LAHORE-Army will take on Master Paints (Black) in the Bank Alfalah National Open Polo Championship for Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2017 opener today (Wednesday) here at the Lahore Polo Club ground at 2:15pm, with all the captains vowing to win the coveted trophy.

The second match of the day will be contested between Barry’s and Ravi Autos at 3:45pm. All the matches of the premier polo tournament will be of five chukkers and high-quality polo will be on offer throughout the event.

About preparation for the event, Master Paints (Black) captain and patron Sufi M Haris said: “Our team is in good form and the horses as well, so with good combination of Ahmed Ali Tiwana, Bilal Haye, Andres Crispo and I, we are hopeful of delivering and lifting the trophy.”

Ahmed Zubair Butt of Army was also upbeat about his team’s chances of winning the prestigious tournament. “We played well in 12 and 14 goals event and now in this biggest event too, we are determined to do well. Our team is well-balanced and ready to excel in the tournament.”

Barry’s team captain and patron Nafees Barry said: “Winning National Open title is our main target, for which we have prepared well and eager to excel. With a combination of Hamza Mawaz Khan, Raja Samiullah, George Meyrick and I, we are quite confident of finishing first.”

Captain of Ravi Autos Saqib Khan Khakwani, who is also national polo team skipper, said: “Being defending champions, as we won the National Open last year under the banner of Diamond Paints, we are eager to repeat the same performance and succeed in retaining the title. The presence of Raja Taimur Nadeem, Guy Gibrat, Kamran Noor-ud-din and mine in the team make it very strong, so we are ready to prevail and keen to clinch the trophy once again.”