Harrys (Harris) Ali Hyder Polo Cup ’19

Ali Hyder Polo Cup '19
Harrys (Harris) Ali Hyder Polo Cup ’19: Harris (3rd from left) in a Father and Sons tournament held in 1990. The players from left are in the following order: Irfan Ali Haider, Hissam Ali Haider, Harris Ali Haider, Col (R) Mujahid Omer, Omer Minhas, Gen. Minhas, Haseeb Minhas  –  Courtesy: Family

LAHORE: Living up to its tradition, Lahore Polo Club has dedicated the polo tournament being played during this week, in memory of Harrys (Harris) Ali Hyder (1978 – 1995).

The final of the tournament will be held on the Lahore Polo Ground on 31st March – Sunday at 4.30 pm. The teams which have qualified are Guard Group/DCC and Black Horse Paints (Details below).

Harris also known as Harry, was the third generation of a polo playing family. He began playing at an early age and showed great promise, till at the age of 17 his soul returned to the Divine creator to continue his afterlife journey.

The Polo family legacy dates back to early 1960’s, when Harris’s  grandfather Brigadier (Late) Mr. Ghazi Hyder, played Polo and is regarded as a great patron of the game. He was also the chairman of Pakistan Polo Association.

Ali Hyder Polo Cup '19
Harrys (Harris) Ali Hyder Polo Cup ’19: A memorable photograph of father Irfan Ali Haider (Left), brother Hissam Ali Haider (Middle) and Harris (Right) – Courtesy: Family

The second generation of Polo includes his father, Irfan Ali Hyder, who played for the army team as well as for the Pakistan team and captained the Pakistan Polo team in the World Polo Cup qualifiers, held at Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia in the 1990s. After retiring, Mr. Irfan continued to contribute for professional development of the game and was also elected as Secretary and President of Lahore Polo Club.

Ali Hyder Polo Cup '19
Harrys (Harris) Ali Hyder Polo Cup ’19: – Courtesy: Family

The third generation Polo legacy continues through Harris’s younger brother Hissam who has been playing for around twenty years. Currently, the highest handicapped player in Pakistan, Hissam plays professionally in the Pakistan Polo season and also in the International circuit. He is presently playing in Argentina after having played the 2018-19 season in home country Pakistan.

Ali Hyder Polo Cup '19
Harrys (Harris) Ali Hyder Polo Cup ’19: A memorable photograph of Tareen Haider Khan (Sister on Left), Harris, Shireen Mariana (Mother) and Hissam (Brother) – Courtesy: Family

The teams which will compete in the finals include the following player:

Guard Group/DCC 
  1. Shahnawaz Ayaz Durrani
  2. Ahmed Bilal Riaz
  3. Taimur Ali Malik
  4. Saqib Khan Khakwani
Black Horse Paints
  1. Abu Bakar Siddique
  2. Daniyal Sheikh
  3. Agha Musa Ali Khan
  4. Hamza Mawaz Khan

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