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Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup 2014 Day 9 By Victoria Elsbury-Legg 2pm Thai Polo 5 v 10 EFG Bank Aravali Group , Ambersham 1

Group C 

For the second time in the 2014 English high goal season, Zacara once again came up against an all-England pro team.  Last time it was Fox & Hounds at Coworth,  this time it was the turn of George Hanbury (1), Mark Tomlinson (2), James Beim (3) and James Harper (4), playing as Halcyon Gallery on the quintessentially English Ambersham grounds, to illustrate to Facundo Pieres a little of the action he can expect from England when he plays for his country at the upcoming Audi International at Guards.

Empowered by their recent Warwickshire Cup win at Cirencester, Halcyon Gallery seemed ready to take on the 2011 and 2013 Gold Cup winners.   In the words of number 4, James Harper, ‘We went into the game with confidence, knowing we had no pressure on us but to enjoy it and have a go.  I’m very pleased with how my horses are coping playing in the high goal. I do have some from Ellerston, but 6/7 of the horses I’m playing are mine.  It’s great they are going well enough to compete against teams like Zacara.  We started off well in the first few chukkas.  The third was a big turning point in the game and we never really recovered from it.  All of Zacara team, especially Facu, are extremely well mounted and you can’t afford to have any weak chukkas against them.’

This was indeed the case, as James Beim put the first goal on the board in the opening minutes for Halcyon Gallery, who despite dominating the play, went into the second at 1 all, with Facundo converting a penalty in the last seconds of the opening chukka.

 A field goal from Mark Tomlinson in chukka  two put the all-England pro team back in the lead again, followed by some great play by Lyndon Lea and another field goal from an English pro, but this one on the other team, and a missed penalty from Facundo and  it was 2all at the end of the second.  Some fast riding by Facundo mounted on Galactica and a converted penalty 2 meant at 4-2, Zacara were now leading the game.  A disputed goal at half time was put on the board at the start of the fourth, putting the black shirted players 5-2 up.

A goal from Harper and  Beim’s third of the match, shortened Zacara’s lead in the fourth, to 5-4.  Helped by the power of the bay mare, Antonia, Del Tour scored a great sixth goal for his team, despite such determined defence from Halcyon Gallery that it resulted in Tomlinson losing the head of his stick.

Going into chukka 5, the scoreboard read Zacara 7 – 4 Halcyon Gallery, but it wasn’t to stay like that for long with Pieres, closely followed by Del Tour both scoring to make it 9-4.  Despite the goals on the board, this was to be a difficult day for all of team Zacara, as the stunning bay mare, Winter Oak ridden by Del Tour tragically suffered a broken leg.

Chukka 5 ended 10 – 5 to Zacara and the one goal in chukka 6 belonged to Halcyon Gallery, putting a final score on the board of 10-6.

Understandably it was a sober Zacara who acknowledged they were the first team to win three straight games in the 2014 Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup, as they rode off the pitch, and whose grooms untacked and cooled down their charges in the pony lines, as once more the beautiful sport of polo sadly illustrated the fragility of life.

Tomorrow’s match:

2pm Thai Polo v EFG Bank Aravali Group , Ambersham 1

Dubai and Black Bears victorious on the seventh day of the Gold Cup at Cowdray Park

UAE v Zacara

Talandracas v HB Polo

Thai Polo v Halcyon Gallery