LAHORE - The opening day of the National Polo Championship for the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup began with a thrilling note from the participating teams and identical score of 9-8 was recorded from all the three matches played here at the Lahore Polo Club's Aibak ground, which was finely manicured particularly for country's one of the biggest polo activity. Right from the start of the opening match championship, the quartets of the either teams straightway went into to business and graciously enough Juan Garcia Grossi hammered seven goals from the winner Vogue Furniture-Diamond Paints side with one coming from Javier Alejandro that leveled the score at eight-all at the end of the five chukkers' game. Grossi's heroics came after Tip Moor Al Khan-Rangers combined four dominated the second and third chukker with six goals and earlier in the first chukker they had two Tomas Pieres was star of the losing end with two goals each coming from Raja Samiullah and Dr Iftikhar Ali Khan Simba. After coming on equal terms at the end of the given time, the teams were given a sudden death sixth quarter and Taimur Mawaz Khan ona pass from Mir Shoaib Ahmed brought the golden goal that separated the two teams. The second match that too was evenly-contested ended in favour of HSBC Bank, who have Jose Rivas in its line-up to match up with local prowess of Shah Qublai Alam, Shah Shamyl Alam. HSBC too have Hissam Ai Hyder, the only local player with five goal handicap. Jose got five goals while Hissam produced three and Sufi Mohammad Haris one. Matched up to the foreign players potential Shamyl converted four goals, his brother Qublai three and Shaukat Ali Malik one. In the third game of the day, the title sponsor team Bank Alfalah RB banking of the shoulders of Alejandro Astrada, who banged in seven goals, won over Hilton Pharma, which too have James Harper and John Fisher in its side. Astrada was supported by Col Nadeem Raja and Saqib Khan Khakwani with one goal each but the losing team saw Harper score five goals, Shahid Hayat, Taimur Ali Malik and Fisher sharing one apiece. Another three maches will be played today. The matches were supervised by Tony Keyte, Asif Tiwana and Agha Murtaza Ali Khan.