Park Place struggled to make it through the league stage of the British Open Gold Cup. Out of four games, they were able to win two. They managed to qualify for the quarter finals and beat Marqués de Riscal to advance to the semis. There, they defeated Talandracas, a team that beat them in their debut match. Last but not least, they faced Dubai in the final. The team was yet to be defeated in the tournament, overwhelming every opponent that stood in their way. Among those was Park Place.
Facundo Pieres, Park Place’s leading man, knew what was coming. He spoke to PoloLine prior to the final: “We are well aware that we will play against a remarkable team,” he said. “Dubai plays really well, they are unbeaten, they have won very difficult games, and they have a lot of confidence. In order to defeat such a team, we have to do everything very well on the field.”
Park Place’s first ever final at Cowdray Park Polo Club was not going to be easy for them. But on Sunday, July 17, a hot summer’s day in Midhurst, Andrey Borodin’s team pulled it out of the bag to perform at their highest level. They defeated Dubai to claim the coveted golden trophy, considered one of the Grand Slams of Polo alongside the Argentine Open and the US Open.
A large crowd gathered to watch the final at Lawns. The match saw Park Place claim a commanding 4-1 lead by the ned of the first chukka. Dubai replied in the second chukka, outscoring Park Place 3-0 to tie the game 4-all. The battle continued in the third, as Park Place reclaimed the lead to go 7-6 up.
It was a hard fought battle between two of the most powerful organisations in British polo. But the half time break proved to be crucial for Park Place. The fourth chukka saw them come out fighting. Led by power duo Facundo Pieres and Fran Elizalde (they score a total of ten goals between them), Park Place outscored Dubai 3-0 to claim a four-goal advantage (10-6). The next chukka saw Dubai push back – they scored two consecutive goals to narrow the gap down to two.
Park Place did not let up in the sixth. They maintained the pressure as Dubai struggled to get back in the game. Park Place scored two goals to Dubai’s one. Time was running out, and Dubai fought hard, but it was too late. Andrey Borodin’s organisation took a 12-9 win to claim their first ever British Open Gold Cup title.
BRITISH OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE COWDRAY GOLD CUP – FINAL – SUNDAY, JULY 17
PARK PLACE 12-9 DUBAI
Park Place: Joshua Hyde 1, Louis Hine 4 (2 goals), Facundo Pieres 10 (5), Francisco Elizalde 8 (5). Total: 23.
Dubai: Rashid Albwardy 1, Matt Perry 5 (2 goals) , Camilo Castagnola 9 (5), Jerónimo del Carril 7 (1). Total: 22.
Score Park Place: (1-0) 4-1, 4-4, 7-6, 10-6, 10-8, 12-9.
Umpires: Julian Appleby & Peter Wright.
Third man: Tim Bown.
MVP: Francisco Elizalde.
BPP: Van Nikita, ridden by Francisco Elizalde.
BPP UK: Fina Sandy (Sportivo x Fina Sedna), owned by Park Place, bred by Neuss, ridden by Facundo Pieres.
BPP Patron Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial: Open Sting, ridden by Rashid Albwardy.
Best Polo Argentino Bred: Open Callaway (Grappa Casino x Open Tarántula), bred by Ellerstina, owned by Bardon, ridden by Camilo Castagnola.
The British Open Gold Cup saw fourteen teams, up to 23 goals, compete.
British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup – Fixture & Teams
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