Zedan slam a perfect 10 in Polo Cup

Saudi Arabia’s Zedan Polo looked a class act last night, thrashing Desert Palm 10-4 in their league clash of the HH President of the UAE Polo Cup in Abu Dhabi. Argentine Ignacio “Nachi” Heguy, the highest-rated player in the tournament with an eight-goal handicap, proved his worth by scoring seven times, three times in open play and four penalties over the four chukkers. Zedan patron Amr Zedan also got his name on the scorecard, slamming home three in open play. Matias Machado and Martin Valent combined to score Desert Palm’s five goals, with the former responsible for two and Valent the remaining three. Meanwhile, ADCB and Bin Drai played out a close game which saw the latter snatch the lead in the final stages of the 6-4 match. ADCB went into the third of four chukkers, leading by two goals, but Bin Drai, who had scored one penalty in the first chukker, found their rhythm in the third period, scoring three to go ahead by one goal. Jorge Cernadas scored once more for ADCB in the final chukker bring the score to 4-4, but Bin Drai’s Tomas Iriarte found the goal twice more and with ADCB unable to reply, the match ended 6-4. ADCB’s Bruno Tassara said his side was disappointed to have lost such a tight match. “Every match counts in this tournament and it is a shame to lose after an early lead, but we won’t dwell on this defeat. Now we look ahead to our next match and what we have to do to win that one.” Tomorrow’s matches will see Bin Drai take on Sumaya and Ghantoot Land Rover play Zedan. The HH President of the UAE Polo Cup is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club. It is being held at Abu Dhabi’s Royal Club from March 18-30 and, with eight teams in the hunt for top honours. The event features two groups showcasing the talents of emerging Emirati players as well as high-goal professionals from Argentina. Umpiring the matches are two officials who have presided over polo games at the highest level – the Argentine Open in Buenos Aires being one. The President’s Cup grand final will take place on March 30 with free family activities, picnic area and Carluccio’s corporate hospitality and restaurant. All games, including the grand final, are free to attend and open to the public. The event is presented by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and the Official Car is Land Rover (Premier Motors). The tournament is supported by Bespoke Italia, Carluccio’s, Fiji Water and Prisa Polo. Tomorrow 4:30 Sumaya         v              Bin Drai 5:30 Ghantoot      v              Zedan