Habtoor and UAE were victorious in the two last quarter finals of the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup, part of the Gold Cup Series, the most important polo event in Asia and the Middle East. Both games were played on Monday, January 31, at Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tournament sees seven teams, up to 18 goals, compete.
Bautista Bayugar opened the scores for Habtoor Polo, to end the first chukka holding the lead. In the two following chukkas, Bangash Dodson & Horrell closed the gap to a 0.5 goal by half time, but Habtoor Polo reinforced the attack in the next chukkas, led by a fantastic performance by Bautista Bayugar, the match top scorer, and who fit to perfection with Matías Gonzalez. By the time to play the last chukka, Habtoor had a 8-5.5 advantage, which was widened by Mohammed Al Habtoor at the start of a final chukka, that belonged to Habtoor Polo, who swept their contenders to earn an impressive 12-6.5 win that earned them a spot in semifinals.
Up next, and for the second time in the tournament, UAE Polo (with Sheikha Alia subbing in for Sheikha Maitha) took on Dubai Wolves by CAFU. In the league game, the Wolves were victorious, and perhaps it could be the same in this quarter final, because the Wolves had a stronger start, that led them to a commanding 3-1 lead by the end of the second chukka. However, from the third chukka onwards, UAE Polo found their best form – goals by Tommy Beresford and Lukin Monteverde helped their team to close the gap to one goal in the third episode, while a fantastic Lukin Monteverde produced three unanswered goals to outscore the Wolves 3-0, that extend UAE Polo lead to 6-4. Far from giving up, the Wolves presented battle in the last chukka, and managed to level the scores to 7-all. It seemed that an extra chukka would come, but within only 30 seconds in the clock Tommy Beresford sealed the deal and put UAE Polo in the next stage of the tournament.
BENTLEY EMIRATES SILVER CUP
QUARTER FINAL #2 – MONDAY JANUARY 31
HABTOOR POLO 12-6.5 BANGASH DODSON & HORRELL
HABTOOR: Mohammed Al Habtoor 0, Bautista Bayugar 8, Juan Jauretche 6, Matías González 4.
BANGASH DODSON & HORRELL: Haider Bangash 0, Federico Von Potobsky 5, Benjamín Panelo 7, Nicolás Corti Maderna 5.
Score Habtoor Polo: 2-0.5, 3-2.5, 5-5.5, 8-5.5, 12-6.5.
Top Scorer: Bautista Bayugar (6 goals).
QUARTER FINAL #2
UAE POLO 8-7 DUBAI WOLVES by CAFU
UAE POLO: Sheika Maitha 0 *, Lukin Monteverde 5, Tommy Beresford 6, Jacinto Crotto 7.
*Subbed in for Sheikha Alia 0
DUBAI WOLVES BY CAFU: Habtoor Al Habtoor 1, Alfredo Cappella 8, Toly Ulloa 6, Charles Cooney 3.
Score UAE Polo: 0-2, 1-3, 3-4, 6-4, 8-7.
Top Scorer: Alfredo Cappella (7 goals)
The semifinals of the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup are set to be played on Thursday February 3:
2pm: AM Polo vs. Habtoor Polo
4pm: Zedan vs. UAE Polo
IMAGES:
Bentley Emirates Silver Cup – QF #2 & # 3
THE BENTLEY EMIRATES SILVER CUP IS STREAMED LIVE ON POLOLINE TV HERE.