EFG Bank Aravali score win over Richard Mille in Gold Cup
By Herbert Spencer
Karan Thapar’s EFG Bank Aravali narrowly defeated Prince Bahar Jefri of Brunei’s Richard Mille 8-7 in their Thursday league match in the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
It was a hard-fought match between two determined teams on Cowdray Park’s Ambersham 1 ground, with the lead changing or the game tied several times. Richard Mille was led by 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough, but EFG Bank Aravali’s Marcos Di Paola was man of the match, scoring all of his teams eight goals.
Richard Mille led 2-1 in the first chukka and 4-3 in the second. EFG Bank Aravali failed to score in the third period as Richard Mille patron Prince Bahar tallied a field goal to increase his team’s advantage to 5-3. Richard Mille kept the lead 6-5 in the fourth chukka.
EFG Bank Aravali held Richard Mille scoreless in the fifth chukka to take the lead 7-6. In the sixth and final chukka, Richard Mille equalised at 7-7 before EFG Bank Aravali’s Di Paolo found the posts to win the game.
Friday sees three league matches in the British Open: titleholders Zacara v Ellerston, Talandracas v El Remanso and Coca-Cola v Dubai, fresh from their victory in the Cartier Queen’s Cup last Sunday.