Vmobile Polo: EL-Amin leads others to Niger Delta

Fresh from the year-ending polo fiesta, which came to a promising climax in the chilly city of Jos, the Plateau State capital, the nation's polo train is heading south, to the garden city of Port Harcourt the prestigious Vmobile / Niger Delta Polo festival.

Leading the star trek to the high profile event are; the defending champions, Mohammed Babangida's Kaduna EL-Amin, who bested a crowded field of three other high-goal teams, to clinch the event's main prize, The General Hassan Katsina title.

Port Harcourt Polo Club Captain, Musa Yahaya, who confirmed this to nigeriasports.com, said the polo extravaganza would feature over twenty teams, drawn from all the major polo centers across the country that would be vying for to prizes at state during the week- long fiesta.

Other teams listed for action at the glamorous tournament revered as the only regional polo event on the annual calendar of the Nigerian Polo Association,
(NPA), that enjoys the moral support of all the states in the South South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, include Adamu Atta's 5th Chukkers, who won the event on first attempt three years ago.

nigeriasports.com also gathered that, the battle for the toptitle would also pitch Sayyu Dantata's Lagos MRS who hold the record of winning the Niger delta title three times back-to- back and the high flying Lagos Ashbert Raiders, whose patron, Prince Albert Esiri was adjudged the

Most Valuable Player at the tournament last year.Boosting the solid backing of Vmobile who are the nowthe proud sponsors of all the polo grand slams in the country, the Niger Delta festival will also showcase

Audu Dantata's Lagos Agad who have confirmed theirreadiness to defend the President Cup they won last year, and the hard fighting Ibadan Challenge who edged Katsina Kangiwa to clinch the Governors Cup.

Yola ABTI who held the Garden city to a stand still during their explosive final against Victor Fingesi's lead Port Harcourt Alcon team to lift the Meridien Cup last year, are packaging a "suicide squad" with a strong warning for every team to keep off their prized title this year.

The Port Harcourt Captain who doubles as the Secretary of NPA, stated that the tournament this year would be dedicated to memory of the former President

of the club, Architect Roland Cookey-Gam and others lost their lives in the ill fated Sosoliso Airline Flight 1145 crash at the Port Harcourt Airport three weeks
ago.

"We are still in shock at the enormity of the loss. But with faith in the Almighty, we the entire members of the Port Harcourt Polo Club decided to use this event, to celebrate the life of our late President who was our pillar till his very last moments," the captain explained.

To immortalize Cookey-Gam who until his death was the Honourable Treasurer of the Nigeria Polo Association (NPA), the Port Harcourt Polo Club has concluded arrangement to present a cup in his name.

According to the club's Vice President, Engineer Massari, the cup would be contested for annually during the Niger Delta polo festival, starting from the 2006
edition.

. Ernest Ekpenyong