NAIROBI, Kenya, September 15 – South Africa’s Dirk van Reenen and Uruguay’s Mauricio Andre starred for their teams once again as Tusker Malt faced off with SBM Bank on Day One of the Kenya International 7-Goal Polo Tournament on Saturday evening.
Van Reenen scored five times as the brewers won 7-5F against the bankers in a thriller at the Nairobi Polo Grounds as Andre scored thrice for the losers.
The South African – along with Vishal Somaia – put Tusker Malt 2-0F in front at the first chukka.
However, Andre drew SBM Bank level in the second chukka, scoring a hattrick even as Van Reenen added his name to the scoresheet once again.
The South African then took his game up a notch in the penultimate chukka, scoring thrice to add to Somaia’s second as Tusker Malt went 7-3F up.
The bankers attempted a fightback in the final chukka, Kelvin Jumba and Mbu Ngugi scoring a goal each but that was not enough to destabilise their opponents off their high horse.
Glut of goals
The second match of the day between Turkish Airlines and Veuve Clicquot was similarly a South Africa v Uruguay affair as Andre and Alexander Watson led the topscorers’ charts with -six and eight goals respectively in the 9-9 draw.
It was an end-to-end encounter as Andre, playing for Turkish Airlines, and Watson, donning the yellow jersey of Veuve Clicquot, each scored twice in the first chukka for a 2-2 draw.
Both scored twice in the second chukka as well, Nairobi Polo Club chair Fred Kambo adding one more to give Turkish Airlines a 5-4 lead into the third chukka.
The Uruguayan – and Jadini Nzomo – then extended their team’s lead in the third chukka to 7-6 even as Watson scored twice once again.
The South African continued his pattern of scoring a brace in every chukka, doing so in the final one – in addition to Jules Camm’s goal – to level the scores.
Andre and Hiromi Nzomo scored for Turkish Airlines in the same chukka to bring the curtains down to the goalfest.
Action continues at the same venue on Sunday with matches beginning at 1.30 p.m.
