Mariba Shetty takes the honours

By Our Sports Reporter

BANGALORE, MAY. 14. He leant on a crutch and limped slightly as he walked to the podium during the award ceremony. However a few hours back he courted success atop a horse. Mariba Shetty braved the odds and unearthed a script laced with triumph as the Southern India equestrian championship concluded at the Princess Academy of Equitation here on Sunday.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mysore, helped his team - Karnataka State Mounted Police - emerge victorious in the tent pegging event. He also scored in the individual sweepstakes, grabbing the top slot in the show-jumping events for the 90cm and 90cm plus categories.

He warmed up to a perfect Sunday with an impeccable show in show- jumping. In the 90cm plus category, some riders found their steeds developing cold feet in the very first jump while Mariba Shetty had no such hassles. He guided K-5 past the brush box, the first jump, and tackled the subsequent jumps adroitly. The Chennai Equestrian Academy lads - Nauzer and Sundaram - provided some competition but with faults marring their efforts, Mariba Shetty sported the victor's smile.

He had earlier topped the 90cm section too with CEA lad Nauzer riding Nordic Storm easing into the second spot. The host had a reason to smile when Ismail Jawad garnered the third spot, riding Belmore. Later, Ismail however forced worrylines unsettle the PAE camp. In the tent pegging team event, he repeatedly nailed the peg but unbridled enthusiasm and a horse playing truant led him to constantly charge past the picket. In the third round, he however lost balance and hit a low branch of a nearby tree and fell. Luckily for him, there were no major injuries but unluckily for PAE, its team - Subedar John, Ismail and Dexter - which promised much could not compete in the decisive final round.

PAE however drew succour from its second team consisting of Sanjay Das Gupta, Arjun Vasanth and Rakshit Kaul which mustered 28.50 points and pocketed the third spot.

Despite Ismail Jawad's heroics, the tent pegging event belonged to the KSMP team. Mariba Shetty, Mallikarjun and Ramesh Rao Ghatge struck gold in the group B first round, clinching a triple (15 points) and pegging its rivals on the defensive. The KSMP team had a distinct crescendo as their horses homed in on the pegs and the lances found their targets with precision.

The team could not live up to its high standards in the third and final rounds but by then the cops had done enough to clinch the champions tag with 64 points. The Bangalore Amateur Riders Institute (BARI) team of Ashok Sharma, Abhiram and Gopal Shring were placed second after netting 46.50 points as the horses returned back to their paddocks and the dust settled.

The results (read under name, club, horse and points):

Tent pegging, team: 1. Mariba Shetty, Mallikarjuna and Ramesh Rao (KSMP), 64; 2. Ashok Sharma, Abhiram and Gopal Shring (BARI), 46.50; 3. Sanjay Das Gupta, Arjun Vasanth and Rakshit Kaul (PAE), 28.50.

Dressage, elementary: 1. Mariba Shetty, KSMP, Starlight, 307; 2. Judy Bidappa, Embassy, Thunder Fire, 282; 3. Ashok Sharma, BARI, Cigarello, 263.

Show-jumping, 90cm: 1. Mariba Shetty, KSMP, Starlight; 2. Nauzer, CEA, Nordic Storm; 3. Ismail Jawad, PAE, Belmore.

Show-jumping, 90cm plus: 1. Mariba Shetty, KSMP, K-5; 2. D. Nauzer, CEA, Nordic Storm; 3. Sundaram, CEA, Milton.

Hacks, ladies: 1. Tanya, PAE, Ratio; 2. H. Rosie, Embassy, Super Flash; 3. Anita Ojha, BARI, Saucy Suzzane.

Hacks, seniors: 1. Ashok Sharma, BARI, Cigarello; 2. Somanna, KSMP, K-25; 3. Vinay, BARI, Saucy Suzzane.

Mariba Shetty (in front) leads Karnataka State Mounted Police in the tent pegging event of the Southern India equestrian championship at Bangalore on Sunday. Mariba Shetty also topped the show jumping events. His team-mate Mallikarjuna Swamy is also seen in the picture.

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