13 Feb 2011|Noida | Jaipur Polo Ground, New Delhi
Cavalry - Team Jindal Polo lifts Amity Polo Cup in thrilling finale
The lush green mowed turf of Jaipur Polo Grounds played host to the fierce, captivating and energy sapping finals of Amity Polo Cup, Indias only Polo Event in support of the underprivileged girl child, which took place on Sunday February 13, 2011
Every year Amity Polo Cup is organized to support "Amitasha", a project under the Amity Humanity Foundation (AHF) which is a social renaissance engine of Amity. Established in 1999 under the able guidance and leadership of Dr. Ashok K Chauhan- Founder President, Amity Group and Dr. (Mrs.) Amita Chauhan- Chairperson, Amity International Schools, the project endeavors to shape the lives of hundreds of angels who are more or less alone in their quest for a better tomorrow.
The 8 Goals Amity Polo Cup commenced on February 9 with a total of 8 illustrious teams participating- Sahgal Stud, Equisport, Jindal- IPG, Hamburg Polo Club, ASC- Navy, Cavalry - Team Jindal Polo, Deep Strikers and Armoured Corps and with numerous Indias star four and five goalers -Mr. Vishal Singh from Sahgal Stud, Mr. Dhruvpal Godara from Equisport, Mr. Simran Shergill from Jindal - IPG, Mr. Angad Kalaan and Mr. Uday Kalaan from Hamburg Polo Club and Mr. Samir Suhag from Cavalry - Team Jindal Polo giving their best performances.
The finals of the Amity Polo Cup were closely contested between Sahgal Stud and Cavalry Team Jindal Polo. The main players of Sahgal Stud included Mr. Kuldeep Singh Rathore (-2 ), Mr Gaurav Sahgal (+2), Mr Abhimanyu Pathak (+3) and Bk Mr. Vishal Singh (+4) on the other hand, team Cavalry Team Jindal Polo comprised of Mr. Naveen Singh (-2), Maj Vishal Chauhan (+2), Maj Ravi Rathore (+3) and Mr. Samir Suhag (+5).
It was a fight among equals reminding the hooked spectators of high handicap thrilling finals, the quality of polo dished out by the likes of Gaston Moore, Uday Kalaan and Ravi Rathore, matching those in the +5 or +6 handicap class. The match started with great excitement and suspense with spectators keeping their fingers crossed. The winners came to the fore only in the last couple of seconds. In a high-paced encounter, Cavalry Team Jindal scored a victory over Sahgal Stud by 8 goals to 4½ in the final moments of Amity Polo Cup, giving the crowd a finish to remember.
The umpires for the finals were Mr. Henry C Stevens and Mr. Uday Kalaan and the referee was Brig VP Singh (Retd.), who has been Indias only 7 goal handicap player in the last 50 years and this is significant because through the 70s and early 80s when he was at his peak, there were only a handful of 4 goal players and just a couple of 5 goal players. An Arjuna Award winner, VP, as he is known globally in polo circles, has played high goal polo all over the world and is still remembered with admiration in the UK and US where he was invited to play regularly.
The winning team Cavalry Team Jindal captained by Mr. Samir Suhag was felicitated by Dr Ashok. K. Chauhan Founder President Amity Group, Mr. Atul Chauhan- Chancellor, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh and President, RBEF and Ms. Pooja Chauhan-Vice Chairperson, Amity Humanity Foundation in a grand " Prize Distribution Ceremony" marked with pageantry and élan.
Congratulating the winners Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Group applauded the sportsmanship displayed by the Polo players during the final match and stressed that it does not really matter whether one wins the show or not but it is really important that one gives his / her best shot. Dr. Chauhan who has a very soft corner for the underprivileged section of the society promised during the event to organize and more of such events based on noble causes and said "Amity will always support such events so that the marginalized section of the society can be integrated into the main stream."
Expressing his happiness at the huge turnout of the Polo event Mr. Ashok Chauhan, Joint Managing Director, Alchemist said "Alchemists love for Polo is the soul reason for its association with Amity Polo Cup and what makes it even more special is the charitble cause for supporting the underprivileged children."
The award for the Valuable Player for Amity Polo Cup 2011 was bagged by Mr. Navin Singh (-2) for his quick bursts of speed, stamina, agility and maneuverability.
The finals were preceded by an exhibition match between Alchemist and Amity Team which was, no doubt, a treat for the spectators eyes. The players of Alchemist team included Ms Stefanie Schmalz (-2), Mr. Deepak Udar (0), Mr Himmat Singh Bedla(+2) and Bk. Maj Sameer Chaudhary (+2). The players of Amity team included Mr Gaurav Kant (-2), Mr Baljinder Dhillon (0), Mr. Bhawani Singh Kalvi (+2) and Bk. Mr Buchi Prakash (+2). Ms. Stefanie Schmalz was the only female polo player who played during the Amity Polo Cup.
The Umpires for the Exhibition Polo Match were Mr. Henry C Stevens and Cdr Akhil Sirohi and Lt Col Manoj Dewan was the Referee.
The players of both the teams displayed remarkable confidence, grit and determination and finally in the last and deciding chukker Alchemist overpowered Amity team with a score of 3 goals to 2.
The Game of Kings attracted whos who of the city including - eminent Bollywood actor (female) Chitrangada Singh, prominent fashion designers Ritu Kumar and Leena Singh, Her Highness Sultanah Zanariah and Princess Maseera Iskandar, Johor Malaysia, Diplomats and Ambassadors from various countries like Arab League, Italy, Azabaizan, Icot Ivory, Lisotho, Kirkistan, Oman etc: Ministers Councillors of Egypt, Zordan, Israel and Poland and renowned Socialites - Mr. Dilip Cherian, Mrs. Devi Cherian, Mr. Alok Singhania from Volkswagen, Dr. Mrs Amita Chauhan, Chairperson, Amity International Schools, Mrs. Divya Chauhan, Vice Chairperson, Amity School of Fine Arts and Amity School of Fashion Technology, Mr. Aseem Chauhan, Chancellor, Amity University Rajasthan who enjoyed the finals basking in the sun, donning chicest and multi-hued attires.
The Sponsors of Amity Polo Cup 2011 included Volkswagon, Alchemist, Lenovo, Jaypee Greens, American Express, rediff.com, Videocon and others.