Dubai: Mahra and Desert Palm 2 secured identical 9-8 wins over Edrees and Abu Dhabi, respectively, in the two matches of the McLaren Cup at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club (DPEC) on Sunday.
The Mahra versus Edrees match had to be postponed by a day after Argentinean professional Jota Chavanne fell of his horse and broke his hand on Saturday. Replaced by fellow Argentine Augustin Canale, Edrees put up a spirited show but could not match the shooting power of their opponents in over-time.
Led by patron Rashid Al Habtoor, Mahra were not off to the best of starts as they trailed 1-2 at the end of the opening chukka. Both Edrees and Mahra added two goals apiece in the second chukka as Mahra continued chasing at 3-4.
The situation continued in the next two chukkas to see the score 5-6 and 6-7 by the end of the fourth. However, with the ever-energetic professional Nacho Gonzalez in full flow, it was tough keeping Mahra at bay as they drew level 8-8 at the end of full-time to push the match into extra-time. Once again it was Gonzalez to the rescue as he came up with the match-winner to see Mahra home 9-8.
In the second match, it was the joint effort and perfect team-work of Desert Palm 2’s combination of Matías Torres Zavaleta and Diego Cavanagh, who was later declared the man of the match. Trailing 1-2 at the end of the opening chukka, Desert Palm 2 fought back to lead 4-3 at the end of the second.
In the third chukka, Abu Dhabi managed to draw level 5-5 only to see Desert Palm 2 secure three unanswered goals for a healthy 8-5 lead at the end of the fourth chukka. But Abu Dhabi staged a great comeback with Alfredo Capella showing all his talent and Felipe Martínez Ferrario scoring on the buzzer to tie the scores 8-8 and take the match into over-time.
However, it was Cavanagh scoring from the penalty spot to give Desert Palm 2 a well-deserved win.
