Thai Polo team-L to R-Tomas Garcia Del Rio, Nic Roldan, Alejandro Muzzio and Harald Link
(Photo by Pablo Ramirez)
EFG Bank Aravali (Jaime Garcia Huidobro, Alejandro Muzzio, Joaquin Pittaluga and Celine Charloux) and Thai Polo (Harald Link, Nic Roldan, Juan Ambroggio and Tomas Garcia del Rio) battled evenly through the early chukkers of Thursday’s game in the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup for the British Open before superior teamwork galloped off with the game in the second half of play.
Nic Roldan scored the first goal of the match, taking the opening throw-in and racing down the field for the score. A second run at the goal by Roldan from over 100-yards out saw the shot go wide allowing EFG Bank Aravali to respond with a goal to end the first chukker in a 1-1 tie.
Roldan accounted for the only goal in the second period as EFG Bank Aravali was unable to get its offense on track. The Thai Polo defenders did a laudable job as they blanked a talented foursome throughout the chukker.
It was in the third chukker that the EFG Bank Aravali settled into a playing rhythm. Three consecutive goals caught Thai Polo flatfooted as they found themselves trailing by two goals, 4-2, at the end of the first half.
Thai Polo responded in the fourth with two unanswered goals. EFG Bank Aravali was unable to break through the Thai Polo defense and found themselves deadlocked at 4-4.
EFG Bank Aravali regained the momentum in the fifth chukker as they scored three goals (two on penalty conversions) while holding Thai Polo to a single score. EFG Bank Aravali held a 7-5, two goal lead with one chukker left in regulation time.
There was no letup from EFG Bank Aravali in the sixth. Three more goals (one on a penalty conversion) went unanswered as Thai Polo suffered their fourth loss, 10-5.
British Open play continues on Friday, July 4th with a three game schedule. At Noon Lucchese (John Muse, Lucas James, Nico Pieres and Luke Tomlinson) will meet El Remanso (Hugo Lewis, Charlie Hanbury, Pelon Stirling and Guillermo Terrera); UAE Polo Team (Maitha Al Maktoum, Lucas Monteverde, Pablo MacDonough and Ollie Cudmore) and Dubai (Rashid Albwardy, Alastair Paterson, Adolfo Cambiaso and Diego Cavanagh) will battle one another at 3PM; and Talandracas (Edouard Carmignac, Juan Martin Nero, Polito Pieres and Santiago Stirling) will end the day facing Enigma (Jerome Wirth, Chris Mackenzie, Sapo Caset and Guillermo Willington).