The final tournament of the Polo season took place during the Jamhuri Weekend 12th -14th at the Manyatta Polo Club in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
Senator Gideon Moi, son of Former President Moi, a veteran player participated in the tournament. Notable performance by Amani Nzomo, aged nine, son of Raphael Nzomo, the former vice chairman of the Nairobi Polo Club represented the new generation of upcoming local players.
Samsung sponsorship of the sport through a deal signed in September has boosted the sport by increasing its popularity. Unlike football and rugby, Polo is an elitist sport introduced to Kenya by the British settler community.
The beauty of the game of Polo is in the ability of the player to balance and control. For anyone new to the sport the size of the field is usually the most notable aspect. A standard Polo field is about 274 meters long and 146 meters wide, the largest field in organized sport.
A team is made up of four players and the game is estimated to last about one and a half hours. A player uses a mallet to hit the ball. The game is divided into four section called chukkas and a player should ideally change a horse every chukkas due to the demand on the performance of the animal. Handicap is the measure of a polo player’s ability.
There were 10 teams with a total of 40 players that participated in the Ndume Cup and the Moi Cup. Apart from Samsung other sponsors included Tack Rack, Sanyati Fencing Limited, FMD East Africa and Ndume Ltd.
A total of 150 horses participated in the six day Polo tournament that was played in two weekends. The 2015 season will kick off in May.
Click Polo in Kenya for more information on the sport.
