Imphal East riders pip Thoubal to capture men's polo title
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 29 2022:
Imphal East District Polo Association fought off a stiff challenge from Thoubal District Polo Association to win the men's polo tournament in the 2nd Manipur Olympic Games 2022 on Monday.
The Thoubal side started strongly and took a 2-0 lead in the first chukker when H Kuber Singh scored after 48 seconds and P Ojit followed suit in the 2.16th minute.
However, Imphal East clawed their way back into the game in the second chukker after Th Ranjit reduced the deficit in the 5.50th minute before L Atanga converted in the 6.10th minute and made it all square.
In the third chukker, neither side were able to break the 2-2 stalemate.
After a goalless third-period contest, Imphal East finally move ahead of their opponents in the 5.51st minute of the fourth chukker courtesy of Th Kaoba, but within seconds Thoubal fought their way back into contention with P Ojit on target for the second time.
After a 3-3 deadlock, the match went into a fifth chukker where Th Kaoba hammered home his second goal inside 65 seconds to tilt the scales in Imphal East's favour for the title.
Earlier in the day, Imphal West thumped Kakching 12 -1 to finish third in the men's polo tournament.