Mathew Masinge
ORGANISERS of the Carnival Cup, a prestigious polo tournament with a very long and rich history in this country spanning more than a century, have thanked Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe for bankrolling the tournament this year.
The Carnival Cup is set for Saturday at Thornpark Polo Grounds.
Harare Polo Club Captain, Matthew Moxon, said The Carnival Cup tournament is the oldest sporting trophy still competed for of any sport in Zimbabwe and was first played for in 1897.
Moxon said the polo community was grateful to Stanbic bank for keeping the tournament going given its prestige and history.
“We would like to thank Stanbic Bank for coming on board to sponsor and keep this tournament going! This helps preserve the history and heritage of our sport in Zimbabwe,” said Moxon.
He said eight teams will take part in four Divisions during the tournament which has been going on consistently from 1965 till today except for 2020 & 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
To spice up the tournament, the teams have been given names that are aligned to Stanbic Bank’s product offerings such as: Private Banking; Offshore; StanPay; Stanbic Bank Visa Card; Pure Save Account; Africa China Trade; Insurance; and Blue 247.
Moxon said the tournament, which has been running for over a century, kicked off in 1897 and was held in: 1904, 1908, 1909, 1930, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958-61, 1965 to present day.
“The trophy itself is exceptionally beautiful and holds a place of honor within the club, standing as one of its most treasured and enduring symbols of history and tradition,” said Moxon.
Stanbic Bank Head Brand and Marketing Tariro Memo, said the Standard Bank Group subsidiary was pleased to be associated with such a prestigious tournament with a rich heritage that dates back over a century.
Memo said Stanbic Bank’s sponsorship demonstrated the institution’s commitment to not only offer superior financial services, but aligning with key non-banking activities of importance in the community in which it operates.
“While it is a fact that Stanbic bank offers some of the best banking products in Zimbabwe, we have a soft spot for propping up our communities through well thought out CSI initiatives in areas such as health and sanitation; the environment; education and sport, hence our support for the Carnival Cup,” said Memo.
Moxon said while polo in Zimbabwe is smaller than what it was 40 years ago, it has kept going adding that in recent years it has seen growth, especially at the Harare Polo Club, and that is due to contributions in sponsorship such as this from Stanbic.
On players to look out for during the tournament, Moxon said there are some good up and coming youngsters in the lower division aged 11 and 12 years old.
“The A-Division games are always the main highlight of a tournament, especially since these teams feature most of the Zimbabwe team members playing in the International in a few weeks’ time, as well as the players travelling to Kenya to compete there,” said Moxon.
He said Murray Whaley, in the A-Division, has dominated many tournaments and has been Most Valuable Player at many of the tournaments this season.
Equestrian sports, including polo, are unique in that men and women compete equally.
Polo is also uniquely a right-handed sport; all players must hold the polo mallet in their right hand. Many a left-handed player learns to play right-handed.
Moxon said as a Polo Club, one of the main aims is to continue and to grow the sport, Carnival Cup Tournament provides an exciting platform with which to expose new people to sport. This can often translate into new people taking up sport.
“As a club we are excited about this new partnership with Stanbic Bank and the Carnival Cup. We look forward to many more years ahead together as we continue this historic heritage of our country,” said Moxon. – H-Metro Reporter/Agency
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Colletta Dube