It was a triple header on Wednesday 2nd July at Cowdray Park Polo Club as 3 fast-paced Gold Cup matches took place as we move into the final week of qualifying round matches. A few surprises kept spectators on their toes as the high goal action continued.
Match 1:
First up, King Power MB Polo had a strong performance against White Crane. They led comfortably throughout the match and despite consistent pressure from the White Crane side and flashes of magic from Polito Pieres, they managed to remain dominant throughout. The hard work was done in the first half with MacDonough and Beresford on fire and gaining themselves a sizeable 5 goal lead which meant they could afford to take their hooves slightly of the gas in the second half (although one can never truly relax). Despite actually having more shots to goal from the field, unfortunately White Crane gave away 13 fouls giving King Power 7 scoring opportunities (as well as their 13 from the field) of which they scored 6.
Match 2:
Next up it was Sujan Indian Tigers vs Valhalla. This was the first win for Sujan Indian Tigers in the Gold Cup and it was hard fought, Valhalla making them work for it every step of the way. A strong first half from the Valhalla side saw them leading going into the penultimate and it looked like they were going to storm to their first win, but as is so often the case in polo the story wasn’t over and the 5th chukka saw an epic comeback from Sujan Indian Tigers with all 4 players pulling out all the stops to take back possession, create positive plays and gain and keep territory. 4 goals meant they were back in the game, finishing the 5th 9-9. Flying high, they kept the momentum going, finishing with 2 goals to 1 to take the win.
Match 3:
Another intense match resulted in perhaps the biggest surprise of the day with Dubai felled by Bangash Polo Team. This is the second loss for Dubai who won their first match but have since failed to secure the victory while Bangash celebrated their first win. It was even throughout the first half, possession switching between the two teams and goals flowing but a sudden burst of strategic team play and tough attacking manoeuvres from Bangash in the 5th seemed to leave Dubai reeling and somewhat floundering. Never a team to give up, they made a great comeback in the last but it wasn’t enough to undo the damage done and Bangash took the win.
Watch all Gold Cup matches here: https://cowdraypolo.co.uk/cowdray-tv/
Image credit Mark Beaumont
Stats provided by International Polo Academy