El Remanso, Cortium will play final of British Open
By Herbert Spencer
Adrian Kirby’s Cortium and the Hanburys’ El Remanso will play the final of the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
Cortium edged Ahmad Aboughazale’s Sumaya 9-8 and El Remanso beat the Albwardys’ Dubai 7-5 in the semi-finals Thursday. This will be the first time that either the Hanburys or Kirby’s team have made it into the British Open final.
In the first semi-final, Sumaya kept the lead for the first three chukkas, with neither team scoring in the second period, and the first half ended with Sumaya 4-3 ahead. Cortium held Sumaya scoreless in the fourth chukka and equalised at 4-4.
Sumaya retook the lead in the fifth period 7-6. But Cortium denied their opponents any goals in the sixth period, with their Francisco Elzalde equalising and Polito Pieres scoring the winning goal, his seventh of the game.
In the El Remanso v Dubai semi, played in heavy rain, the score remained tied for the first five chukkas, 5-5 going into the sixth. El Remanso held Dubai scoreless in the final period and two goals by Guillermo Terrera gave the Hanburys their place in the final.
Dubai’s star player, 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso, scored only once with a penalty conversion in the third chukka.