Wins for HB Polo and Valiente in The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup for The British Open
In the opening day of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup for The British Open on Tuesday 21 June HB Polo walked away with the Carlow Gracida Cup after their win against Talandracas. Valiente also started their competition well with a 12-7 win over Cowdray Vikings.
HB Polo took an early lead ending the first chukka 5-3, but Talandracas fought back to level the scores at the end of the second chukka to make 5-5. The tables turned in the third chukka as Talandracas took the advantage and pushing HB Polo into a defensive position with a score of 8-7, however the fourth chukka took them back to a draw at 9-9. HB Polo crept ahead in the fifth to take the lead again 11-10, seemingly saving their best goals till last as they walked away with The Carlos Gracida Cup with a score of 12-10.
Later that afternoon Valiente, a revised line-up of Dubai and Valiente players, defeated the home side of Cowdray Vikings with a score of 12-7. Valiente’s line-up of the world number one, Adolfo Cambiaso and world number 2 Juan Martin Nero combined with the young Ralph Richardson and Bib Jornayvez. Ralph also found a familiar face in the line-out, in the form of his brother Jack, in the orange Cowdray Vikings’ shirt. The Vikings worked hard to stem the flow of play from Cambiaso and Nero, and by the end of the first chukka Valiente had only managed one goal. By half time the scores looked respectable with Valiente just in the lead on 5-3, but for the remaining chukkas the combination of the best back in the world alongside Cambiaso meant a runaway victory of 12 goals to 7.
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Photograph: HB Polo with The Carlos Gracida Cup. By ©www.imagesofpolo.com
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