9th Manipur Polo International 2015 American victory at Kangjeibung
USA pip Manipur; win title for 1st time
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 29 2015:
USA lifted the 9th Manipur Polo International trophy for the first time in the tournament beating defending champions Manipur (India) 5-4 at the Imphal Polo Ground on Sunday.
The score was 4-4 at the end of the last chukker but USA scored a golden goal during extra chukker added to the match.
In the first chukker, Manipur's P Ojit opened the account for Manipur in the 1.46th minute of the round.
However, the USA team came back strongly in the round with Remmy Muller (one goal) and Jared Thomas Sheldon (two goals) scoring for their team after 6.03rd minute of the chukker.
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Both the teams could not score any goals in the second chukker despite both trying to outwit each other.
In the third chukker, Manipur's P Ojit scored his second goal in the 2.01st minute.
Pedro Lara of the USA scored one in the 5.29th minute.
The margin was reduced in the 6.5th minute by Manipur's S Bimol.
In the fourth chukker, P Ojit of Manipur equalized the margin in the 3.33rd minute as the match ended in a tie.
One more chukker was added as extra time and this time, USA's Jared Thomas Sheldon made no mistake and scored the golden winning goal for his team and the country.
It may be recalled Manipur had pipped USA 7-6 in the opening match of the tournament organised by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association.
Teams from Australia, England, India, Thailand and USA took part in the championship held at Imphal Polo Ground, the oldest polo ground in the world that is still in use.