Still basking in the euphoria of dominating the open week of the on-going 2022 Lagos international polo tournament, Leighton Kings are having their eyes firmly fixed on adding the event’s biggest prize, the glittering Majekodunmi Cup to the victory haul this year.
Only last week, the Seyi Oyinlola and Bolawale Jolaosho champion side harvested the Oba of Lagos Cup and the Lagos Open Cup, two of the three prize on offer in the opening week of the international polo festival , a feat that put them on the driving seat for a likely repeat of a four major titles sweep performance in 2020.
“ We are focused on not only to surpass our 2020 achievement, but to set a record as the most successful Lagos team in all competition in the past four or five years,” Leighton King Patron Jolaosho explained.“Everybody including our competitors agrees that Leighton Kings are the team to beat and it will take more than wishes to get us off track.
”Make no mistake, any team that underrates our resolve to meet our set target of retaining the Majekodunmi Cup this year will pay dearly for it,” he warned.
Checks revealed that with a 19-goal team fortified with Argentine professionals and an intimidating horsepower, the Lagos Kings are good to go.
However, with equally determined oppositions like Abuja Almat, Kano Lintex, Jos Malcomines and local rivals, Lagos Caverton, Leighton should be prepared to take as much as they give.
Abuja Almat secured a narrow 11-10 win over former finalists; Kano Lintex In Tuesday’s opening Majek Cup game to set the stage for what promises to be the competitive and the most exciting campaign for the highly revered 70 years old Lagos most wanted polo prize.
Two big subsidiary prizes are up for grabs this second week of the fiesta, as Lintex confront Lagos Caverton in a winners-takes-all clash for the Italian Ambassador’s Cup, while Jos Malcomines and Leighton Kings, tussle Saturday for the Lagos Heritage Cup on Saturday.
The opening week of the 2022 Lagos International Polo Tournament came to a befitting climax with Lagos based teams sweeping all the three prizes at stake, sending a strong signal to the fifteen visiting teams as the prestigious polo festival moved to higher gears.
Lagos Dangote set the pace with an emphatic victory against Centaur, to clinch the debuting Adedapo Ojora Cup, before title holders, Leighton Saopolo successfully defended the Lagos Open Cup and the Oba of Lagos Cups respectively.
In a tense final witnessed by a capacity crowd that included former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and billionaire Abdulsamad Rabiu, Leighton Saopolo scored in the first minute of the game that went neck-to-neck winning 9-8 to deny Almat Petrogas their first major title in Lagos.
Before the Open Cup cracker, the duo of Bowale Jolaosho, Seyi Oyinlola and Bowale Jolaosho that had earlier defeated Centaurs team to keep the Oba of Lagos title for the third year running.
Players of Leighton Saopolo and Abuja Almat team show off their prizes after the first week of the on-going 2022 Lagos international polo tournament.