38th N Hazari and Dr N Tombi Polo S Bon Bon guides Assam Rifles Polo Team-A to title triumph

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 8 : S Bon Bon scored scored four goals while L Joykumar, Kh Sushilo and M Kuber scored two goals apiece as Assam Rifles Polo Team-A thumped Thangmeiband Youth Polo Club 10-5 in the title clash of the 38th N Hazari and Dr N Tombi State Polo Tournament.
With the title trophy in sight, both AR Polo Team-A and Thangmeiband Youth Polo Club started cautiously and were locked at 4-4 until two chukkers.
AR Polo Team however raced to a 8-5 lead after three chukkers before adding two more goals in the final chukker to earn the 10-5 win.
K Victor drew first blood for Thangmeiband Youth PC moments into the game but Bon Bon was quick to respond with a goal with some seconds before Kh Sushilo turned things around quickly after the restart. S Saolin however made sure that Thangmeiband Youth PC came on level terms with a strike in the 6th minute.
O Paikhomba retained the lead for the Thangmeiband side moments into the second half with a brilliant finish but Bon Bon scored back to back in the 2nd and the 3rd minute to put AR Polo Team-A ahead.
As AR Polo Team-A looked to finish the second half 4-3, S Saolin was on target again to close out the gap for the Thangmeiband side.
AR Polo Team-A however raced to a 8-4 lead with M Kuber scoring twice and S Bon Bon and L Joykumar scoring a goal apiece within 6 minutes 13 seconds of the third chukker but S Saolin had this third and team’s final goal in the 39th second of the 7th minute to make it 8-5.
L Joykumar and Kh Sushilo then took honours to add a goal apiece in the final chukker and earned AR Polo Team a 10-5 win.
Winners AR Polo Team walked away Rs 50,000 richer as runners up Thangmeiband Youth PC received a cash prize of Rs 40,000.
S Bon Bon was also adjudged ‘Young Rising Star Polo Player’ of the tournament and feted with a cash prize of Rs 10,000 as O Ningthemjao of Lourembam who was declared ‘Veteran Polo Playing Player’ and was feted with a cash prize of Rs 3,000.
The tournament organised by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association, in the single elimination format, featured 38 teams.