Mohammed Al Habtoor and his team, VistaJet Bombardier, won the Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup Dubai 2014 in an exciting final, where international stars had front row seats. Joanna Andrews reports.
Vistajet Bombardier claimed an 8-4 victory over the title sponsors Julius Baer following two days of exciting beach polo in April 2014. The patrons of both teams in the final were Al Habtoor brothers Mohammed and Rashid, well known faces on the international polo circuit.
It’s not the first time Mohammed Al Habtoor took his team to victory in the beach polo having claimed the first three tournaments from 2005 to 2006. Guillermo Cuitino was on fire in the final game, scoring all bar one of his team’s goals. No surprise, Cuitino was named the ‘Cadillac Most Valuable Player’ of the tournament.
Mohammed Al Habtoor said, “I was on the winning team for the first three renewals of beach polo although we lost it last year in Dubai, so to win against such strong opponents, who were also the defending champions, is a fantastic end to the UAE polo season. It’s great to lift the trophy in the 10th anniversary year. We are very happy with this result.” The Maradiva team won the third place playoff following a 9-6 victory over Lindt.
Sitting in ringside seats were stars of the international sporting sphere and the silver screen including Argentine football legend, Diego Maradona and Hollywood actors, Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson.
The showpiece tournament, attended by almost 6,000 people across two days, brings the curtain down on the UAE’s competitive polo season. It was supported by the attendance of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Sultan Bin Hamdan Al Nayhan, and Dr Ahmed Al Sherif, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council.