British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup – Day 6

Day six of competition in the British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup hosted by Cowdray Park Polo Club featured trophy ceremonies for Sunday’s victors, with the Jack Gannon Trophy and Midhurst Town Cup up for grabs.

Kicking-off doubleheader play, Park Place faced King Power and treated audiences to a tight match, as Park Place rose above their evenly matched opponents to claim the 12-10 win.

Nearly matching each other in shots from the field, Park Place took advantage of King Power’s foul troubles, shooting 80% at the line, converting eight goals on ten attempts. Despite shooting only 33% from the field, a powerful ten-goal performance from Facundo Pieres allowed Park Place to produce enough scoring opportunities and capture the hard fought two-goal victory.

Outshooting King Power in the first chukka of play 4 to 2 from the field, Park Place established an early lead on back-to-back efforts from Facundo Pieres and James Harper. Adding to their hot start, Park Place managed to add another three onto the scoreboard, while blanking their opponents in a strong defensive chukka. Rallying in the third, it was King Power’s turn to dial in on defense, as Nicolas Pieres and Manuel Elizalde led their team to a five-goal unanswered run to take a one-goal 6-5 lead at the half.

Regrouping in the tent Park Place emerged with a charge, as Facundo Pieres hit three in the chukka, including two from the line. Reestablishing a two-goal lead, Pieres continued his dominant performance, adding another three goals in the fifth to give Park Place an 11-7 edge. Digging in for a late comeback, King Power’s Jeronimo de Carril sent two though the posts, but Park Place’s consistent pressure led by Facundo Pieres delivered them their debut 12-10 victory and Jack Gannon Trophy.

Concluding play at Lawns Field 1, La Magdeleine went head-to-head against Dubai, where a determined Dubai handed La Magdeleine their first loss in League play with a 14-12 triumph.

A hard-fought game between the two teams was determined by the proficiency of Dubai in open play, shooting 59% and converting ten goals on seventeen attempts. La Magdeleine looked to match Dubai each step of the way on conversions due to strong 78% penalty shooting, including seven off the mallet of Pablo Mac Donough. In a game decided by a narrow margin, the extra possession and time in the offensive end combined with a seven-goal effort from Camilo Castagnola contributed to Dubai’s 14-12 victory.

Establishing an early lead, five goals from a firing Dubai, including four from Castagnola gave his team a commanding 5-1 advantage. Rebounding in the second, La Magdeleine’s Mac Donough accounted for two in the second chukka to bring La Magdeleine back within striking distance. Trading three goals apiece in the final chukka before the break, Dubai’s ability to shoot 67% in both open play and at the line gave them a 10-7 lead at the horn.

Relying on their recently established momentum, Dubai continued to strike from the field with Rufino Bensadon kicking-off a three-goal unanswered chukka. Rallying in the fifth, La Magdeleine’s Mac Donough responded with three successful conversions of his own to cut his team’s deficit to four. Pushing in the sixth, Mac Donough continued to shine with back-to-back goals, but Dubai’s early lead and strong fourth chukka performance sealed the 14-12 win to capture the Midhurst Town Cup.