A competitive match under consistent showers left Thai Polo NP and UAE Polo Team battling in open play where the balanced attack of Thai Polo NP proved to be a winning factor . All four players found the scoreboard along with six assists on nine field goals as Thai Polo NP scored all nine of their goals from the field . Led by three goals and three assists from Nico Pieres , Thai Polo NP took the lead and never looked back against the solid UAE Polo Team . Holding Polito Pieres scoreless , Thai Polo NP ’ s defence helped guide them to victory , despite the best efforts of Tomas Panelo and Tomas Beresford who combined for all seven of their team ’ s goals . Outshooting UAE Polo Team 22-5 throughout the game , Thai Polo NP overcame the rain to claim the hard-fought tournament victory .
Two minutes into the game , Thai Polo NP opened the scoring after Ned Hine left the ball for Harper and he skilfully finished the goal with a nearside neck shot . Heavily outshooting UAE Polo Team 7-0 in the first chukka , Thai Polo NP increased their lead to two after Nico Pieres outran Beresford and knocked the ball out of the air to end the chukka ahead 2-0 . Displaying a balanced attack , Thai Polo NP scored their third consecutive goal to begin the game , this time off the mallet of Ned Hine , as UAE Polo Team was left with the challenge of playing from behind . Rain forced a temporary break in play , however the Final went on with UAE Polo Team ending their scoreless drought on a Penalty 4 conversion for Beresford . Finding momentum at the start of the third chukka , a pass from Polito Pieres was converted by Tomas Panelo to bring their team within one , but Thai Polo NP provided a significant response as 15-year-old Louis Hine scored to get all four Thai Polo NP players on the scoresheet and end the first half with a 5-2 advantage .
The conditions impacted the scoring throughout the game as field goals proved to be difficult to achieve , however after the halftime break , both Thai Polo NP and UAE Polo Team produced offense in open play . Trading goals back and forth , Thai Polo NP was led by the young Hine brothers , Louis and Ned , contributing one goal each in the fourth chukka , while UAE Polo Team relied on two goals from Beresford on consecutive plays to remain trailing by three . Making a push for the victory , Louis Hine scored on the first play of the fifth chukka , hitting a backhand through the goal off a pass from Nico Pieres . Generating a goal of his own , Pieres left Thai Polo NP with a four-goal advantage and just one chukka between them and the tournament title . As the rain continued to fall , UAE Polo Team inched closer with a goal from Panelo , but Thai Polo NP saw the Jaeger-LeCoultre clock tick down and the trophy come within reach . A late penalty goal from Beresford ended the game as Thai Polo NP began their celebration , capturing the 9-7 victory and the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship .
Emotional scenes ensued in the Thai Polo NP team tent for the Hine , Harper and Pieres families . The young Hine brothers were embraced by proud parents , whilst James Harper and family celebrated his second Gold Cup victory , and Nico Pieres savoured the success of winning his first ever British Open .
The Hon Emily Pearson , daughter of Lord Cowdray , presented the golden trophy to Thai Polo NP Captain , Nico Pieres , who also stepped down from the podium to receive the Most Valuable Player prize from U . S . Polo Assn . representative , Boo Jalil of Brand Machine . Nine-year-old Argentine mare , Open Lourdes ( Virgin x Sportivo ), played and owned by Nico Pieres , was awarded the Best Playing Pony rug , presented by the Hon Mrs Lila Pearson . Celebrations continued into the evening with music and dancing in the EFG Lawns Enclosure and the Goalmouth Mouth as DJ Simon Horn took to the decks .
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