British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup – Day 15

Resuming play in the British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup hosted by Cowdray Park Polo Club, Talandracas emerged victorious over BP Polo 15-12.

With a sharp attack that yielded 65% shooting accuracy, Talandracas made the most of every chance they had outshooting their opponents 17 to 13 in the field. A well-coordinated defense put BP Polo under pressure, leading to challenging shot attempts, while Talandracas capitalized on their counterattacks by successfully converting their opportunities near the goal. Shooting 67% at the line and hitting four of six attempts, Talandracas overcame a five-goal performance from BP Polo’s Benjamin Panelo to seal their three-goal win.

Assembling an early lead, efforts from BP Polo’s Joevy Beh, Garvy Beh and Panelo overpowered a two-goal contribution two from Talandracas’ Marcos Araya and Alejandro Muzzio. Flipping the script in the second, a four-goal chukka, including three off the mallet of Pablo Pieres tied the contested match 6-all. Each seeking to make a statement before the horn, Panelo drove in his third of the half, but a run of three unanswered goals gave Talandracas a 9-7 lead at the break.

Maintaining their pressure in the fourth, Talandracas posted their second consecutive three-goal effort. Rebounding in the fifth BP Polo posted an impressive chukka, with Genaro Ringa adding his name to the scoreboard to keep BP within striking distance. Opening the sixth chukka on a drive from Garvy Beh to bring his team within one, fouls troubles halted BP Polo’s late push as crucial back-to-back conversions from Pieres sealed the 15-12 victory for Talandracas.

Concluding Tuesday’s doubleheader, Dubai went head-to-head against Green Gates, with Dubai earning the impressive 13-8 victory to remain as the only undefeated team in the tournament.

Outshooting Green Gates in the field, Dubai’s dominance stemmed from their ability to convert at the line combined with a 41% accuracy in open play. Despite an excellent 6-goal performance from leading scorer Francisco Elizalde, Green Gates’ inability to score from the field in addition to their fouling difficulties were counterbalanced by Dubai’s Camilo Castagnola converting six of eight penalty attempts to deliver Dubai the convincing five-goal triumph.

Back-to-back goals from Dubai Rashid Albwardy and Camilo Castagnola ignited a powerful first half that included five off the mallet of Castagnola. Holding Green Gates to eleven shots from the field and just one conversion from Elizalde, Dubai’s early firepower combined with their formidable defense gave them a commanding 7-1 lead at the half.

Emerging from the tent seeking to put together a more productive second half, Green Gates managed to outscore Dubai in the fourth with Elizalde leading the offensive charge. Despite cutting their deficit down to four, Green Gates’ fifth chukka fouling proved costly, as Castagnola sent three conversions through the posts. Entering the sixth trailing by eight, Green Gates made one final push, but Dubai’s spectacular first half advantage combined with a 10-goal performance from Camilo Castagnola ultimately secured the 13-8 victory.