It was a week of exciting polo matches at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club. Six teams competed during the Sir Winston Churchill Cup 2018 resulting into a Subsidiary match between Habtoor Polo against Bangash Polo and a Final match between RA/Bin Drai Polo and UAE Polo teams.
The Subsidiary final saw Habtoor Polo and Bangash Polo teams battle it out in an intense match. Habtoor Polo dominated the game resulting in a sweeping win against the opposing team scoring 8 – 1.5.
The Club had offered its usual Friday Polo Picnic – a tailgating tradition popular in the polo circuit where guests relaxed and watched the games under a gazebo whilst the children entertained themselves in a dedicated Kids Area. Two La Perle tickets were given away to Friday Polo Picnic parkers, and two gold coins worth AED 2,500 in prizes were up for grabs during the halftime of the final match. The best-dressed man was awarded the ‘Man of the Hour’ and won a bespoke tailoring voucher worth AED 1,000.
The Final opened with the call for the UAE National Anthem. After team presentations were done, the crowd witnessed RA/Bin Drai and UAE Polo teams in a close match from the first chukker down to the sound of the buzzer at the fourth chukker. Two strong teams alternately had the lead at the end of each chukker and ultimately RA/Bin Drai Polo team took the win at 8.5 to 8.
Humaid Bin Drai, a reputable name in the polo community and Chairman and Founder of Bin Drai Enterprises was called upon to award the winners and runners-up of the Sir Winston Churchill Cup 2018.
MVP: Tomás Iriarte
BPP: Shakira, owned by Bin Drai Polo.
The Sir Winston Churchill Cup 2018 was sponsored by Al Mazen General Trading LLC, one of the leading traders and manufacturers of home furniture and wall to wall carpets. Other valuable sponsors are Ascots and Chapels and Bentley Fragrances.
The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club is a state-of-the-art polo and equestrian community devoted to equine sports and is the home ground for the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series. Check out the Polo Calendar 2018-2019 for upcoming international-standard polo tournaments or contact +97144362222 | contacts@alhabtoorpoloclub.com for more information on other events scheduled at the Club.
FULL FIXTURE:
Wednesday 5th:
UAE 9-4.5 Bangash
Friday 7th:
Bangash 8-6 A&S
Saturday 8th:
Mahra 5.5-7 Habtoor
Monday 10th:
R.A/Bin Drai 8-7 Mahra
Wednesday 12th:
RA/Bin Drai 8-4 Habtoor
A&S 4-8 UAE
Friday 14th:
Subsidiary Final: Habtoor 8-1.5 Bangash
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL CUP FINAL: UAE 8-8.5 R.A/Bin Drai
TEAMS
R.A/Bin Drai: Rashid Al Falahi -1, Mohammed Bin Drai 1, Andrés Laplacette 4, Tomás Iriarte 4. Total: 9.
UAE: HH Sheikha Maitha 0, Billy Healy 2, Tomás Panelo 4, Nacho Acuña 4. Total: 10.
Habtoor: Mohammed Al Habtoor 0, Habtoor Al Habtoor 1, Justo Cuitiño 3, Tommy Beresford 6. Total: 10.
Bangash: Haider Bangash 0, Dr. A 0, Mauro Gómez 2, Federico Von Potobsky 6. Total: 8.
A&S: Sultan Al Faisal -1, Ahmed Al Habtoor 0, Nicolás Isla 3, Marcos Araya 7. Total: 9.
Mahra: Rashid Al Habtoor 0, Tariq Al Habtoor 1, Diogo Gallego 5, Daniel Gariador 2. Total: 8.