How exciting would be a Polo final if the winner is decided in the last minute of the match! IPG Col Girdhari Singh Memorial Cup finals between Rajnigandha Achievers and Col Girdhari Singh ASC witnessed something similar. The match was to start at 3 pm at the Jaipur Polo Ground, Delhi. The grandstand was packed with people who were excited to their nerves for the match to begin. Preparing for the last match of the Delhi Polo Season, the players were excited and nervous about the match. Greeting each other with a warm welcome, the players and the team owners had a motivational talk before the match. The commentator for the match, Sharad was ready with some good punchlines to start off the match. Blank expressions of the crowd soon turned into happy faces when the band performed their performances. The agitated crowd was on their toes after the horse show was displayed before the start of the match. The players massed around the umpire, the commentator called every player individually, players got themselves clicked, the photographers clicked team photographs, the crowd was anxious and enthusiastic at the same time and the chief guest/organizer, Col Solanki threw the ball for the finals to begin. The umpires for the match were Julio Bensadon and Lt. Col A Samantaray. Rajnigandha Achievers were ready in white while Col Girdhari Singh ASC played in blue.
The team composition was as follows:
| Rajnigandha Achievers | Col Girdhari Singh ASC |
|---|---|
| Hurr Ali -2 | Sep Ravindra Mang -2 |
| Deepak Udar +1 | Col GS Pandher +2 |
| Salim Azmi +3 | Naveen Singh +2 |
| Matthew Perry +6 | Lt Col Vishal Chauhan +4 |
The match started off on a score of 1.5 – 0 with Col Girdhari Singh ASC in the lead. Lt Col Vishal Chauhan played in place of Samir Suhag, as he was injured. The total handicap of Col girdhari Singh ASC was +6 and they were awarded a good lead before the match. The match started off with a quick goal from Naveen Singh. 5 minutes 30 seconds were left for the first chukker when Naveen Singh made his run from the half towards the goal. His shot was defended in the process but he was able to complete his run and score a brilliant goal for his team. The score was 2.5 – 0 after his goal. Blazing off towards the goal with a counter attack were Matthew Perry and Salim Azmi who couldn’t convert the play into a goal. Rajnigandha Achievers were goalless in the first chukker. The match was tilted towards Col Girdhari Singh ASC polo team and a powerful shot from Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan extended Col Girdhari Singh ASC Polo team’s lead. The match was now at 3.5 – 0. Hurr Ali passed a good ball to Salim Azmi who hit the ball hard towards Matthew Perry. A beautiful play was made for Matthew perry at the right wing when Matthew Perry hit a powerful shot from the angle. He missed the goal by few inches but it was a good effort from the team. The first chukker was settled at 3.5 – 0 with Col Girdhari Singh ASC Polo team in the lead.
The second chukker witnessed Rajnigandha Achievers displaying a great game against their rivals. Matthew Perry struck the first goal for his team and the first goal of the chukker. He hit the ball in from a 40-yard penalty. The second goal by Matthew Perry earned him a lot of cheers and applause from the stands. Snatching the ball from defense, he ran with the ball towards the goal. Drifting past Col Girdhari Singh ASC Polo team’s defense, Matthew Perry scored a fabulous goal for his team. The score was 3.5 – 2 after his goal. Rajnigandha Achievers were back in the game after two brilliant strikes from their key man, Matthew Perry. Col Girdhari Singh tried several times to score but were denied goals by Rajnigandha Achievers’ defense. A quick play cem into action by Rajnigandha Achievers which was converted into a goal by the man in the white helmet, Deepak Udar. The score was 3.5 – 3 after Deepak Udar’s goal. The speed, blaze, and intensity of the game had everyone on the brink of the chairs, holding it tight and jumping grandly with each goal bagged, but the fate of the game remained as unpredictable as it could get. Col Girdhari Singh ASC Polo team headed towards the goal with Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan taking the charge. A brilliant goal-line save from Salim Azmi denied Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan the goal but Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan scored a brilliant goal on rebound. The score was 3 – 4.5 after Chukker 2.
The third chukker opened with Matthew Perry ran with the ball from the right but couldn’t convert the play into a goal. It was tough luck for the man in form but another run towards the goal was converted into a goal by Matthew Perry. The third chukker didn’t see a lot of goals in play but the match was slowly revealing it’s intense side. The match was closely tied at 4.5 – 4 in the third chukker.
The last chukker of the match was in action and the fate of the match was to be decided in the chukker. After a complete unpredictable series of events, Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan ran with the ball towards the goal but missed the goal by a few inches. Another brilliant run towards the goal by Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan was a goal this time. The score was 4 – 5.5 after his goal. A powerful shot by Matthew Perry from a long ball from Salim Azmi was the 5th goal for Rajnigandha Achievers. The match was in it’s last minutes when Matthew Perry ran from the right along with Salim Azmi. He was denied the goal by Lt Col Vishal Chauhan but Salim Azmi scored the goal for Rajnigandha Achievers on rebound from Matthew Perry’s assist. Rajnigandha Achievers were ahead by 6 – 5.5 and 1 minute was left for the game to end. Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan ran with the ball towards the goal, this goal could be the winning goal as only 30 seconds were left for the whistle to blow, there was no defender in front of Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan when Matthew Perry made a fantastic run behind him, hustling against Matthew Perry, Lt. Col Vishal Chauhan tried his best to keep the ball but great defense from Matthew Perry denied him the goal and ensured the victory for Rajnigandha Achievers. Naveen Singh was declared the Most Valuable Player while Champ, played by Matthew Perry was the best playing pony.
YOU CAN ALSO READ:
DAY 2 – THREADING INTO THE SECOND DAY OF IPG COL GIRDHARI SINGH MEMORIAL CUP 2018
SEMI FINAL – QUALIFYING FOR THE FINALS OF THE LAST TOURNAMENT OF DELHI POLO SEASON 2018
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