Another exciting day of double action took place at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club with the Julius Baer Gold Cup 2018. Desert Palm defeated Bin Drai by 9 goals to 8, and Mahra beat Habtoor Polo 10 goals to 9 in extra chukka. Both matches were very intense and extremely close right up to the final minute.

In the opening game, Desert Palm played a great second half to turn over a tough match. Patron Rashid Albwardy’s team managed to close the two goal gap and, scoring three goals in the fourth chukker, and finishing the match with a 9-8 victory that keeps them with chances of qualifying for the next round.

Desert Palm: Rashid Albwardy 2, Jeta Castagnola 4 (5 goals), Bartolito Castagnola 6 (2), Santiago Laborde 6 (2). Total: 18.
Bin Drai: Rashid Bin Drai 1, Andrés Laplacette 4, Matías Torres Zavaleta 7 (3 goals), Rauli Laplacette 6 (5). Total: 18.
Score Desert Palm: 1-1, 2-3, 4-6, 8-6, 9-8.

In the second match of the day, Mahra won the “derby” against Habtoor Polo by 10 goals to 9 in OT, with Jerónimo del Carril scoring the winning goal for patron Rashid Al Habtoor’s team. The win secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup 2018. It was a very tough match and anyone could have won, but it was the great play by Del Carril, winning the first throw-in in OT, that made the difference and gave Mahra the victory.

Mahra: Rashid Al Habtoor 1 (1 goal), Benjamín Urquiza 5, Isidro Strada 6 (4), Jero del Carril 6 (5). Total: 18.
Habtoor Polo: Mohammed Al Habtoor 0 (2 goals), Fran Elizalde 8 (1), Jack Hyde 4 (1), Bautista Ortiz de Urbina 6 (5). Total: 18.
Score Mahra: 1-2, 3-5, 6-6, 7-8, 9-9, 10-9.

The Julius Baer Gold Cup 2018 resumes on Monday at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, with the last qualification matches for Zone A:
2pm: Zedan vs Wolves
4pm: UAE Polo vs Abu Dhabi