Master Paints outpaced Olympia by 10-5 in the main final to win the Magic River Polo Cup 2016 title here at the Lahore Polo Club (LPC) ground, here on Sunday.
It was Saqib Khan Khakwani's day, who dominated the entire final and amused the spectators with his superb stick work, horse handling and polo skills. All the eight goals, scored by Master Paints, were converted competently by in-form Saqib. From the losing side, Abdul Rehman Monnoo excelled and thwarted fabulous four goals. Omar Asjmad Malhi and Mir Huzaifa supervised the match as umpires.
After winning the match, hero of the day Saqib said: "The final was tough one as Olympia was a good opponent, but we played according to plan, which worked and the result was title victory for us. I hope I will continue playing well and win more titles in this polo season."
In the subsidiary final, Barki Estate outran Diamond Paints by 8-31/2 to finish third. All the players of Barki Estate contributed equally in their team's triumph. Shah Qubilai Alam, Irfan Sheikh, Kamran Noor-ud-din and Agha Murtaza all scored two goals each while from the losing side, Mir Huzaifa, Abu Baker and Naveed Sheikh hit one goal apiece. Omer Asjad Malhi officiated the match as field umpire.
Moreover, the eight-goal Diamond Paints Lahore Open Polo Championship 2016 will get underway here at the Lahore Polo Club ground from Tuesday.
The event is a very popular and a regular feature of Lahore Polo Club season. This year, Diamond Paints is sponsoring this prestigious event which include six top teams of the LPC, which are further divided into two pools, as Pool A consists of Guard Group/Newage, Allied Bank and Barry's while Pool B comprises Diamond Paints, BBJ Polo Team and Habib Metro Lions.