Huge crowd to the foremost Murtala Mohammed Square in Kaduna enjoyed a thrilling four-day of polo experience at the just concluded Dawule Baba Memorial Polo Tournament.
The polo fiesta hosted in honour of one of Nigeria’s iconic polo players was highlighted with the unveiling of the Dawule Baba Polo Ground and it gave enthusiasts the opportunity to savour the noble game as well as paying glowing tributes to the legendary Dawule Baba-fondly called ‘The Teacher’.
President of Kaduna Polo Club Mohammad Babangida who led members of the Board of Trustees, Vice President Gen Kapeh Kazir along with members of the Management Committee of the club to the unveiling arena, said the club is dedicating the main ground to the everlasting memory of the foremost Nigerian polo ambassador.
“His passion for polo, his sportsmanship, and his enduring legacy both on and off the field will be remembered with admiration and respect,” the Kaduna polo boss declared, before leading the DeeBee Polo team to win the inaugural Dawule Baba Memorial Cup.
The cup has been institutionalized as one of the major polo prizes to be contested for at major tournaments in Kaduna.
The high-goal match against the foremost Kaduna Kakuri team was a cracking encounter that gave the over flowing stands plenty to cheer as DeeBee Farms Warriors handed a thumping defeat to their hard-fighting opponents.
General Kazir who doubles as the Chairman of Clearwater Polo Farm, said the legacies of ‘The Teacher’ worth celebrating and treasured for future generations.
He explained that in identifying with the event, Clearwater Polo as one of the sponsors, is keying into the highly treasured legacies of the late Polo Ambassador whose passion for the game transcends a mere love for the noble game of polo.
“Teacher was part of our team and he often gives us technical advice and encouragement before he passed on, and by sponsoring the Clearwater Beginners Cup, Babies & Toddlers Cup, the Clearwater Youth Challenge Cup, we are preserving his legacies of training, mentoring, and encouragement of upcoming players, among others,” he said.
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Other top winners of the four-day event that turned the Murtala Square into a carnival of some sort, include SKK team and Askira team that both outpaced their opponents in the finals, to clinch the EL-Amin Cup and the Annadariya Cup respectively.
The duo of Khalil and Khalifa Babangida both pivoted their Clearwater White team to defeat other strong oppositions in their quest to win the Clearwater Youth Challenge and wrote their names in gold as the first ever winners of the Dawule Baba Youth Challenge prize.
Tournament Manager, Atiku Abubakar Saleh who thanked EL-Amin, Clearwater, Annadariya, Barbedos, Trobell International and others for honouring the Nigerian polo icon with their sponsorships, hailed polo patrons, players and thousands of polo buffs for honouring the legend with their participation and making the event a huge success.
The Nigerian Polo Ambassador, The Teacher , started his career in Ibadan way back in 1982 and played internationally in over twenty countries across their globe.
Until he passed on in Egypt last month, Dawule was the coach of the National Polo Team of Nigeria and a member of the Board of Trustees of the foremost Kaduna Polo Club.