Ghantoot
Defeat British Army 5-3 In Exhibition Match
The
spirit of rivalry was alive and well at Ghantoot Racing & Polo
Club on Sunday evening as the Ghantoot team and the British Army side
stepped into the fray.
The
touring British Army side, which fielded HRH Prince Rashid Bin El
Hasan of Jordan, accepted an invitation from the Royal Abu Dhabi
club, to take part in an eight-goal handicap tournament. This is the
second consecutive year that the Army side has been hosted in Abu
Dhabi and both teams hope to play a re-match next season.
The
match, presented by Ghantoot’s long-time supporter, ADCB, finished
5-3 and saw goals come from every player in the Ghantoot side.
The
British Army’s number four, Gaston Devrient scored all their goals
in the third chukker.
Ghantoot’s
Emirati, Nasser al Dhari and Argentine, Ramiro Cordero scored in the
opening chukker. The second period drew a blank for both sides but
the British Army drew ahead in the third chukker with a flurry of
goals from Devrient.
Cordero
scored his second for Ghantoot and the warring sides went into the
fourth and final chukker all even with the score at 3-3.
Ahmed
al Nueimi and Bruno Tassara got a goal each for Ghantoot and the
British Army side was unable to reply, before the claxon went with
the final score at 5-3.
“It
was a fun exhibition game but nevertheless we are glad to have come
out on top,” said Cordero, who joined Ghantoot this season from
Argentina. “The British Army side is known to be a good team and
they boast accomplished polo players.”
Ghantoot’s
season now draws to a close but the players will keep their hand in
throughout the summer as they prepare to be competitive in all of
Ghantoot’s tournaments next season including Pink Polo charity
event, the Golden Polo Cup, the Emirates Open and the HH President of
UAE Polo Cup.
The
British Polo Day aims
to celebrate the heritage of the game in each country the team
visits, reviving some of the old rivalries.
Land
Rover Premier Motors,
CAVA, Intercontinental Park Lane and Gaucho sponsored the evening.