N Hazari and Dr N Tombi State Polo: MPSC-B beat MPSC-C in 9 goal thriller, to meet Chingkheihunba Polo Club-A in semis

By Our Sports Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 8 : MPSC-B got the better of MPSC-C 5-4 in a thrilling quarter final match of the 35th N Hazari and Dr N Tombi State Level Polo Tournament which is underway at Mapal Kangjeibung under the supervision of Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association. MPSC-B will meet Chingkheihunba Polo Club-A, Kongpal which drubbed Imphal Riding Club-A, Lamphel 7-2 in the last quarter final match of the tournament staged today.
In the first match of the day, MPSC-B which cruised into the quarter finals with convincing wins in the earlier rounds faced a late surge from MPSC-C and had to rely on additional chukker goal by H Abung Khuman to finish the game 5-4 and book the semi-final berth.
MPSC-B started positively and led the first two chukkers with 3-0 lead as the two teams drew blank in the second chukker after T Pradeepkumar, O Suresh Singh and Kh Nongpoknganba scored a goal apiece in the opening chukker.
M Jawan breathed life into MPSC-C by scoring twice in the third chukker which saw T Pradeepkumar add a single to make it 4-2 in MPSC-B's favour. MPSC-C toiled hard in the fourth chukker and managed to draw level with one goals each coming from S Abungcha and Th Ranjit.
As the four chukkers were not enough to find the winners, an extra chukker was added on wherein H Abung Khuman scored the winner for MPSC-B.
Elsewhere in the last quarter final match,  Chingkheihunba Polo Club started slowly against lacklustre Imphal Riding Club-A but surged ahead and pumped in 4 goals in the last chukker to notch up a huge 7-2 victory and ensured themselves into the last 4 round.
Leishemba Takhellambam took the centrestage scoring four goals alone while his team mate A Basanta followed suit and scored the remaining three goals. Both the teams failed to open up the account in the first chukker and it was Leishemba who put Chingkheihunba Polo Club-A ahead with a single in the 2nd chukker.
Leishemba and Basanta then chipped in a goal each in the third chukker to make it 3-0 before both the scorers managed two goals each in the last chukker which also saw L Rohit and S Doller struck a goal each for Imphal Riding Club in a losing cause.