LAHORE: Newage/Master Paints, Royal Residencia/Learning Alliance and Wi-Tribe Shahsawars won their opening matches of the Bank Alfalah National Polo Championship for the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup at the Lahore Polo Club ground here on Tuesday.

As many as 11 goals by Matias Vial Perez guided Newage/Master Paints to a thumping 14-7 victory against Daewoo Pakistan.

The losers started off on a positive note, earning two goals -- one each from Shah Qubilai Alam and Zain Khan Khakwani -- before Vial completed a hat-trick to help his team earn a 3-2 lead.

The second chukker was fully dominated by maestro Vial, who smashed three more goals to increase the lead to 6-2.

Vial continued his supremacy in the third chukker, firing three more goals to make it 9-2. His team-mate Hissam Ali Hyder then pumped in one goal to extend the lead to 10-2.

However, Atif Yar Tiwana reduced the deficit to 10-3 by scoring a field goal.

Both teams recorded four goals each in the fourth chukker.

Meanwhile, five-goal Ahmed Ali Tiwana steered Royal Residencia/Learning Alliance to a thumping 13-7 victory over Guard Group.

Ahmed played slammed five superb goals, and was ably assisted by magical Juan Cruz Losada, who hammered four goals. Dabbo Khan Niazi and Usman Haye also registered two and one goal, respectively for the winners.

International player Julio Nevillo Astrada struck four goals, Taimur Ali Malik two and Abdul Rehman Monnoo one for the losing outfit.

In the day’s last match, Wi-Tribe Shahsawars edged out Master Paints 9-8 in a nail-biting finish.

For the winners, Raja Samiullah (four goals) was the top scorer, Pedro Zacharias and Nafees Barry earned two goals each while Bilal Haye hit one.

Manuel Crespo contributed a sterling six-goal effort for Master Paints but that was not enough to change the fate of his team. Sufi Mohammad Amir scored a brace.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2015

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