Contributed by Peter Ibrahim Abisheganaden of
http://www.equestrian.com.
The Royal Pahang Classic started yesterday in the royal town of Pekan, Pahang. Six teams are playing in the RMPA International League’s final at this tournament. They are the hosts Royal Pahang Polo Club, Royal Selangor Polo Club, Singapore Polo Club, Cameron Highlands, Thailand Polo and Ranhill.
Royal Pahang leads the league standings with two tournaments played at the Cartier International in Singapore in June and the RSPC International League Tournament in July. Royal Pahang finished 2nd in both of those tournaments. Singapore Polo Club and Royal Selangor won their respective tournaments, while Cameron Highlands and Thailand Polo have finished 3rd and 4th respectively in both tournaments.
Whichever of the top four teams wins the Royal Pahang Classic stands to win the overall League for 2006. With the year’s honours at stake, it is bound to be a highly competitive and exciting tournament. Some very good players are here from around the world for this 12-14 goal tournament.
There are four teams in the 4 to 6 goal National League which starts play on Wednesday, including a joint Royal Pahang – Royal Jordanian Polo Club team. Jagdeep Kairon’s Sher-e-Punjab have employed +4 goal Pakistani Qublai Alam, while defending National League champions RSPC have engaged Pahang +2 pro Hayudin. Showjumper Quzier Ambak will take time off from his World Cup showjumping campaign to bring his Jogo Polo team to the Pahang Classic.
There are three teams in the 0 to 3 goal Championship League. There is also an exhibition game on Sunday 27th that will feature some past Pahang polo heroes, a few government ministers and Pahang polo playing royalty.
With Royal Pahang celebrating their 80th Anniversary, it is bound to be a very hospitable week that will feature many social functions. It has all the makings of a memorable tournament.
RANHILL VS CAMERON HIGHLANDS
Cameron Highlands are slight favourites in this match as they have last tournament’s MVP Ubarjarra “Bar” Alves de Andrade back, and he has brought his friend and fellow Brazilian 7-Goaler Jorge “Giorgio” Junqueira. Veterans Brian Miller and Hiroshe Kume are the co-patrons of Cameron Highlands.
Ranhill has Huzaini Yunos at back, Chilean Romano Vercellino, Brazilian Jose Klabin and Ali Mazlan up front taking over from patron Tan Sri Hamdan Mohammad, who is not available for this match.
His Majesty, The Sultan of Pahang throws the ball in to start the tournament.
Bar and Giorgio combine very well, but don’t have a good conversion rate of chances to goals. Despite slightly more possession than Ranhill in the first two chukkas, they can only score two goals.
Ranhill receives 1½ goals on handicap. Huzaini carries a knee injury sustained in the RDA Charity Tournament two weeks ago, but doesn’t show it as he is in fine form. His penalty shooting is simply awesome as he scores with two unstoppable shots from the 60 yard line in the 2nd chukka. Jose Klabin weighs in with a fine solo goal, and at half-time Ranhill lead by 5½ to 2.
Giorgio steals the ball from Huzaini’s hit in and converts to bring Cameron Highlands momentarily back into the game. From the throw-in Ranhill break away to restore a 3½ goal lead.
At the start of the 4th chukka Jose Klabin cleans up after Romano’s air shot on goal to give Ranhill a 7½ -3 lead. It is not looking like Cameron’s day as first Bar’s 60 yarder is knocked out for a safety, then he puts the safety wide.
It’s too late in the chukka when bar and Giorgio finally start fulfilling their promise with 3 late goals. They bring it back to 7½ to 6 at the final bell, but it is a very good win for Ranhill.
THAILAND POLO VS RSPC
The second match is Thailand vs Royal Selangor Polo Club. RSPC gets off to a flying start as local boy Edham Shaharuddin scores the first 2 goals. Shaik Reismann makes it 3 to ½ as Thailand struggles to weather Dato’ Mohamed Moiz’s team’s whirlwind start.
Dato’ Mohamed has thrown the cast off his left hand less than 10 days after fracturing his elbow, so desperate is he to play and win in Pahang. His heroic gesture lifts his team.
Thailand changes their tactics in the 2nd half and put Julian Sagarna onto a man-marking job on Edham. That took Ed off Thailand’s play-maker Chilean +6 Carlos Pando. The tactics worked as Thailand come back into the game with two goals.
It is very exciting in the third chukka as the teams trade the lead. Carlos wins the ball deep in his own half and turns it. He goes all the way with man hard on him and still scores to give Thailand the lead at 3½ – 3.
RSPC show their fighting spirit and Shaik finishes off a team play. They lead by half a goal again. It doesn’t last long as Carlos again scores for Thailand to give them the lead as the 3rd chukka ends.
In the 4th Chukka RSPC have a 60 yarder. Juan’s shot is heading out but Shaik deflects it in to give them a 5 to 4½ goal lead. Carlos misses a 60 yarder. Then Juan has a chance to kill off the game but incredibly he misses a 30 yarder.
Thailand have one last chance as the umpires make a tough call on what looks like a brilliant defensive play by Edham as he steals the ball nearside from Carlos and tails it out of play. But a 60 yarder to Thailand is called, despite Ed’s lengthy appeal to the umpires. Carlos misses it and Thailand run out of time.
RSPC win 5 to 4½.
ROYAL PAHANG POLO CLUB VS SINGAPORE POLO CLUB
Royal Pahang come into this tournament favourites to win on their home ground. They have the Gabriel Donoso, the former +9 goaler in their Pahang Classic side for a second year. Gabriel is older but still very useful, playing off +7 goals. He is assisted by Jorge La Marche, an industrious +4 player with a very high work-rate. HRH Tengku Mahkota Pahang is joined in this 14 goal team by HRH Prince Rashid of Jordan.
Singapore Polo Club must still be smarting from their last place finish at the RSPC International League Tournament last month as they have revamped their team and engaged Diego Arraya. At +8 Diego is the highest handicapped player at this tournament. He is assisted by Singapore based Pakistani pro Sattar Khan (+5), his brother Hameedullah (+1) and Ken McMillan.
The tone for the match is set right at the start as Gabriel steals the ball off Diego and breaks away to score.
Jorge La Marche shows what a useful player he is as he too takes a ball off Diego and makes it 2-0. Singapore gets into the game with a good goal by Sattar who uses his pony’s speed to get past Gabriel to make it 2-1.
The Diego-Sattar combination is starting to work as Singapore pull back to 3-3 at half-time. Both Sattar and Diego score a goal, while Gabriel converts a 30 yarder for Royal Pahang.
Rain falls at the start of the 3rd chukka. Both Princes are playing well for Royal Pahang. Tengku Mahkota is very well mounted and is having a very good game, playing with intelligence and speed. Prince Rashid scores a wonderful goal for Royal Pahang. The it is the Gabriel – Jorge combination that puts Pahang two goals ahead as Gabriel finds Jorge down the left channel and the Argentinean scores with a very good nearsider.
Diego tries to galvanise Singapore, but they can’t find any more goals. Gabriel finally seals the win with a 30 yard penalty. Final score 6-3. Pahang have done it with relative ease, and in my opinion is the team to beat in this wonderful tournament.
It was a day of magnificent polo in a wonderful setting and atmosphere. It is going to be some week!