Sumaya win in eighth chukka of British Open league match
By Herbert Spencer
Ahmad Aboughazale’s Sumaya beat Jean-François Decaux’s La Bamba de Areco 17-16 Saturday in a league match that, most unusually, went to two periods of extra time in the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
It has been 20 years since a British Open match has gone to eight chukkas, as the final between Cowdray Park and Hildon did in 1992. This was also one of the highest-scoring games of the tournament.
La Bamba de Areco took an early lead 5-2 in the opening chukka with four goals by 10-goaler Facundo Pieres and a fifth by his brother Nico. Sumaya reduced their deficit in the second period that ended 6-5 in La Bamba de Areco’s favour. Sumaya equalised in the third chukka to tie the match 9-9 at halftime.
In the fourth period Sumaya tallied three points to La Bamba de Areco’s one to go ahead 12-10 and they then kept the lead 14-13 in the fifth chukka. La Bamba de Areco outscored Sumaya in the sixth period and Facundo Pieres equalised to push the match into extra time.
After neither team scored in the first period of extra time, the goal posts were widened for an eighth chukka and Sumaya’s Facundo Sola scored the golden goal in the first minute.
On Sunday Stefano Marsaglia’s Piaget will play Harald Link’s Thai Polo on Cowdray Park’s Ambersham 1 ground.