25th January 2016, DUBAI, UAE: Habtoor Polo and UAE Polo achieved two great victories in a thrilling polo action day at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club.
UAE Polo defeated Mahra by 8 goals to 7 in over time and Habtoor Polo won their match against Bin Drai by a close 9 goals to 8.
Both matches where very tight, well played and exciting till the last seconds.
In the first match of Day 3 of the McLaren Cup, UAE defeated Mahra in extra time with a spot penalty scored by Lucas Monteverde after five hard and battled chukkas.
The last 14 minutes were a continuous come and go, with each team adding goals to the scoreboard to take the match to overtime.
Monteverde scored six goals for UAE Polo and was the top scorer of the match.
Jota Chavanne, with 3 goals, was the top scorer in Mahra´s team.
Match progression:
UAE Polo: 0-2/ 3-3/ 4-5/ 6-6/ 7-7/ 8-7
The second match of the day brought another battle to the main field of the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club.
Habtoor Polo needed a victory to keep alive their chances to go through the next stage but they were facing a really strong team. A great team work, closing all gaps to superstar Guille Terrera and his team mates, and the aiming of top scorer Guillermo Cuitiño, (scoring 4 goals for his team), awarded a great victory for Habtoor by a close 9 goals to 8.
Bin Drai´s player Raúl Laplacette was the top scorer of the match with 6 goals.
Match progression:
Habtoor: 2-1/ 3-4/ 4-5/ 7-6/ 9-8
The McLaren Cup will continue tomorrow with one match at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club. Zedan Polo will be facing Wolves Polo from 2 pm in field 1.
Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series (Dubai Open), an 18 Goal Handicap competition, enters its seventh year under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.The tournament is now the highest handicap in the UAE.
The Dubai Open has been split into two tournaments. Starting with the McLaren Cup 2016, which runs from Friday January 22, 2016 to Friday February 5, 2016. The second tournament, the Julius Baer Gold Cup, commences on Friday, February 19, 2016 to Friday March 11, 2016.
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series is the fourth-largest tournament of its kind after Argentina, the US and the UK.
First founded by Mohammed Al Habtoor in 2009, the tournament is the premier regional polo competition of the year, and attracts VIPs, society figures, and senior corporate executives from across the GCC.
It has grown in tandem with the city of Dubai and since 2012, it is the only tournament in the UAE to be recognized and certified by the World Polo Tour (WPT).
It is played under the banner of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA), with the Gold Cup being played according to HPA rules and the provision of umpires is managed under strict international supervision by the HPA.
The participating teams will host some of the top-ranking World Polo Tour players, including Pablo Mac Donough, the 10-goal superstar and two-time ‘Triple Crown Champion with La Dolfina’; Lucas Montverde (9-goal handicap); Guillermo Terrera (8-goal handicap), Alfredo Cappella Barabucci (8-goal handicap) and Alejandro Novillo Astrada (8-goal handicap) and many others.
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup will be held at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club in Arabian Ranches.
Six polo teams will be participating in the McLaren Cup 2016 18-goal handicap:
• Mahra Polo – Patron: Rashid Al Habtoor
• Bin Drai Polo Team – Patron: Saeed Bin Drai
• Habtoor Polo Team – Patron: Mohammed Al Habtoor
• UAE Polo Team – Patron: Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Zedan Polo Team – Patron: Amr Zedan
• Habtoor Wolves Polo Team – Patron: Ahmed Mohammed Al Habtoor / Khalaf Rashid Al Habtoor
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