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Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club
Habtoor Polo, winners of The Halloween Cup Final
Mohammed Bin Drai in action for the exhibition match winning team, Terra
Photography by AHPRC
The Club’s Halloween Cup Final was played on Friday 5 November between Habtoor Polo and Hesketh Polo at Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. Despite taking an early lead, Hesketh Polo’s strong defence prevented Habtoor Polo from scoring in the second chukka and so the scores were tied, 2-2, at half-time. The third chukka saw frenetic activity on both sides, but it was Habtoor Polo who managed to slot two goals through the posts. Hesketh fought back in the fourth chukka, but it was not enough and Habtoor Polo took home the win, 7-5. Sandra Schneider was awarded the Most Valuable Player and Vendimia, played by Mohammed Al Habtoor as the Best Playing Pony. To celebrate UAE’s 50th National Day, AHPRC hosted an 8-10 goal tournament at the end of November with four homegrown teams competing. The Final was played between Hesketh and Bin Drai, with Hesketh’s Tomy Iriate taking the initial lead, followed by another goal in the second chukka. Bin Drai managed to even the scores by half-time and by the third chukka had reversed the tables and begun to pull ahead to secure a 7-4 win. Mohammed Bin Drai was the Most Valuable Player and Garapata, played by Tomy Iriate, was the Best Playing Pony of the tournament. Bin Drai Polo proved their dominance in The November 2021 AHPRC League at the Club, with an undefeated streak gaining them the title on Wednesday 17 November. Both Final teams had two league wins under their belts, but Bin Drai took an early win which they maintained throughout the match to take the title. Rashid Bin Drai was named Most Valuable Player and Pimienta, played by Habtoor Al Habtoor, was the Best Playing Pony. On Friday 12 November, an exhibition match was played in honour of Expo 2020 Dubai at Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. Three teams, Terra, Alif and Opti, competed in a round-robin of matches; the first match was won by Terra, the second by Opti and the third by Terra. These results meant that Terra claimed the overall victory.
Bin Drai, winners of The UAE National Day Cup
Bin Drai Polo, winners of The November 2021 AHPRC League
Guards Polo Club Photograph by ©www.imagesofpolo.com
Talacrest has confirmed its continued sponsorship of The Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup
www.polotimes.co.uk
John Collins, founder and owner of Talacrest Classic Ferrari, has confirmed that his iconic brand will continue to sponsor Guards Polo Club’s late summer high goal fixture, The Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup, which will be played from 26 July – 14 August 2022. John said when confirming the sponsorship extension, “I was delighted to have the opportunity to support high-goal polo at Guards Polo Club. I really enjoyed the tournament and absolutely loved Finals day and so am only too happy to now expand my support of the Cup. August is a busy time for Talacrest – there are two big classic car shows in the USA at this time – but I am delighted that the Club has been able to work around my motorsport commitments to ensure that Talacrest can continue to have a major presence at this high-goal contest for the foreseeable future.”
Polo Times, December 2021 / January 2022
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