La Bamba de Areco Victorious in King Power Gold Cup Debut
The 4th day of the 2018 King Power Gold Cup saw La Bamba de Areco open their tournament with a 13-9 victory over RH Polo at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
The opening half saw La Bamba de Areco take a commanding 8-3 lead in a strong team performance. La Bamba de Areco were able to maintain their advantage through effective shooting from the field, converting 10 of their 16 attempts, while holding RH Polo to five field goals in the game. With 22 fouls in the game, both teams had their opportunities from the penalty line, but La Bamba de Areco converted just 3 of their 7 attempts, keeping RH within reach late in the game. Despite dominating the throw-in battle late in the game, RH Polo was unable to close the deficit as La Bamba de Areco completed the four-goal victory.
After a low-scoring opening chukka, La Bamba de Areco scored four goals in the second chukka on perfect 2 for 2 shooting from the field and the penalty line. The duo of David Stirling and Juan Martin Nero were effective on both sides of the ball, leading La Bamba de Areco to eight goals in the opening half, while RH Polo struggled to produce a consistent attack, resulting in three goals. Just four shot attempts and difficulty in utilizing their set plays kept RH Polo from closing the deficit against a La Bamba de Areco team that took advantage of each opportunity in the opening half.
The second half saw RH Polo find some form due to foul trouble from La Bamba de Areco. Committing eight fouls in the half, La Bamba de Areco awarded Caset with three penalty goals that allowed RH Polo to gain some traction on the offensive side of the ball. Winning 10 of the 12 throw-ins throughout the final three chukkas, RH Polo used the additional possession to increase their shot count to eight, but inaccurate shooting continued to be a factor. Despite La Bamba de Areco missing three of their four penalty attempts, RH Polo were never able to get closer than three goals over the final three chukkas. Led by Stirling’s seven goals, La Bamba de Areco managed their lead to complete the 13-9 victory to open their run in the King Power Gold Cup.