Simply the best,Dubai - by Iain Forbes-Cockell ("The Major")

...and that was it. Simply the best. Dubai has closed a perfect UK season, an invincible team led by the powerful dynamic duo Adolfo Cambiaso / Pablo MacDonough. After winning the Queen's Cup last June, they now havetaken Europe's most important competition, the Gold Cup for the British Open, as they defeated Lechuza Caracas 14-10, in the final played today at Cowdray Park.

With Lechuza Caracas having received a goal by handicap, Sapo Caset got the ball from the lineout, then Miguel Novillo Astrada got it, but a spot hit to Dubai by Adolfito hit to Francisco Vismara then picked up by Adolfito who was fouled and a Penalty 2 was struck, as usual at the walk but hit a defender's stick. A Penalty 6 was struck just wide of the right goalpost by Adolfito,0-1. Caset then hada run but turned by Adolfito then Pablo MacDonough took the ball to goal and Francisco Vismara popped it through to negate the handicap start, 1-1. Following this, Miguel Novillo Astrada picked up the ball and passed to Victor Vargas, with Max Routledge doing some fine riding off, and Victor scored, to give Lechuza a 2-1 lead. Next, Cambiaso attacked and then scored from a Penalty 2, to 2-all, followed by a goal by Pablo MacDonough to 3-all. A occurred and a Penalty 4 scored by Adolfito just before the end of the chukka put Dubai 4-2 up.

In the second chukka, another Dubai attack ended with the ball going off a defender's stick but Cambiaso missed the Penalty 6. From the hit out, Miguel Novillo Astrada hit to Caset who scored to cut the margin to one goal, 3-4. A quick reply from Dubai with a field goal from Pablito, 5-3 was followed by another quick break from the lineout by Dubai that led to a goal, 6-3. Then Lechuza had a run with Miguel Novillo Astrada scoring, 6-4. Then in another Lechuza attack the ball was left behind and Pablito pounced and ran to score, 7-4. Just before the end of the chukka Adolfito had a shot that was just wide of goal.

Cambiaso was on a run when Max Routledge stole the ball from him and passed to Sapo Caset, who had a run and passed the goal and backed it to Victor who tapped the ball to score, 7-5. A hit by Adolfito led to a goal shot which was tapped through by Rashid, 8-5. A Penalty 2 taken by Pablo MacDonough, while Cambiaso was changing his pony was missed. Miguel Novillo Astrada passed on to Caset who ran to goal, but his shot went wide. The whistle went as Sapo took a hit on his head and needed medical treatment at the end of the chukka and halftime.

The chukka started with a great goal by Miguel Novillo Astrada,  who scored from a long range to close the gap to 6-8 in favour of Dubai. It was followed by a goal by Sapo Caset, who tickled the ball through a bunch of ponies legs to score 8-7. After Rashid Albwardy played a great under the neck shot at goal, that went wide, Miguel Novillo Astrada took the ball up the field and was fouled so a Penalty 2 was scored by Novillo Astrada himself to level at 8-all. But a mistake by a Lechuza player let Adolfito nick the ball and run to score, 9-8. Then a quick run from the lineout by Pablito took the ball to within 3 metres of the line and Adolfito knocked it through, 10-8 at the end of the  fourth chukka.

A goal by Adolfo Cambiaso gave Dubai a 11-8 lead in the fifth chukka. A spot hit to Lechuza near their back line was moved to a Penalty 4 after a Dubai player was twice closer than 30 yards from the ball when the ball was hit and Miguel Novillo Astrada scored, 11-9. A Penalty 4 scored by Adolfito restored a three goal lead, 12-9. A Penalty 2 was sored by Sapo just before the bell, 12-10.

Right in the last chukka of play, a penalty 4 scored by Adolfo Cambiaso expanded Dubai’s lead to 13-10, followed by a Penalty 2 scored by Adolfo Cambiaso to 14-10. A Penalty 4 hit by Sapo went off a defender's stick so a Penalty 6 was then taken by Sapo but saved in the goalmouth by Adolfito and taken to the side of the ground, but a spot hit taken by Miguel Novillo Astrada passed to Caset to score, 14-11. After another attack by Caset that went wide, he passed to Miguel Novillo Astrada, who scored the last goal of the game, 14-12, and that was it. Dubai, invincible, took their second title of the UK season, and is Europe’s best.

Score - Dubai (Lechuza received one goal by handicap): 4-2, 7-4, 8-5, 10-8, 12-10, 14-12

MVP: Adolfo Cambiaso (Dubai) // BPP: Dolfina Caridad (owned and played by Adolfo Cambiaso)