This archive report was first published on 22 September 2019.
On Sunday, the Kenya International Polo tournament came to a close with White Cap taking the top spot after a thrilling match against Samurai at Jamuhuri Park Showground.
White Cap led the standings with 28.5 goals, followed closely by White Cap Lite with 23 1/4 goals. Samurai and Toyota teams tied for third place with 21 goals each.
Samurai, the three-time winners, faced a tough challenge from the White Cap team, led by Casimir Gross, who scored two goals in the first chukker. His teammates, Tarquin Gross and Ben Stonewigg, added one goal each to secure the first seven minutes round.
However, Samurai's lead handicap player, Tom de Bruin, struggled with his horsemanship skills and backhand swings, causing his team to lose three chukkers to White Cap.
"Unlike most games, Polo is unpredictable, and our poor start in our first chukker pulled back our game. But we still enjoyed every moment and hope to come back for next year's tourney," said De Bruin.
Toyota team, consisting of Guy Watson, Jamie Murray, Craig Millar, and Joss Craig, also had a successful day, thrashing White Cap Lite 10-6 in the first match of the day.
"Saturday's match was tough for us, but we took it as a lesson and cleaned up our weaknesses to get victory in our last match. Our opponents put up a good fight, and we are glad to be part of the experience," said Guy Watson.
The tournament, played over two weekends, was sponsored by White Cap lager and saw Tanzanian and South African polo players come in to boost the game.
Kenya Polo Association Vice Chairman Raphael Nzomo expressed his hopes for the tournament's success, saying, "Polo needs as much support and publicity as any other sport in the country, and we hope to get to stadium-filling levels just like the overseas tournaments."
