Colony Sugar lifted the country’s prestigious polo tournament, the Bank Alfalah-sponsored National Polo Championship for the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2012 beating Nestle in a one-sided final here at the Lahore Polo Club ground on Sunday.
Colony Sugar took control of the match right from the start and maintained its grip of the match throughout the five chukkers winning 9-5.
Raul Laplacette, with a seven-goal burst brought Colony Sugar second major title after they won the Punjab Cup last month.
Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Federal Minister for Defence, presented the main trophy and other prizes to the winners.
Shah Qubali Alam with a 60-yarder provided Nestle a solitary goal lead but Colony Sugar warmed up in the second chukker to go one goal up when Raul Laplacette first leveled the score with a lofted shot and then took an edge with a field move.
Shah Qubilai Alam brought an equalizer with another 60-yarder to start the third quarter but Laplacette with his three and Naveed M Sheikh moved four goals ahead of Nestle.
Laplacette’s three hits across the polls were a mix of 30, 40 and 60 yards penalties while Naveed came up with a field move.
Qublai and Raja Samiullah added another two goals but their that effort was not enough to bring them into the game because Laplacette competed his seven goals haul and by th end of the fourth quarter Colony Sugar was leading 8-4. in the final chukker both the teams added one goal each. Qublai hit in his fourth and the team’s fifth but Santiago Mendivil’s solo effort just increased the lead and concluded the match in Colony Sugar’s favour.
Earlier in the day, Master Paints claimed the third position when they defeated Pakistan Army/Nadra 11-6 in the subsidiary final.
Although all the four riders of Master Paints had their share in the win but the game was evenly-poised by the close of second chukker and dominated by James Harper-led Army but the Masters took control of the entire game by seven back to back goals in the fourth and fifth chukker. Six of the 11 goals came off the mace of Gaston Moore, Mashud Akbar and Ignacio Del Tour came up with one goal each and Sufi Muhammad Haris contributed one. Harper, who scored four goals in a losing cause got one goal each support from Raja Temur Nadeem and Maj Gen Isfanduyar Pataudi.
