LAHORE: Matias Vial Perez scored eight times as Newage/Master Paints thrashed Master Paints 9½-4 to reach the main final of the Borjan Punjab Polo Cup on Thursday.

Perez’s scoring spree, added to his side’s half-goal handicap, helped Newage/Master Paints prevail in a contest which saw Manuel Crespo score four goals for their opponents.

Four goals by Perez in the first chukker virtually settled the contest with Crespo bagging one for Master Paints.

An impressive 40-yard conversion and a field goal took his tally to six in the second chukker with Sufi M Farooq adding another for the winners and Crespo scoring his second for the losers.

Crespo then hammered two field goals in the third chukker to threaten a Master Paints comeback but Perez’s brace in the final chukker well and truly extinguished their flickering hopes and put Newage/Master Paints in Sunday’s main final.

Meanwhile, Juan Cruz Losada’s five goals saw Learning Alliance/Ravi Autos beat Magic River 8-6½ to reach the subsidiary final.

Jamil Barry also scored twice for the winners with Ahmed Ali Tiwana netting one. Magic River, having a half-goal handicap, had four different scorers — Abdul Rehman Monno and Shah Qubilai Alam scoring two each with Oliver Hipwood and Hassan Agha Khan scoring one apiece.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play