Karan Thapar's Aravali and Stefan Sund's Lost Boys were the first teams to play in this year's Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup competition. Aravali took the opening honours, winning the match 11-7. They are just two of 18 teams who have entered Guards Polo Club's oldest tournament - the Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup and are two of the 12 teams who are qualiftying for the final stages of the competition at Smith's Lawn. A further six teams are playing out of Cowdray.
This 12-15-goal tournament is sponsored for the second successive year by the Al Habtoor Group. The Al Habtoor Group has grown with the United Arab Emirates and while best known for construction, it is globally recognised through its involvement in the hotel, automotive, real estate, education, insurance and publishing sectors. Today the company is one of the most respected and successful businesses, operating in both the UAE and international markets.
The chairman of the Al Habtoor Group is Khalaf Al Habtoor and his sons, Mohammed and Rashid, will be in action on Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup Final Day in a morning exhibition match. Last year the brothers, also joined by Mohammed's son Habtoor, divided the spoils after a draw, so no doubt both players will be looking to go one step further in 2009. Rashid will come to this game fresh from his debut in The Harcourt Developments Queen's Cup with his own Habtoor high-goal polo team.
The Guards Polo Club teams have been divided into four leagues for the Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup and they are:
League One: Black Bears (Guy Schwarzenbach, Ed Hitchman, Simon Keyte, John Martin); Hotel La Tour (Norman Bellone, Nick Pepper, John Paul Clarkin, Will Emerson); Mei Kwei Lu (Rachael Bartels, Michel del Carril, Guillermo Cuitino, Manuel Toccalino).
League Two: Clarita (Chris Mathias, German Llorens, Adrian Wade, Tommy Wilson); Les Lions (Max Gottschalk, Francisco Elizalde, Agustin Merlos, Joachim Gottschalk); Lovelocks (George Hanbury, Milo Fernandez Llorente, Will Lucas, Ollie Cudmore).
League Three: BHC Polo (Momin Sheikh, Roddy Williams, Chris Hyde, Juracy Santos); Billingbear Park (Roger Carlsson, Ryan Pemble, Jose Donoso, Edward Magor); Corovest (Richard Britten-Long, Henry Brett, Glen Gilmore, Nick Britten-Long).
League Four: Aravali (Karan Thapar, Hissam Ali Hyder, Oliver Hipwood, Howard Hipwood); Barton Lodge (Tony Pidgley, Michael Howe, James Harper, TBC); Lost Boys (Stefan Sund, TBC, Alejandro Muzzio, Tomas Ruiz Guinazu).
The teams playing out of Cowdray Park are: Cold Smoke (Michael Bickford, James Beim, Ruki Baillieu, Max Hutchinson); Emlor (Spencer McCarthy, TBC, Joaquin Pittaluga, Nacho Gonzalez); Jaeger LeCoultre (Clare Milford Haven, Gareth Evans, Bautista Sorzana, Richard Le Poer); La Golondrina (Paul Oberschneider, Max Charlton, Diego Cavanagh, Sam Hopkinson); Lamrei (John Kent, Juan Ruiz Guinazu, Santiago Gaztambide, Charles McCowen); Loro Piana (Celine Charloux, TBC, Agustin Nero, Andres James).
