Zedan defeated UAE Polo by 12-8 and Bin Drai Polo won against Wolves by 9-5. After two great semi-finals, Zedan and Bin Drai, that already played in the qualifying round (BD won by 10-8) will meet next Friday for the deciding match of the first trophy of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series.
It was also a great day for the patrons with Amr Zedan (Zedan), Sheika Maitha (UAE Polo) and Saeed Bin Drai (Bin Drai Polo) scoring two goals each in their respective matches.
In the first semi-final, Zedan had to battle hard to defeat always complicated UAE Polo Team. Patron Sheika Maitha’s team had a great start taking the lead by 4-2 in the first chukka and increasing the gap during the first minutes of the second period.
That was till Pablo Mac Donough, the 10-goaler and Triple Crown winner with La Dolfina, put full power to his engine to score four consecutive goals and give Zedan the lead by one (6-5) at the end of the second chukka.
In the second half, patron Amr Zedan’s team achieved to take control of the match to secure the victory and the ticket to the Mc Laren Cup final. Pablo Mac Donough was the top scorer of the match with 8 goals and Jack Hyde, with 3 goals, the top scorer in UAE Polo.
In the second semi-final, things were a little bit more easy for Bin Drai despite of the continuous struggling of the Wolves team. In the second half, the talented Guille Terrera led Bin Drai’s team to the victory with great performance well supported by his teammates. Raúl Laplacette with 4 goals was the top scorer of the match and Diego Araya, scoring 3, the top scorer for Wolves team.
Six polo teams are participating in the McLaren Cup 2016 18-goal handicap:
· Mahra Polo – Patron: Rashid Al Habtoor
· Bin Drai Polo Team – Patron: Saeed Bin Drai
· Habtoor Polo Team – Patron: Mohammed Al Habtoor
· UAE Polo Team – Patron: Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
· Zedan Polo Team – Patron: Amr Zedan
· Habtoor Wolves Polo Team – Patron: Ahmed Mohammed Al Habtoor / Khalaf Rashid Al Habtoor
The participating teams host some of the top-ranking World Polo Tour players, including Pablo Mac Donough, the 10-goal superstar and two-time ‘Triple Crown Champion with La Dolfina’; Lucas Montverde (9 goal handicap); Guillermo Terrera (8-goal handicap), Alfredo Cappella Barabucci (8-goal handicap) and Alejandro Novillo Astrada (8-goal handicap) and many others.
About Dubai Polo Gold Cup
The DPGC Series has wrapped up its latest season with resounding success. Each year the tournament reaches new heights. In 2012 the Dubai Gold Cup Series was recognized by the World Polo Tour (WPT) and in January 2014 the WPT committee announce that the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series’ has enabled it’s important tournament (Gold Cup) for being the highest tournament in points within the Challenge Cup category by raising to 50 points for the winners. The certificate of entry was presented by the international polo. In 2015 marked the first time ever that the World Polo Tour (WPT) upgraded the Tournament from ‘Challenge Cup’ to the highly coveted ‘WPT Cup’, meaning winners received 60 points. The 18 goal handicap competition is now the highest handicapped event in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, ranking it among the best polo tournaments worldwide.
