Nate Berube (2)
3. Nick Johnson (3)
4. Kegan Walsh (3)
5. Brennan Wells (2)
2. Ben Eeley (2)
3. Phil Seller (2)
4. Robin Ormerod (2)
The significance of the tournament, being played at Mapal Kangjeibung, the oldest living polo ground in the world, is getting yet another fervor as the state's mega-festival 'Manipur Sangai Festival' is also held at the same time attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. This year's tournament will be fondly remembered by the people of Manipur for many reasons. The teams were slotted in Pool A (England, India B(Manipur) and Morocco) and Pool B (Argentina, India A(IPA) and the USA) for the Robin League: Two top teams to play in the semi-final.
The India B (Manipur) fought it's way to the Semifinal defeating England (8-3) and Morocco (15-2)-in the Robin League. England entered the Semifinal from the same Pool while Argentina and USA entered the Semifinal from the other Pool. The Argentina Vs USA (4-4) drawn match was an absolute thriller much to the delight of the spectators that awaited the fight of two 10-goal teams.
The semi-final matches- Argentina vs England (10-5) and India B(Manipur) vs USA (7-6) enthralled the enthusiastic polo lovers of the people of Manipur. For the India B(Manipur) having lost to the USA in 2015 and Australia in 2016, both in the final, it was an energy and spirit redefined to put up a good show in front of the local crowd. Playing under tremendous pressure against the USA in the Semifinal and Argentina in the grand final was an exceptional experience and a reason to rejoice. The home team-winning the Semifinal against the USA team in a closely fought match (7-6)- had a bigger match to meet the following day.
The home team comprising three players chosen for the first time to play against the foreign teams- L Atangba, Th Jacob and K Jogendra were full of energy backed by senior and experienced players S Bimol, P Ojit and T Pradeep Kumar. Although none of the players from Manipur are assessed for handicap, the level of their standards was gauged from earlier experiences.
The home team played well against an 8-Goal team from the USA some years ago. In the similar ground and environment, the organizers presumed that the Manipur team could be approximately around that number of goals. Hence in the invitations 8 to10 goals mentioned. The final match drew a large crowd- the matches of the tournament too telecast live by the national television network Doordarshan. In a nail-biting finish, the India B (Manipur) won Argentina (7-6).
It was befitting the large board-"We gave the world the game of Polo", the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association organized the tournament with a deep sense of ownership and commitment to "Save the Manipuri Pony", as a central a theme of the mega event.
1. India-B (Manipur)
1. L Atangba Singh2. Th Jacob
3. P Ojit
4. T Pradeep Kumar Singh
5. S Bimol Singh
6. K Jogendra Meitei
2. Morocco
1. Bady Kebir2. Hicham Zine
3. Rachid Haddouche
4. Philippe Darroux
3. Argentina
1. Martin Scortichini (2)2. Juan Cruz Gramajo (3)
3. Juan Pablo Saravia (2)
4. Miguel Uriburu (3)
4. India A (IPA)
1. Maj Narendra Singh (0)2. Dfr Ram Singh (1)
3. Col Tarsem Singh (2)
4. Dfr Vijay Sing (2)
5. USA
1. Jorge Vásquez (2)2. Nate Berube (2)
3. Nick Johnson (3)
4. Kegan Walsh (3)
5. Brennan Wells (2)
6. England
1. George Shelton (1)2. Ben Eeley (2)
3. Phil Seller (2)
4. Robin Ormerod (2)
