Habtoor Polo and Bin Drai victorious in the opening day of the Dubai Challenge Cup 2016
Habtoor Polo and Bin Drai Polo won the opening matches of the Dubai Challenge Cup 2016, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and part of Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series.
Bin Drai defeated UAE Polo, Gold Cup champions, by 7 goals to 6 and Habtoor Polo defeated Wolves by 12 goals to 4, both matches played at the new Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club.
In the first match of the day, Bin Drai and UAE Polo held an exciting match, very even till the last seconds of the game and with Raúl Laplacette leading patron Saeed Bin Drai ́s team to the victory with an outstanding performance.
Laplacette scored 5 goals in the winning team while Lucas Monteverde, with 6 goals, was the top scorer of the match.
Match progression:
Bin Drai: 2-2/ 2-3/ 5-5/ 7-6
In the second match of the day, Habtoor Polo, with Marcos Panelo and Guillermo Terrera joining patron Mohammed Al Habtoor and Guillermo Cuitiño in the team, achieved a well deserved victory against Wolves by 12 goals to 4.
After one tight chukka, Habtoor Polo started playing in a high level to increase the gap in the game and in the scoreboard against it ́s opponent.
With Cuitiño pushing from the back and talented Terrera working out every action, Habtoor Polo achieved a 7 goal difference in the third chukka to play the last 7 minutes with the match almost decided. Patron Mohammed Al Habtoor ́s team continued scoring in the 4th chukker for a final 12-4 victory.
Match progression: Habtoor: 3-2/ 7-2/ 10-3/ 12-4
The Dubai Challenge Cup will continue tomorrow with one match at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort. From 4 pm, Zedan, with Nachi Heguy replacing injured Pablo Mac Donough, will face Edrees.
Dubai Challenge Cup 2016
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
Part of Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series, The 18-goal tournament – one of the highest handicap tournaments in the region – will run from Friday March 18, 2016 to Friday April 1, 2016 at the new Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club.
Mohammed Al Habtoor, founded the Dubai Gold Cup Series in 2009. Since then it has grown in tandem with the city of Dubai. Today it is one of the highest handicap tournament in the Middle East and the fourth largest of its kind after Argentina, the US and the UK. The Gold Cup Series is split into two tournaments: the McLaren Silver Cup and the Julius Baer Gold Cup and played under the banner of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA). It attracts polo stars from around the world, VIPs, society figures as well as senior corporate executives from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This year in 2016, The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series reached to have a number of 5 tournaments under its umbrella (Silver Cup, Polo Masters Cup, Gold Cup, Dubai Challenge Cup and Dubai Cup).