Abu Dhabi: Ghantoot captain Abdullah Bin Desmal paid tribute to his team after they defeated AM/Habtoor by 10 goals to 7½ in a thrilling final of the prestigious Emirates Open Polo Championship at the Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club on Friday evening.
Bin Desmal said his team deserved the win against a top side like AM/Habtoor and expressed his delight with their five-game winning run in the 15-handicap tournament.
Ghantoot remained unbeaten in the five-team tournament which served up a royal treat over the two weeks of fierce competition.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win such a prestigious tournament as the Emirates Open,” said Bin Desmal. “I think the key to our success was that we kept improving with every game which helped strengthen our confidence going into such a tough final with AM/ Habtoor.
“It was very tight for the first two chukkers, but by the end of the second we began to gel as a team and gradually took hold of the match.
“We will celebrate this now but then start preparing for the rest of the season. AM Habtoor were well-prepared and performed really well. Good luck to them next time,” Bin Desmal said.
Abu Dhabi Polo Team beat Mahra/ Bangash 10 goals to 7½ in the sub-final.
Zayed Alaboudi Al Zaabi, Ghantoor’s managing director, congratulated the winners and runner-up on a very entertaining final.
“We could not have asked for a better performance from both teams,” he said,
“All of us present at Ghantoot were on the edge of our seats right from the start to the finish. The standard of polo on display was top class and this is what we want to see and encourage at Ghantoot.
“We strive to be the best and competitions like these show that the UAE is right up there with the best polo playing nations in the world. We look forward to hosting more exciting events and tournaments in the months to come,” Al Zaabi added
