Dubai and Twelve Oaks score opening

wins in British Open

By Alex Webbe

Talandracas (Edouard Carmignac, Juan Martin Nero, Lucas James and Juan

Jauretche) and Dubai (Rashid Albwardy, Nico Pieres, Adolfo Cambiaso, Alec White)

wasted little time in getting the 2013 edition of the Veuve Clicquot British Open

for the Gold Cup underway with Talandracas scoring the first goal of the day, but

Dubai retaliated behind a pair of goals from Adolfo Cambiaso to move ahead, 3-1.  

Talandracas scored the final goal of the opening chukker in the last 30 seconds of play,

but it was Dubai leaving the field with the 3-2 edge.

Juan Martin Nero scored the first two goals of the second chukker, first tying the score,

3-3, and then giving Talandracas the lead, 4-3.  Dubai responded with a single goal to

knot it up at 4-4 at the end of the second chukker.

Dubai and Talandracas exchanged goals early in the third period.  Dubai went on top, 5-

4 followed by a tying goal from Talandracas, 5-5.  Another Dubai goal had them leading

6-5, but Talandracas answered with a goal to deadlock it at 6-6.  Nico Pieres converted

a penalty shot to give Dubai a 7-6 lead, and a final Dubai goal ended the first half with

Talandracas trailing, 8-6.

Dubai opened the second half with a pair of goals.  Nico Pieres converting a penalty

shot for the second to give Dubai a 10-6 advantage.  Lucas James got Talandracas on

the scoreboard with a goal, but Dubai closed out the scoring with their third goal of the

chukker for an 11-7 lead with just two chukkers left to play.

Talandracas scores twice in the fifth, but a penalty goal from Pieres keeps Dubai

comfortably ahead as the chukker ends.  With one period left in regulation time, Dubai

holds a three goal, 12-9 lead.

Nero cut the lead to two goals, 12-10, in the opening moments of the sixth, and a

second Talandracas had them trailing Dubai by a single goal, 12-11, as the rally

continued.  Talandracas continued to press the attack when Cambiaso took the wind

out of their sails by carrying the ball from one end of the field to the other for the final

goal of the game in a 13-11 Dubai win.

TWELVE OAKS 11, SALKELD 10

Salkeld (Nick Clarke, James Beim, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Max Routledge) and

Twelve Oaks (Jack Hyde, Magoo Laprida, Marcos Di Paola and Inaki Laprida) got the

second match of the day started on even footing.  Each team managed a pair of goals

in the opening chukker for a 2-2 tie at the end of the first chukker.

Three unanswered goals had Twelve Oaks on top, 5-2 in second chukker action.  

Salkeld scored the final goal of the chukker, but trailed by two goals, 5-3 as the period

ended.

Miguel Novillo Astrada rallied Salkeld in the third, outscoring Twelve Oaks 2-1, and

cutting into the lead.  Twelve Oaks was still on top at the end of the first half, but the

lead had been cut to a single goal, 6-5.

Salkeld scores the first two goals of the second half to first tie it at 6-6 and then move in

front, 7-6 as the fourth chukker got started.  The Twelve Oaks offense finally woke up

in the fourth, scoring their first goal of the second half and tying it up at 7-7 to end the

fourth.

Twelve Oaks took early control of the fifth.  Two goals went unanswered as they broke

the tie and moved in front, 9-7.  Salkeld responded with a goal, extending its lead to

two goals   Salkeld scored the final goal of the chukker, trailing Twelve Oaks by a single

goal, 9-8, with one chukker left in regulation time.

A determined Salkeld team took the field in the sixth, outscoring Twelve Oaks, 2-1 in the

final chukker to knot it up at 10-10.  Twelve Oaks would bounce back to score the final

goal of the game for the 11-10 win.

British Open play continues on Tuesday with Emlor facing La Bamba de Areco at 3pm

followed by a 5pm contest between Enigma and Thai Polo.