For a second straight year, Access Bank and MRS have had to battle out at the final of Emir of Katsina Charity Shield. The two teams had grueling semi finals matches against Barbedos and Deebee Farms respectively.
As is now tradition with Fifth Chukker’s high goal extravaganzas, Argentine professionals again dominated the action. Access Bank’s Alejandro Novillo Astrada of the famous La Aguada polo team, the 2003 Argentine Open champions, was predictably the ace of the tournament, having earlier pivoted Kangimi Resorts to win the Muhammadu Kabir Usman Memorial Cup as well as picking up the Charity Shield MVP.
In addition to Astrada, the tournament also featured three seven goal players including crowd favourite Diego White, and Tomas Pieres, himself no stranger to the Kaduna scene having played in the 2009 edition of the Charity Shield.
But it is Fifth Chukker debutante Manuel Crespo of MRS who had posed the most potent obstacle to an Astrada double. In the end, however, Access bank prevailed without the anticipated fireworks as MRS clearly rued the absence of the ruggedness of key man Sayyu Dantata.
Dignitaries who watched the 8-day event included General Muhammadu Buhari, Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, Emir of Katsina, Alh. Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Alh. Mukhtari Yero and the Minister of Sports, Alh. Ibrahim Bio who represented the Vice President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo.
Access Bank is the sole sponsor of the tournament which supports UNICEF in Nigeria.
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