KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s preparations for the Sea Games next year, as far as polo is concerned, is at full tilt, as the second round of the round robin and equestrian competitions (dressage and showjumping) took place today at the Malaysian Open Polo (MOP) Tournament 2016.
The competition is one of the stages before the shortlisting of a final seven players (from the current list of 12 names) to represent Malaysia at the Sea Games.
The equestrian competition also serves as a try-out for the biennial Games’ dressage and showjumping event.
The round robin at the Putrajaya Equestrian Club today saw Selangor Polo Team, Amax Polo Team and Tu Polo go head-to-head for fifth place.
After fighting hard, Selangor Polo Team came out tops following 7-6 victories over Amax Polo and Tu Polo respectively.
The win also saw them lift the Minister’s Cup.
“We were playing much more as a team and were more confident. This tournament is just the start and it provided a great baseline for future tournaments that we will be participating in as a team,” said Santi Galland, the Argentine professional playing for Selangor, who was happy to be playing in his first tournament ever in Malaysia.
The dressage and showjumping will continue tomorrow, before the third place playoff between Jogo Polo, which features Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and La Familia.
The final between defending champions Putra Polo Club and Singaporean outfit Head Hunters will start at 4pm.