Salkeld and UAE Polo triumphant

shotResults from the first two matches of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup

The first matches of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup were played yesterday at Cowdray Park Polo Club. The tournament line-up featured UAE Polo against RH Polo, followed by Zacara vs Salkeld.

UAE Polo dominated in their Group C match against RH Polo, with an 8-4 lead at half-time over their opponents, an advantage they would later capitalise on to finish the match 14-6. The team, playing together as a well-practiced squad, consistently performing to increase the score margin of the game throughout. This is the first Gold Cup for RH Polo, though they are not strangers to top class competition, having competed in the Bronze, Silver and Gold Cups in Sotogrande last season. Sheikha Maitha’s white clad team of Jose Ramon Araya, Lucas Montverde, Pablo MacDonough and Santiago Stirling were presented with The Carlos Gracida Memorial Trophy for their win, in memory of the hugely talented Mexican player who sadly died in 2014. They will now face HB Polo on Saturday.

In the second match of the day, Zacara lost out to Salkeld by a single goal. The loss was hard-fought however, as Zacara upped their game from their half-time score where they lagged 10-5 behind the opposition. Salkeld, comprised of Nick Clarke and three 7 goal players, Juan Zavaleta, Joaquin Pittaluga and Luke Tomlinson, has not changed its line-up since they were knocked out in the Quarter Finals of The Cartier Queen’s Cup by eventual victors King Power Foxes. They eventually finished fourth after facing King Power in the Cartier Trophy in the Subsidiary Final. However, this strong performance sets them up well for their next game against Apes Hill on Saturday 27 June.

To view full teams, matches and results, click here.

Photograph: Zacara against Salkeld in the first of The Gold Cup matches. By ©www.imagesofpolo.com

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