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Patron of the Lagos team of the moment, Rubicon, Hadi Sirika and Aliyu Wadada are good friends on and off the field of polo.

The two politicians
whose teams are making waves in the game are obviously late starters
when it comes to the high profile sport. But that is how far one can
stretch the odds against the duo who are latest additions to the
exclusive list of Nigeria’s most successful polo patrons, as a peep
into their polo record since picking the mallet few years back, would
suggest otherwise.

Last year alone,
These Katsina and Keffi born polo freaks and their rampaging teams have
picked up enough medium-goal titles in the exciting Nigerian polo tour,
to attract the attention of discerning polo buffs.

Impressive Rubicon

Since their debut,
the impressive Lagos Rubicon and Kaduna Keffi Ponies have won or
finished runners-up at all major tournaments in Lagos, Port Harcourt,
Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Yola, and Ibadan among others. And they are not done
yet.

Presently playing
off zero handicaps, Sirika who represents one of the federal
constituencies of Katsina in the immediate past House of
Representatives and Wadada say they are prepared to take their
flourishing polo careers to the very top.

“I never really
gave polo a serious thought initially, but since I started thanks to
the encouragement of some of my friends, it has been fun and I’m not in
a hurry to quit just yet,” Sirika stated recently in Kano.

Before catching the
bug of king of games, Hadi has tried all sorts of sporting recreations,
but none could give him the thrill the noble game of polo gives.

I tried a bit of tennis, golf, Squash and even snooker, but the thrill did not hold for a long time,” he added.

Though his crowded
business schedules often clashes with some of the tournaments, he
always finds time to play at major tournaments in Lagos, Kaduna, Kano,
Ibadan and in Katsina that has remain a happy home coming for the
Rubicons.

“Much as one would
love to play every tournament, time has been a major constraint. But
one event we don’t normally miss, is the Katsina International Polo
Tournament, and we are not going to miss it this year,” he pointed out.

The reasons are
quite obvious. As a Katsina born polo player, the passion and the
thrills of playing before his cheering home crowd has no comparison.

But more
importantly, this experienced pilot and his Rubicon have a date to keep
with history, as the first Lagos based team to win the prestigious
Nigerian Cup back-to-back.

“Our mission to
Katsina this year is quite simple, to successfully defend the title we
won last year and to have plenty of fun playing the game we all love
with passion,” he disclosed.

Lagos Rubicon wrote
their names in gold last year, defeating a strong field of five Katsina
tournament regulars, from Kaduna, Kano and the host, to clinch the
event’s most prestigious prize.

Wadada fervour

Wadada who led his
Keffi Ponies to their first Governor’s Cup runners-up finish in Bauchi
two weeks ago, remains the hottest polo boss of the moment to come out
of Nasarawa State.

“Polo is a great game to play. Its value added
allures far outweigh the over bloated danger associated with the noble
which in humble opinion is the safest sporting endeavour once you play
by the rules,” said Wadada whose Keffi warriors secured a double sweep
at the MTN International Polo Tournament in Katsina last year.

“This is the sport of my life. Even before I
started playing at major tournaments, I have always been part of the
family. Polo is about courage, strength, and speed, that is why players
from around the world are united by their love of the sport and the
adventurous lifestyle of the game.” As the countdown for the MTN Polo
festival billed for the ancient city of Katsina enters its final
stages, all the smart monies are staked heavily on both Lagos Rubicon
and Kaduna Keffi Ponies retain the top prizes they won here last year.

Sirika’s led Lagos
Rubicon and Ahmed Wadada’s led Kaduna Keffi Pony between them swept
four of the major prizes titles at stake in the international event,
which traditionally gallops off a new season in the Nigerian polo
calendar.

At the end of an
exciting weeklong extravaganza, Lagos Rubicon wrote their names in
gold, carting home the Nigerian Cup and Dikko Memorial Cup, to emerge
overall champions of the 2009 edition of the tournament.

Billed for the
Usman Nagogo Polo Ground in Katsina, this year’s festival, which
gallops off this weekend, promises to be a no miss event with over
thirty teams from across the country confirming their readiness to
compete for honours.

Major trophies to
be carted home by the victorious teams at the end of the tournament are
the Nigerian Cup, which is the tournament’s biggest prize, Hassan
Katsina Cup, the Talba Cup and Commassie Cup.

Other prizes include the Governor’s Cup, Muhammadu Kabir Cup, Usman
Nagogo Memorial Cup, Dikko Memorial Cup, Lawal Kaita Cup and Maidabino
Cup.