LAHORE – Team Master Paints qualified for the main final while Diamond Paints booked berth in the subsidiary final of the Jinnah Gold Polo Cup 2023 sponsored by Al Rehman Developers and Town Planners here at the Jinnah Polo Fields on Thursday.
Manuel Crespo’s sensational performance guided Master Paints to a thumping 9½-3 victory over DS Polo team and also a place in the main final. Hero Manuel Crespo contributed with five fantastic goals while Pelagio Balazaldi banged in a brace and Sufi Muhammad Haroon and Agha Musa Ali Khan struck one each. For DS Polo, Javier Guerrero thrashed in two goals while Bautista Garcia hit one.
Master Paints started the match with a field goal to take a 1-0 lead in the first chukker. DS Polo dominated the second chukker with two back-to-back goals to gain a slight 2-1 lead. The third chukker saw Master Paints malleting three back-toback goals to get back a 4-2 lead. DS Polo then struck one goal in the beginning of the fourth and last chukker to reduce the margin to 3-4. But Master Paints then started playing aggressive game and hammered back-toback five goals to win the encounter by 9½-3. Earlier in the first match of the day, phenomenal Chulo Corti steered Diamond Pants to a close 10½-8 win over Remounts.
Inform Chulo Corti displayed outstanding mallet and pony work and smashed in seven superb goals. Nico Roberts also played well and hammered a hat-trick of goals. For Remounts, Manuel Sundblad fired in four goals, Jota Chavanne two and Imran Shahid and Ahmed Zubair Butt hit one each. Both the teams scored two goals each to make it 2-2 in the first chukker. Diamond Paints played better polo in the second chukker by hammering a hattrick of goals against two by Remounts to earn a slight 5-4 lead.
Diamond Paints dominated the third chukker by smashing in three goals against one by Remounts to stretch their lead to 8-5. The fourth and last chukker saw Remounts scoring three goals against a brace by Diamond Paint, which won the match by 10½-8. Today (Friday), two important matches will be played.