July began with a triple header of action at Cowdray Park Polo Club as the league matches continued to provide Gold Cup adrenaline and entertainment with wins for Gaston, Black Bears and Valhalla.
Match 1
Bangash were looking for their first win of the tournament while Gaston remain unbeaten having defeated La Magdeleine last week. While Bangash made a great start, scoring 3 times in the first chukka and it seemed like they were going to make it, Gaston soon showed how their play together in the Queen’s Cup had set them up nicely to keep a cool head, play their game and ride to the win. Once again, the young Heguy proved his talents on the field with some amazing ball skills while Nero and Cudmore showed their experience, playing as a well oiled machine to secure the 12-8 win comfortably. Each time Bangash looked to be narrowing the gap, the Gaston side put their foot on the accelerator and pulled away again.
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Match 2
It was a win for Queen’s Cup semi finalists Black Bears over the Sujan Tigers side, the Pieres led foursome showing that consistency is the key, sending home 2 goals per chukka to send themselves to a comfortable victory. With the majority of the possession throughout the game, they had plenty more chances to score than they could convert with 21 shots on goal to just 7 field goals. This was a much needed win for the Black Bears side who lost to King power in the first round of matches. Next up they will face Gaston while Sujan Indian Tigers will aim to get their first win of the tournament against Bangash.
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Match 3
New to the UK 2024 roster Valhalla are proving to be a force to be reckoned with earning their second surprise win of the tournament. Having beaten Desert Palm on the 28th they went on to defeat Ferne Park 9-8 in the final two chukkas of this match. Dispite a formidable line up of Magoo Laprida, Pelon and Pittaluga, winners of the Warwickshire Cup, Valhalla were able remain goal for goal with Ferne Park throughout before pushing a score advantage in the last two chukkas to ride out to the win despite quite a few missed opportunities in front of goal. Both sides will have tough matches next as they face Queen’s Cup winners Talandracas.
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Photo credit – Mark Beaumont