Ghantoot Polo team clinch Silver Cup

The Silver Cup 2020 comes to a close as Zedan triumphed over Dubai Wolves at the Hildon Subsidiary Cup and Ghantoot Polo team emerged victorious over UAE Polo team.

The subsidiary match between Zedan Polo and Dubai Wolves opened with a goal from Santiago Laborde. Zedan Polo team had control of the match and delivered goals until the end of the fourth chukker.

Amr Zedan the patron of the Zedan Polo team scored three goals for the team. The Dubai Wolves patron Habtoor Al Habtoor had demonstrated a steady performance throughout the game and scored four goals.

The team had their best game at the final chukker but Zedan’s lead was enough to secure the win and ended the match at 11 goals to 8.

The much-awaited Silver Cup 2020 final between UAE Polo and Ghantoot Polo was a battle to the finish. The first chukker was on a rather slow start but both teams picked up the pace during the second chukker. Ghantoot Polo had the edge at the end of the second chukker with two back to back goals by Pablo Llorente, a penalty shot by Marcos Araya (Cacu) and a shot by Cesar Crespo. On the third chukker, the penalty shots from Tommy Beresford took

UAE Polo team closer to Ghantoot’s lead. The penultimate chukker had both teams try and grab the lead as both scored three goals each. The determining chukker saw Cacu place one goal for the team that poised Ghantoot Polo for the win but Benjamin Panelo matched the goal at 60 seconds left on the clock. Ghantoot Polo managed to keep the lead and the won the match at 9 goals to 8.5.

Earlier, the semi-finals concluded with an exciting finish as four teams brought their A-game to the field.

The supporters of Ghantoot Polo and Habtoor Polo teams were on the edge of their seats as both teams were neck and neck throughout the game. The first chukker saw Habtoor Polo in the lead with a three-goal advantage by the buzzer. Ghantoot Polo team delivered goals on the second chukker with a notable goal from Pablo Llorente after he stole the ball from Facundo Sola (Facu) resulting into a tie. The teams were still at a tie by halftime as they scored two goals each with Facu’s

long-shot pass that allowed for Martin Podesta (Min) to level the game. Ghantoot took the lead early on the penultimate chukker, but Habtoor Polo made a comeback with a goal from Min and a penalty shot from Facu. It was tense during the last chukker as Marcos Araya (Cacu) evened the score with two goals. A sixth chukker seemed imminent until a penalty was called which paved the win for Ghantoot Polo as Cacu’s 60yd penalty shot ended the game with a final score of 11 goals to 10.

The next match between UAE Polo and AM/UAE Polo teams was one-sided with UAE Polo’s 1.5 handicap advantage and the two goals by the end of the first chukker. AM/UAE Polo recovered and closed in on its opponent during the second chukker with goals from Jacinto Crotto and Santiago Cernadas. Tommy Beresford from UAE Polo widened the gap in scores with three goals by halftime. The last two chukkers were crucial for AM/UAE Polo team but in spite

of goals from its players, UAE Polo’s 3.5 goal advantage and defensive play were enough to secure the win resulting to a final score of 10.5 to 8.

Roland Hash, Managing Partner of PROW and Regional Director of Marmi Group awarded the teams and umpires of the day. Cesar Crespo was declared the Most Valuable Player and Pichot, ridden by Marcos Araya, as the Best Playing Pony.

The main sponsors of the Silver Cup 2020 were Marmi Group and PROW and was Co-sponsored by Hildon Water, Diamond Lease with the support of Other Sponsors – Sultan Bin Rashed (Sultaco), Ghulami Group and Kinetics Middle East.