Daily Times

LAHORE: The Army Polo Championship 2016 concluded after Mangla Corps lifted the trophy by beating Rawalpindi Corps 7-1/2 to 6 in a fiercely contested final at the army polo ground on Sunday.

The winners though, started the match with a handicap of half goal and conceded three goals in the first chukkar. Veteran Maj General (r) Asfandar Patudi scored two goals and Major Faizan scored one. Using his strong horsemanship, Khushi inspired the Mangla Corpse’s comeback in the second chukkar, reducing the margin with two magnificent goals with Haseeb also scoring a goal.

However, the Rawalpindi Corps maintained their lead through Saqib’s back hand goal. In the third chukkar, Khushi again proved vital and led from the front by scoring two goals to take lead. Struggling hard to maintain the team’s supremacy, Gen Patudi also scored a goal.

Horsemen from both teams demonstrated their outstanding skills and speed in the decisive fourth chukkar. Mangla Corps’ Major Haseeb scored two excellent back hand goals hits while Saqib from the Rawalpindi Corps scored a penalty. A large number of spectators witnessed the final and enjoyed every moment of it.

Meanwhile, Lahore Corps’ Naik Arshad won the individual lance competition. Sepoy Nawaz of Lahore Corps grabbed second position while Khushi Muahammad of Mangla Corps got third position. Mangla Corps secured first position in the pair lance competition. Lahore Corps teams grabbed second and third positions.

Rawalpindi Corps got first position in the team competition while Mangla Corps and Lahore Corps secured second and third positions respectively. Lahore Corps Commander Lt-General Sadiq Ali was the chief guest and distributed prizes amongst the players.