In a fight for the Asia Cup Polo, the Indians won 7-6 against All England Polo Club

Glitz, glamour and horses were out in full view at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in a pulsating polo match between the hosts Amateur Riders Club and the All England Polo Club on Saturday as part of the 63rd Annual Horse Show and Polo Championship. In a fight for the Asia Cup Polo, the Indians won 7-6, in a match that swung both ways.

Englishmen from Berkshire  — Jack Kidd, Henry Brett, Jamie Morrison and John Bunn, who have been playing together for the last 20 years, took on the Indian team of Samir Suhag, Ravi Rathore, Vishal Chauhan, Shyam Mariwala and Harsh Piramal. The visitors, who landed on Thursday and had only one practice match on Friday, started the stronger of the two sides taking a 2-0 lead in the first chukker with professional polo player Jack Kidd scoring both the goals.

The second chukker saw the Indians finding their bearings and coming back strong with two goals. The momentum remained with the Englishmen in the third with a 4-3 lead. The Indians upped the ante in the fourth quarter with captain Samir Suhag leading from the front and converting a 60-yard penalty shot. Mariwala gave the hosts a two-goal lead.

Kidd and Suhag were the top-scorers with four goals each for their side. After the match, Suhag said, “It was a bit of a scary time when we were 4-2 behind but we kept talking and tried to calm ourselves down and changed our strategy. Penalties also proved to be crucial for us.”

The visitors felt they lost out as they did not have enough time to get used to the horses. “We didn’t know the horses and to organise ourselves on such short notice was a little difficult. If you know your horses you can play accordingly,” professional polo player and man of the match Henry Brett said.