Our secret is hard work — Polo captain

The captain of the Accra Polo Club, Kwakye Dopoah-Dei, has attributed recent victories over Nigeria and South Africa to weeks of intensive training and hard work by his teammates.

The Accra Polo Club last Saturday defeated their South African counterparts 8-6 in an interesting encounter at the Accra Polo Grounds to lift South Africa Airways’ 2014 Polo tournament Shield.

The impressive feat followed a similar victory over Lagos Polo Club in Accra last month in commemoration of Nigeria’s Independence anniversary.

Ghana came from three goals down to level up in the second chukker only for the South African opponents to stretch the lead to 5-3 in the third chukker.

But the Ghanaian side, led by George Agyemang, and full-galloper Pablo Bila, fought gallantly to pull even again before the South Africans earned a penalty to make the score 6-5.

With vengeance on their minds, the more determined Ghanaians took charge of the game in the fourth and final chukka and snatched the equaliser through six-goal hero, Pablo, while David Awuah-Darko’s master-stroke and George Agyemang’s solo effort clinched a sweet 8-6 victory for the homesters.

With his side 0-3 down after the first chukka, Mr Dopoah-Dei, who is also the president of the Ghana Real Estates Developers Association (GREDA), was seen shouting instructions at his charges from  the sidelines, which paid off in the subsequent chukkas.

The ecstatic captain was hopeful that his team would maintain their good form for a long time to come.

 “We have adopted a new training regimen and my charges have been tough in hitting the ball and controlling their horses,” he noted.

The exciting 2014 SAA Polo Shield was in commemoration of South African Airlines’ (SAA) 80th anniversary celebrations.

 South African Airlines recently entered into a partnership with Accra Polo Club as part of efforts to promote polo in the country.