Bin Drai won the Julius Baer Gold Cup 2018 after defeating Abu Dhabi in the final by 13 goals to 9 in a great day at Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. It was a deserved triumph for the organization that, after several attempts, finally claimed the most important title of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series.
Bin Drai proved that they were the best team of the season, after playing at a very high level against Abu Dhabi. After losing the final of the McLaren Cup against Zedan, patron Rashid Bin Drai, Andrés Laplacette, Matías Torres Zavaleta and Raúl Laplacette improved their game to win the Julius Baer Gold Cup.
Bin Drai were superior to their rivals – they knew they couldn’t waste another opportunity to claim the title (after having lost a couple of finals in previous years) – and they played their best game of the season. They were focused from the start and worked well as a team.
On the other hand, Desert Palm won the Bentley Cup after defeating Habtoor Polo by 7 goals to 5 in the final.
•Bin Drai: Rashid Bin Drai 1, Andrés Laplacette 4 (4 goals), Matías Torres Zavaleta 7 (2), Rauli Laplacette 6 (7). Total: 18.
•Abu Dhabi: Faris Al Yabhouni 0, Alfredo Cappella 9 (8 goals), Santiago Cernadas 6 (1), Santiago Gómez Romero 3. Total: 18.
Score Bin Drai: 2-1, 5-3, 9-3, 12-4, 13-9.
MVP: Andrés Laplacette.
BPP: Cruzeiro (also BPP of the McLaren Silver Cup 2018). Played by Rauli Laplacette.
Top Scorers Pro: Alfredo Cappella 28, Pablo Mac Donough 24, Rauli Laplacette 22, Jeta Castagnola 18, Bautista Ortiz de Urbina 18.
Top Scorers Amateur: Amr Zedan 6, Rashid Bin Drai 4, Mohammed Al Habtoor 3, Faris Al Yabhouni 3, Habtoor Al Habtoor 2.
•Desert Palm: Rashid Albwardy 2, Jeta Castagnola 4 (3 goals), Bartolito Castagnola 6 (1), Santiago Laborde 6 (3). Total: 18.
•Habtoor: Mohammed Al Habtoor 0, Jack Hyde 4 (2 goals), Fran Elizalde 8 (1), Bautista Ortiz de Urbina 6 (2). Total: 18.
Score Desert Palm: 2-2, 3-2, 5-4, 7-5, 7-5.
All matches of the Dubai Gold Cup Series 2018 will be streamed live on Pololine TV via Polocam.