Amateur Riders Club kicks off the much awaited Polo season with ‘The Christmas Cup’. The opening match was played on 19th December 2023. The Finals will be held on Saturday 23rd at the Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai.
There are five teams competing for the Christmas Cup tournament and each team will play against two of the other four teams as per the draws. Each win will be awarded with two points and the two teams with the highest points will play the finals. If there is a tie between 3 or more teams then a penalty shoot will take place to determine the two finalists.
Each team consists of 4 players and their ranking is given as handicapped. The rankings range from -2 to +10 (minus two to plus ten) as per their performances and skills.
The 5 participating teams
1. Madon Polo
2. Salvo
3. Nearah
4. Mayfair Polo / Carysil
5. Mumbai Polo
First Match played by team Nearah and team Mumbai Polo on 19th December 2023.
In team Nearah the polo players
Polo Players names (Handicapped points)
1. Neil Malaney (-2)
2. Shriniwas Bobde (-1)
3. Abhimanyu Pathak (+3)
4. Siddhant Sharma (+4)
In team Mumbai Polo the polo players are Mr. Vishwarupe Bajaj (0), Mr. Rahul Dwarkadas (0), Mr. Shyam Mehta (0) and Gerrado Mazzini (+4).
In the first chukker, Nearah took the lead through Abhimanyu Pathak, rest of the chukker had some exciting moments but the score remained unchanged. The score at the end of the chukker was Nearah (1) - Mumbai Polo (0).
In the second chukker, Abhimanyu Pathak scored once again doubling Nearah’s lead in the game. Late in the second chukker, Shyam Mehta scored the first goal for Mumbai Polo bringing hope to the team. The score at the end of the chukker was Nearah (2) - Mumbai Polo (1).
In the third chukker, Gerrado Mazzini equalised for Mumbai Polo early in the chukker. Shaym Mehta quickly scored another goal for Mumbai Polo giving them the lead for the first time in the game. In the second half of the third chukker, Gerrado Mazzini scored once again and doubled Mumbai Polo’s lead. Just before the end of the chukker Rahul Dwarkadas scored a goal for Mumbai Polo. The score at the end of the chukker was Mumbai Polo (5) - Nearah (2).
In the final chukker, Abhimanyu Pathak scored once again for Nearah and completed his hattrick. In the second half of the chukker Siddhant Sharma scored for Nearah giving them a fighting chance in the game. The score at the end of the fourth chukker was Mumbai Polo (5) - Nearah (4).
The first match saw Mumbai Polo face off against Nearah and emerged victorious. December 20th will see another 3 teams and 4 matches play out their rounds. Salvo will take on Mayfair Polo / Carysil at 3.15 pm while Madon Polo will go up against the defeated team at 4.30.pm.
Shyam Mehta, President of Amateur Riders’ Club states “The Amateur Riders' Club is glad to kick off the first match of the polo season. We are sure to see some very exciting matches as the best players in the country and some top international players will be seen in action during the tournament. Some of the best polo ponies in the country are in Mumbai and will be seen blazing down the polo field ”
About Amateur Riders' Club:
Established in 1942, The Amateur Riders’ Club (ARC) is one of the oldest and largest private civilian horse-riding clubs in Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai, India, offering riding throughout the year to members as well as non-members. The club provides professional training in all disciplines of equestrian sport like Polo, Show Jumping and Dressage as well as houses about 150 horses. It has been the driving force for the growth of equestrian sport for over 75 years. From known Bollywood actors, businessmen to royals, all have trained at ARC.
ARC is the only facility in Mumbai providing exclusive stables with world class horse care and trained grooms to its members to house their thoroughbred and warm blood horses. It also has 4 horse riding arenas including an international standard all weather riding arena and a floodlit polo arena, as well as a polo field. Every year it organises the Annual Mumbai Horse Show featuring acclaimed Polo Tournaments like The Maharaj Prem Singh Trophy, Aditya Birla Memorial Cup, Southern Command Cup and Show jumping and Dressage competitions like the FEI World Show Jumping, the Mumbai Equestrian League, etc. It takes pride in providing well trained horses with top class coaches from across the world and India. It also takes pride in having offered training facilities to India’s show jumpers in the Asian Games.
