Titleholders Dubai knocked out in British Open quarters
By Herbert Spencer
Lyndon Lea’s Zacara edged Ali Albwardy’s Dubai 12-11 in a dramatic second half rally Saturday to put the reigning titleholders out of contention in the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
Last year Dubai, spearheaded by 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso, won both the 22-goal Queen’s Cup and the British Open. This year Albwardy’s side were eliminated in the Queen’s Cup quarter-finals and then suffered the same fate in these British Open quarters.
In the Gold Cup quarter-final, Dubai was well ahead 11-6 at halftime, but Cambiaso hurt his leg in a hard ride-off and failed to return to the field for the fourth chukka. Dubai replaced him temporarily with 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough from the eliminated Richard Mille team.
Suprisingly Dubai didn’t score a single goal in the second half, despite Cambiaso returning to the fray in the last chukka. Zacara steadily fought back into contention, finally equalising in the sixth period. With less than two minutes before the final bell, Ignatius Du Plessis scored to win and advance Zacara to the semi-finals.
In the day’s other quarter-final match, Jean-François Decaux’s La Bamba de Areco with 10-goalers Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres downed Ahmad Aboughazale’s Sumaya 13-10 to earn a place in the semi-finals.