Last week of Delhi Polo Season was filled with some action packed performances at the IPA National Polo Championship (Open) where Sahara Warriors lifted the prestigious trophy in glory and joy after defeating Sona Polo in an immensely competitive match by 10-9. After the dazzling performance in the latter tournament, the Polo community got all set to compete for the IPG Col Girdhari Singh Memorial Cup. The cup is organized by International Polo Group to stand in the memory of VSM Col Girdhari Singh with an aim to support and enlighten the spirit of the sport of the kings. The first day of the tournament had the following teams in competition:
Match 1- JINDAL PANTHER vs SALVO
| JINDAL PANTHER | SALVO |
|---|---|
| Mr. Shubham Gupta (-2) | Cdr AP Singh (+2) |
| Mr. Siddhant Sharma (+4) | Capt. Anant Rajpurohit (0) |
| Mr. Simran Shergill (+6) | Maj Arjun Patil (+2) |
| Mr. Naveen Jindal (0) | Lt Col Asish Samantaray (+2) |
Match 2- COL GIRDHARI SINGH ASC vs HORSE & WAGON
| COL GIRDHARI SINGH ASC | HORSE & WAGON |
|---|---|
| Sep Ravindra Mang (-2) | Mr. Kuldeep Singh Rathore (+2) |
| Mr. Naveen Singh (+2) | Mr. Bhawani Singh Kalvi (+2) |
| Col GS Pandher, SM (+2) | Mr. Angad Kalaan (+3) |
| Mr. Samir Suhag (+5) | Mr. Buchi Prakash (+1) |
Match 1- JINDAL PANTHER vs SALVO
The first match of the tournament started of with Simran Shergill on strike, but he missed the shot. Nevertheless, his early attempt was complimented by Siddhant who claimed the opening goal of the match in favor of Jindal Panther. This goal was followed by Simran’s nice clean shot which brough Jindal Panther in lead as Salvo was already granted a 1.5 advantage. Even then, the opponent team gave a tough fight to the Jindals, as Maj Arjun Patil stroke the opening goal for Salvo, at which the first chukker wrapped at a score of 2-2.5, with Salvo in lead. The second chukker started with Maj Arjun Pail once again in action, he was followed by Capt Anant Rajpurohit, who bagged the third goal for Salvo. The team was leading tremendously but putting hold to it Siddhant once again came to strike to score the third goal for Jindal Panther. The chukker wrapped at 3-4.5. The match raced into the third chukker, but opened in favor of Jindal Panther were Siddhant once again scored a goal for the team at 30 yard penalty. This was followed by two goals from Salvo, where Cdr AP Singh and Maj Arjun Patil remained in action. Taking the competition ahead Simran stroke the fifth goal for his team, while Naveen Jindal bagged another soon after Simran’s action. The chukker ended at 6-6.5. The last chukker got into action with Simran’s attack towards the goalpost. To his attack, Capt Anant Rajpurohit answered in style. But by now, Jindal Panther had come into action and witnessed Simran at strike once again. His move was followed by a 30 yard penalty shot in favor of the team that was bagged in by Siddhant. Jindal Panther had come into lead by now and the match was already galloping into the dying seconds when Lt Col Asish Samantaray stroke the last goal of the match, but even then, Jindal Panther evolved as the winner at 9-8.5.
