Nigeria’s premier polo club, the Lagos Polo Club, was a beehive of activities during the just concluded Easter holidays as members along with their families as well as invited guests were treated to high octane polo action in an atmosphere of conviviality.
Indeed, the foremost Ribadu Road Polo Ground in Ikoyi was in full swing between April 7and 10 as the 2023 Easter Cup polo tournament came alive with six low-goal teams battle for the Easter Cup which came down to a deafening roar with Easter Tulip ending as champions.
The much anticipated 2023 Easter Cup Finals games were nothing short of spectacular, with Easter Tulips and Easter Palms clashing in a titanic subsidiary finals, , but it was the Sadiq Dantata- led Easter Bunnies who came out on top as the 2023 kings and claimed the coveted trophy.
Captains of Industries, members of the National Assembly and top government officials as well as diplomats were part of the discerning crowd that cheered Easter Bunnies to victory over their opponents in a nail-biting finish as the champions grabbed the title by just half a point.
The atmosphere was incredible and whatever the final score was, both the winners and the runners-up were guaranteed a special place in the record as the best performing teams of the 2023 edition of the intra-club tournament that was open exclusively to playing members of the oldest polo club in the country.
President of the Lagos Polo Club, Bode Makanjuola who was the chief host of the grand event, was elated by the performances of the players and their discipline throughout the tourney that attracted six equally matched teams.
Makanjuola also hailed the Organizing Committee for a job well done and congratulated the champions and the runners-up, thumbs-up the invited guests for honouring his invitation to be part of the Easter celebrations.
“Let me say a big thank you to our generous and wonderful sponsors and to our community who came out to watch and support. Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey,” he added.
One of the biggest highlights of the three-day event was the grand participation by the kids who had a swell time at the Easter event while the parents bathed in the excitement of the engrossing games on the pitch. There were lots of fun for the kids as they engaged in face painting, candy floss, horse riding, bouncy castle and more.
It should be noted that the Easter Cup tournament that marks the end of the playing season in Lagos as the rains set in, is one of the numerous internal tournaments lined up to keep the playing members in top form ahead of the other major tournaments across the country.
There is also the Windmill Trophy tournament which was donated by Millfield School to the club to be contested for by low handicap players ranging from -2 to +2 handicaps.
Others are the highly sought-after President Cup tournament usually played after the Lagos International Polo Tournament and the Captain’s Cup that remains the first tournament that heralds the beginning of the new playing season in Lagos.