Lagos Polo Club held on to the Simon Kuseyo Memorial Cup at the Nairobi Polo Club on Sunday. The Nigerian side and the Kenyan hosts drew 3-3 in a tight match. Lagos then won the penalty shootout 3-0, Citizen Digital reported.
Nairobi Polo Club chairman Simon Muchene said the game went down to the wire. The last goal came with less than 30 seconds left, he said. He praised both teams and said everyone was happy with how the day went.
Lagos captain Sayyu Dantata said it was his third personal win and the club's fourth. He joked that Lagos had only brought the trophy to Nairobi "for them to see for a couple of days". He also praised the field, the horses and the weather. Dantata said the bond between the two clubs mattered more than the silverware. He hoped it would last "for more generations to come".
Lagos tournament manager Olumide Akbola said the visit was about friendship as well as the trophy. The hosts gave the team everything it needed, he said. He added that the quality of horses, the turnout and the standard of play had improved over the years. Akbola noted that Lagos arrived as defending champions, having brought the cup from Nigeria.
Muchene thanked the sponsors EABL and Tusker Malt, along with Nairobi Hospital and Sense Getaway. He also thanked the horse lenders. Visiting players rely on borrowed horses, and he said people go "way above and beyond" to make that happen.
Tusker Malt was the title sponsor. Naomi Kiema, Brand Manager Premium Beer, spoke for KBL. She said the brand wanted to honour Kuseyo's legacy and give fans more than just the game. Polo and the brand share values of precision, determination and skill, she added.
The tournament remembers Simon Kuseyo, one of Kenya's pioneering polo players. He died in the 2000 Kenya Airways plane crash in Abidjan. Both clubs said the cup keeps strengthening their long friendship.