Habtoor Polo, UAE Polo teams post wins at Dubai Open qualifiers

The fourth day of Dubai Open 2020 qualifiers saw Habtoor Polo, Bangash Polo, UAE Polo and Zedan Polo teams battle it out on the grounds of Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club.

Bangash took the lead by the end of the first chukker with goals from Manuel Elizalde and Frederico Potobsky.

Habtoor Polo made a huge leap as Facundo Sola scored four goals for the team which earned them a one-goal advantage. The third chukker saw Habtoor Polo widen the score gap as they added three goals.

Post halftime, both teams scored a goal with an excellent steal by Facu and delivered to goal by Martin Podesta. The last chukker rolled with a good start for Bangash Polo with a goal from Elizalde and two more close to the end of the game.

Esain’s backhand assist to Facu plus a last-second goal secured the win for Habtoor Polo at 10 goals to 7.

An exciting match followed with a strong start for UAE Polo team with a two-goal lead over Zedan Polo. Juan Juaretche and Santiago Laborde settled the next chukker with teams tied at three goals.

An intense fourth chukker ensued with UAE Polo demonstrating a strong defensive play. Zedan Polo managed a one-goal advantage at the end of the chukker due to a last-second penalty called in their favour.

Tomas Panelo, relentless, scored two goals that grabbed the lead for UAE Polo during the chukker.

Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, daughter of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the and Ruler of Dubai, the patron of the UAE Polo team, sealed the win with the last second by a goal that resulted in a final score of 10 goals to 7.

Earlier, the third day of the Standard Chartered Gold Cup started with a ceremonial ball toss to celebrates the 150th anniversary of Polo in the modern era and the formation of rules that have evolved to form the game of today.

AM - UAE scored the first goal of the match, and the game took on an exciting start as Abu Dhabi polo team matched this with three consecutive goals taking the lead in their favour.

The second chukker opened with a goal from Faris Al Yabhouni, patron of Abu Dhabi Polo team and Jacinto Crotto and Santiago Cernadas levelled the game by the sound of the buzzer. Abu Dhabi had regained their lead by mid of the 3rd chukker but AM - UAE was relentless, and both teams were tied by halftime.

The penultimate chukker continued with the same intensity and ended with one-goal advantage for Abu Dhabi. The last chukker started with a penalty shot from Santiago Cernadas, and both teams played hard for the win. It was the last goal from Ignacio Acuna that bagged the win for AM - UAE Polo with a final score of 9 goals to 8.

In another match, Ghantoot Polo beat Dubai Wolves.

Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series was founded in 2009 by Mohammed Al Habtoor, patron of the Habtoor Polo team. Growing rapidly every year, the Gold Cup (Dubai Open) was recognised by the World Polo Tour (WPT); in January 2014, the WPT committee credited the Gold Cup tournament as the highest competition in terms of points within the WPT Challenge Cup category, elevating it to 50 points for the winner. 2015 marked the first time ever that the WPT upgraded the Gold Cup Tournament from ‘Challenge Cup’ to the highly coveted ‘WPT Cup’, resulting in winners receiving 60 points. In 2017, the tournament was moved up to WPT Championship Cup – the highest competition point-wise, awarding its winners with 125 points.

The Silver Cup is ranked under the WPT Cup category, with 50 points for winners and the Dubai Challenge Cup falls under the WPT Challenge Cup Category, awarding its winners with 20 points.