KUALA LUMPUR: National player Imran Moiz produced an inspired performance to lead the Moiz Boys to a dramatic 6-5 victory over International All Stars in the final of the Malaysia Polo Youth Tournament today.
With key player Julian Lancia (Canada) showing strong form, International All Stars settled into the match quickly and forged a 2-1 lead by the end of the first chukka, played in overcast conditions at the Kuala Lumpur Polo Club.
But Moiz Boys - featuring brothers Imran, Arman, Suleiman and Ashman - showed steely determination to come back strong and found themselves 4-2 up at the end of the second chukka.
Moiz Boys started the fourth chukka with a 5-3 lead but had to fend off a late fightback from All Stars before claiming a narrow 6-5 win.
Imran and Lancia had scored all the goals for their respective sides. The latter suffered a heavy knock midway through the match but was able to continue.
All Stars had also featured Ayaan Khan (India), Ibrahim Sultan (Pakistan) and Miqayl Djedovic (Croatia).
Imran, who was also named the most valuable player for the final, said it was a meaningful victory.
"It was a hard fought match, we were leading 6-3 at one point and thought we had it (won) but we let our lead slip," said Imran.
"As the eldest brother in the team, I brought the boys together and told them that it is just a matter of how much we want to win it, we have to show character and have a good attitude.
"We fought to the end and thankfully were able to win it. I have played in many tournaments abroad before but this is the first time I have been able to win a tournament with my brothers.
"It has been an amazing experience and also an amazing tournament which has brought together players from around the world while also helping raise cancer awareness."
Imran represented Malaysia at the 2019 Manila Sea Games and is expected to be part of next year's squad for the Thailand Sea Games. The sport was not included during the 2021 Hanoi Sea Games and the Phnom Penh edition last year.
Moiz Boys had defeated Malaysian All Stars 7-4 while International All Stars downed Global All Stars 7-3 in the round robin stage yesterday to qualify for the final.
Global All Stars went on to defeat Malaysian All Stars 6-2 in the third-place decider.
The under-20 tournament, which was organised by the Kuala Lumpur Academy of Polo (KLAP), partnered with National Cancer Society Malaysia for its third edition this year.
Organising chairperson Natasha Mustapha is hoping to attract more players for the fourth edition next year.
"We are hoping to expand the tournament and host more teams next year because it is a good platform for them to develop their talent," said Natasha.
"We want to see the inclusion of more players from the East Coast, I believe there are quite a few talented players from that region including Terengganu and Pahang."
KLAP were supported by the Kuala Lumpur Polo Club, ReNIKOLA, B.GRIMM, Mamee-DoubleDecker, Zack's Tack, Majestic Horses and World of Feng Shui for this year's tournament.