The thrilling Jack Gannon Cup clash on Sunday 28th June saw UAE and Park Place
produce a seven-chukka spectacle on Lawns 2.
For UAE, H.H. Sheikha Maitha (0) played at number 1, with Hugo Taylor (5) at 2, Lucas
Monteverde Jnr (8) at 3 and Juan Martin Nero (9) at back. In the blue shirts for Park
Place, Andrey Borodin (0) played at 1, Louis Hine (6) at 2, Hilario Ulloa (9) at 3 and
Jeronimo Del Carril (7) at back.
The opening chukka set the tone for what would become an enthralling contest. The
first flag of the afternoon came from a 30-yard penalty, calmly converted by the young
Lucas Monteverde Jnr for UAE. They quickly doubled their lead through some excellent
team play, as Juan Nero’s shot grazed the posts and was expertly finished by Hugo Taylor
under pressure. Park Place responded immediately. Del Carril finished off a goal set up
by Hine before Hine himself broke away from the line-out and raced all the way to goal
, levelling the scores to 2-2 by the end of the first chukka.
The second chukka belonged to Monteverde Jnr. Following a foul, he calmly converted
a spot hit in front of goal to add another for UAE. He then took advantage of a throw-in
deep in his own half to take his team into a commanding 4-2 lead.
Despite some strong defensive work from Park Place, UAE continued to dominate in the
third chukka. Nero picked up the ball in midfield and surged forward on his own, evading
all those attempting to catch him before finding the posts. Monteverde Jnr then added
another goal from a spot hit to extend UAE’s lead to 6-2.
Park Place came out roaring in the fourth chukka. Ulloa struck first, finishing off an
impressive run from the line-out by Hine in the opening minute. Although UAE added
another from the penalty spot, Park Place refused to back down. Ulloa converted a 30
yard penalty before Hine produced another brilliant solo run to goal, reducing the deficit
to just two and bringing the score to 7-5.
The fifth chukka provided even more excitement. Monteverde Jnr once again
demonstrated his class, converting both a 30-yard and a 60-yard penalty in quick
succession. Hilario Ulloa kept Park Place in touch with a successfully converted Safety
60, but the final score of the chukka was by Hugo Taylor for UAE as he struck a last
minute goal from the line-out to give his side a 10-7 lead heading into the sixth.
The sixth chukka saw an impressive comeback from Park Place, who left UAE with no
room for goals. Ulloa opened the scoring before Del Carril quickly added another. As
both sides tightened defensively, and the tension around Lawns 2 intensified, Ulloa
found the posts once more before the bell, completing a remarkable fightback and
levelling the scores to an astonishing 10-10. The crowd could hardly believe what they
had witnessed as the match headed into an extra chukka.
A few minutes into the seventh chukka, Tomas Willans replaced Hugo Taylor after an
injury. UAE were awarded a 40-yard penalty, and Monteverde Jnr stepped up once again,
coolly converting to seal an 11-10 victory and complete a memorable Jack Gannon Cup
triumph for UAE.
The Jack Gannon Trophy was presented to H.H Sheikha Maitha by Natalie Winkworth
Smith, founder of Saicho, with prizes generously provided by Saicho Sparkling Tea.
