Cowdray Park delivered the weather the English summer sometimes insists on, and a Gold Cup final to match. On Sunday 25 July, in persistent rain, Thai Polo NP beat the UAE Polo Team 9-7 to win the 2021 Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship.
Never behind
Thai Polo NP never trailed in the final. Captain Nico Pieres led the way with three goals and three assists, and every one of the winners’ nine goals came from the field, a mark of clean, flowing polo on a slippery turf. In the fifth chukka, Pieres set up a goal for Louis Hine and then scored himself to give his side a four-goal lead. The team, led by patron Harald Link, was Nicolas Pieres, James Harper, Ned Hine and Louis Hine.
The UAE Polo Team pushed hard at the end. Tomas Panelo and Tomas Beresford scored all seven of their goals between them, and a late Beresford penalty ended the game, but the gap was too wide to close. The Hon Emily Pearson, daughter of Lord Cowdray, presented the trophy to Pieres, who was also named Most Valuable Player.
A tough route for the runners-up
UAE came into the tournament as winners of the Cartier Queen’s Cup, and many considered them favourites here too. They did not have it all their own way, though, losing to Talandracas in the group stage, so reaching the final was an achievement in itself.
The big picture
The tournament ran from 29 June to 25 July, a month-long tournament that is one of the great fixtures of the English season. The Gold Cup remains the title every high-goal player wants, and the 2021 edition ended with a team that looked fully deserving at the end of the month.
It is also good to see the grounds full of polo again after the disruption of the past eighteen months.
Sources: Sussex Express
