Ghantoot win HH President of the UAE Polo Cup opener

Ghantoot Land Rover’s long-serving Argentine, Hugo Barabucci, scored five of his side’s nine goals to help his team to a victory in the opening match of HH President of the UAE Polo Cup, presented by ADCB.

Yet Barabucci’s five-goal haul was not the highest in the match, his opposite number, Alfredo Cappella went one better, scoring a remarkable six of seven goals for Abu Dhabi Polo in defeat.

Ghantoot were making amends after suffering a 9-4 loss at the hands of Silver Cup champions, Abu Dhabi Polo, in the preliminary rounds of the Dubai Gold Cup earlier this month.

Ghantoot captain, Barabucci, who with a handicap of seven goals is the second-highest ranked player in the tournament, said his side would now be focusing on their next match against Saudi Arabia’s Zedan Polo on March 22.

“That was exactly the start we needed,” he said. “It was always going to be very close and we just kept to our plans and tried to focus on playing together as a team.

“We have started well and we hope to improve as the tournament goes on as there will be no easy games over the next two weeks.”

Ghantoot were playing without their Emirati star, Nasser Al Dhaheri, who was forced to pull out of the tournament due to injury. He was replaced by Ahmed Al Neaimi, who scored a goal for his side in the third chukker.

On Monday at 4:30pm will be the rescheduled clash between Gold Cup winners, Habtoor Polo, and Jordanian side, Sumaya Polo.

Habtoor are a force to be reckoned with, having only been beaten by Ghantoot by a solitary goal as they stormed to their way to the recent Dubai Gold Cup title. There is every indication that they will be one of the main teams to beat over the next two weeks.

The HH President of the UAE Polo Cup is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club.

This year the event will feature two groups showcasing the talents of emerging Emirati players as well as high-goal professionals from Argentina. Umpiring the matches will be two officials who have presided over matches at the highest level of polo – the Argentine Open in Buenos Aires.

The President’s Cup grand final will take place on March 30 with free family activities, picnic area and Carluccio’s corporate hospitality and restaurant. All games including the grand final are free to attend and open to the public.

The event is presented by Abu Dhabi Commercial bank and the Official Car is Land Rover Premier Motors. It is supported by Bespoke Italia, Carluccio’s, Fiji Water and Prisa Polo.
 

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