Image credit: Mark Beaumont
Gaston Polo Team won the British Open Gold Cup Tournament on Sunday with a 9-8 win over Dubai Polo Team in the final at the Cowdray Park Polo Club.
Image credit: Mark Beaumont
In the green shirts for Gaston, Jean Paul Luksic (0) rode out at 1, with Gonzalo Ferrari (7) at 2, Beltran Laulhe (7) at 3, and 7-goaler Cruz Heguy at Back. Wearing the number 1 shirt for Dubai was Tariq Albwardy (0), Antonio Heguy (7) at 2, 9-goaler Bartolome Castagnola at 3, and Santos Merlos (6) at Back.
Gaston got off to a strong start in the first chukka, scoring two goals and holding off Dubai with an unbreakable defence. However, the second and third chukkas opened with Dubai kicking into action, keeping themselves within one goal of their opponents. Following a perfectly taken 60-yard penalty by Castagnola, Dubai headed into halftime trailing by just one goal at 5-4.
The second half was close, with both Laulhe and Castagnola adding a goal each in the fourth chukka. Gaston kept their noses in front heading into the final chukka, still leading by a single goal at 8-7 and keeping everyone in suspense.
Gaston continued their attacking play, allowing Heguy to add yet another goal. Merlos responded with a determined run to goal with two minutes remaining, reducing the deficit once again. Despite Dubai throwing everything at Gaston in the closing seconds, Gaston emerged victorious, winning 9-8 after the final buzzer.
An ecstatic Jean Paul Luksic, Gaston team Patron said, “It is a dream to win the Gold Cup for the first time ever. We worked really hard, it’s been over 12 years playing in the UK. I did the medium goal, prepared for the high goal and this is only our third year playing at this level. So I am so happy, it’s hard to put it into words.”
The Teams:
Score Progression:
Game Statistics:
Stats provided by https://poloreport.com/