Kano Lintex wins Majekodunmi Cup as Bowale gets best patron award

Kano Lintex, at the weekend, silenced boisterous fans of title favourites, Lagos Leighton Kings, by beating the homeboys, who were hoping to annex four titles at the ongoing 2022 Lagos International Polo Tournament, to win the Majekodunmi Cup.

Before this upset, Leighton had won three major cups, the Oba of Lagos Cup, the Open Cup and the Lagos Heritage Cup respectively in their march for a repeat of their 2020 sterling achievement.

They led 11 to nine till the final chukka, when two quick-fire equalisers from Lintex Patron, Bashir Dantata and Chris Mackenzie sent the gruelling match to the wire.

Any hope harboured by the Leighton Kings quartet of Abdulrahaman Mohammed, Juan Gris Zavaleta, Guillermo Toreira and team patron, Bowale Jolaosho of rescuing their fading fortunes in the sudden death chukka, evaporated when Lintex received a 60-yard penalty with seconds left on the cloak.

The visiting Lintex team, comprising Zadik Dantata, Bashir Dantata, Chris Mackenzie and Silvestre Donovan had defeated Lagos Caverton to win the Italian Ambassadors Cup a day earlier, were in the cloud when Mackenzie sent Lagos to sleep with a superb golden gold winner.

Other top teams in the second stage of the international polo festival reputed as the biggest in Africa were the Murtala Laushi-powered Jos Malcomines and Bode Makanjuela’s Caverton.

They both earned Italian Ambassador’s Cup and Heritage Cup runners-up prizes.

The Eko Polo Festival, which galloped off with fanfare on February 8, 2022, enters its final stages this week with 17 ambitious teams expected to display their horsemanship and playing talents as the month-long extravaganza winds down to its grand finale.

Lagos Polo Captain, Rotimi Makanjuola confirmed that the final stage will run from today and climax on February 27, 2022, with nine Lagos’ teams and eight visiting teams gunning for two major prizes, the Silver Cup and the Lagos Low Cup respectively.

Lagos based teams listed for the Low Cup are Golden Ranch, Polo Punks, A Plus, former champions, STL and Caverton, just as tough and determined visiting opposition sides are expected from Port Harcourt, Abuja and Ibadan.

Four teams, Elektron Aragorn, Aragorn Saopolo, Hyde Energy Aragorn and Lagos Vipers are jostling for the glittering Silver Cup, which begins today at the Ribadu Road Polo Ground, Ikoyi.

Makanjuola also disclosed that Ibadan Durante Foods, Kano Novo team, Sidafeco Group from Port Harcourt and debuting Nigerian Navy team are expected to challenge the home teams in the race for the winner-takes-all Silver Cup.