Gold Cup kicksoff with 20 teams In British Open
By Herbert Spencer
Three teams had comfortable wins Tuesday on the first day of the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club. The first six of 20 teams in the 22-goal Open all played on Cowdray Park’s Lawns and Ambersham grounds.
The Hanburys’ El Remanso met newcomers La Dolfina Polo Ranch, beating them 12-8. El Remanso dominated from the start with a 4-0 shutout in the first chukka and stayed ahead by at least two goals throughout the six chukkas. Charlie Hanbury, playing with his brother George on the team fielded by their father Christopher, provided effective support for El Remanso’s stars Pelon Sterling and Jaime Garcia Huidobro, scoring three goals.
El Remanso, with one of the better pony strings in the country, were semi-finalists in the earlier Queen’s Cup.
Piaget took an early 4-1 lead over Oussama Aboughazale’s Sumaya and kept it for two periods before Sumaya rallied in the third. The two teams were only a goal apart in the fifth period, but Sumaya came out stronger in the sixth to hold Piaget scoreless and win 14-9.
Joe Gottschalk’s Les Lions took on Fabien Pictet’s Emerging who were returning to English high goal this season. Les Lions held their opponents scoreless for two periods and by half-time were 7-1 up. Only in the six period did Emerging outscore their opponents, but the rally came to late and Les Lions won 11-6.