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A C T I O N
Opposite, fourth from left to
right:
Habtoor Al
Habtoor, Daniel Savary
and Sultan Al Habtoor.
This page, top:
Nico Pieres
on the ball, watched by
teammate Tomas
Beresford.
Below:
MVP
Octavio Olmedo leads
ahead of Juan Zubiaurre
T H E D U B A I P O L O G O L D C U P
O F F E R S A MU C H - N E E D E D
D O S E O F E X C I T E ME N T
This time, Tariq Albwardy’s team put up
a greater fight. Desert Palm were 6-3 ½ up in
the third, but UAE showed their power in the
fourth, outscoring their rivals 4-0. Ultimately,
UAE managed to control the play, claiming
a narrow 8 ½-8 win and the coveted McLaren
Silver Cup. This was their second title of the
year, after winning the President’s Cup at
Ghantoot Polo Club earlier in the season.
However, UAE were unable to perform
as well in the Julius Baer Gold Cup, the most
prestigious tournament in the Middle East,
where their two losses put them out of the
running. The Gold Cup was all about Zedan
and 10-goal superstar Pablo MacDonough,
as they cruised into the final with four wins
under their belt. The only team standing
between Amr Zedan and Gold Cup glory
was Julius Baer by Habtoor. This season
Mohammed Al Habtoor had recruited
young blood in the form of 4-goaler Tomas
Beresford and 5-goaler Juan Zubiaurre
to play alongside Ellerstina’s new 10-goaler,
Nico Pieres (still playing off 9-goals in
Dubai). Julius Baer by Habtoor had only
suffered one loss in the tournament, and
were sure to put up a good fight in the final.
In the end, Zedan’s effective team work and
patience were too much for Julius Baer by
Habtoor; despite pressure from the two
young guns, Zedan was able to claim the
10-8 win and the Gold Cup. 'It was a clean,
open final,' said MacDonough, La Dolfina's
solid number three. ‘Both teams played well,
and we were lucky to get the advantage
in the last chukka. I think we were more
consistent throughout and that’s why we
got the win.’ Octavio Olmedo, in his first
season in Dubai, was named MVP of the
final, and Gete Pintura, played by Mac
Donough, was chosen as Best Playing Pony.
The success of the 2017 Dubai season
is reflected in the results, as no team has
won an 18-goal tournament twice: UAE
claimed the Silver Cup, Zedan won the Gold
Cup, and Bin Drai became Dubai Challenge
Cup champions. When seasons dominated
by one organisation are the norm, the
unpredictability of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup
Series is a much-needed dose of excitement.
