Solo lifts Al Habtoor over Bangash at President of the UAE Polo Cup

Al Habtoor’s leading player Facuno Solo could not have hit peak form at a better time as he scored a stunning hat-trick in a tense final chukker to help his team defeat a gritty Bangash 12-9 in the 20th HH President of the UAE Polo Cup at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort on Monday.

Both team were lock at 8-goal each at the end of the fourth chukker, but it was Al Habtoor who came out stronger in the decider to strike four goals without conceding any, for a resounding victory.

It was their second match of the six-team 18-goal handicap tournament, following their 14-12 victory over the UAE Polo Team in an earlier game.

One of the UAE’s leading polo clubs and tournament organisers, Al Habtoor comprise a strong team lead by Mohammed Al Habtoor, Felix Esian, Martin Podesta and the mercurial nine-handicapper, Solo.

“I am delighted with the way the team performed under pressure,” said Al Habtoor. “The whole performance was very good right from the start.

“We also won a tense match against UAE Polo Team which shows that we can handle the pressure. The approach of playing this way and staying positive will also help the team to perform better in their upcoming matches. Overall out performance was solid and we look forward to our next match against Abu Dhabi Polo team on March 21.

“We are looking forward to our next clash and a win there will put us in a strong position in the tournament,” he added.

Despite losing two games on the trot Haider Bangash remained up-beat and said: “Full marks to our players for putting up such a spirited performance for the second consecutive match.

“We lost both the matches narrowly, which means that we can still mix it with the top teams. Perhaps we need to look at some things in our strategy and hopefully raise our game in the coming matches.”

Bangash will next play Desert Palm Polo Team in their third league match on March 21.

HH President of the UAE Polo Cup offers a lucrative prize purse of Dhs500,000.

The grand finals of the showpiece event of the polo season, famous for attracting some of the leading polo players of the UAE and from around the world, will take place on March 27.

Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club sprung up around the vision of the late President His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and currently being run under the patronage and directives of his son, Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The governing partner for the HH President of the UAE Cup is Abu Dhabi Sports Council and it’s being held in association with the Emirates Polo Association.

Event Sponsors include YAS Capital Investments,YAS International Properties LLC, YAS International Development, YAS International Holding , YAS International Investment and La Roche Pharmacy

The official car is Ghantoot’s long-time Pillar Partner, Premier Motors - Maserati.