There are only a few days of league matches remaining in this year’s Cartier Queen’s Cup competition, so the pressure is mounting for every team. Squads are running out of opportunities to earn those all-important quarter-final places.
Match 1:
First up was a stop-start match between La Dolfina/Scone and GenrosaLeo-Clinova. David Paradice’s La Dolfina/Scone team has had mixed fortunes in this year’s competition, registering both a win and a loss. With a likely tough final match against the UAE Polo Team scheduled for next week, it was important for the red shirts to win today. This they did but it took them a while to pull away from Raja Karim’s GenrosaLeo-Clinova. La Dolfina/Scone were narrowly ahead 7-5 at half-time but secured a four-goal advantage at the close of the fourth (11-7). They were still ahead at the final whistle, but this was a tough game to watch. Endless penalties marred any flashes of flowing polo and the umpires were kept busy from the first whistle.
Match 2:
Next up was an impressive team performance from the UAE Polo Team. They comprehensively beat Dubai 14-8 to maintain their unbeaten status. Juan Martin Nero was the standout player for UAE, successfully negotiating traffic and firing through goals from a distance. He was brilliantly backed up by the next generation of players, Lucas Monteverde Junior and Santos Merlos. With Ashley Glennie standing in for Sheikha Maitha once again, the UAE Polo Team dominated this match from the start. Incredibly they were four-nil up at the end of the first chukka and never looked back. This team didn’t even have to score in sixth but still won 14-8. What was remarkable about this match was that their opposition was Rashid Albwardy’s Dubai team, who came into this game unbeaten. However, they struggled to replicate that earlier form and had no answer to Nero’s brilliance on the Princes’ Ground this afternoon.
Match 3:
The final match of the day was key as both Signet/Thai Polo and Jehangiri were looking for their first win with only one game left to play. However, Louis Hine signalled Signet/Thai Polo’s intent from the first minute of the match by taking the ball straight to goal. This team kept the pressure on in the second, keeping Jehangiri off the scoreboard until late into the chukka. Muhammed Jehangiri’s team had been forced to have a change of personnel in this game as Diego Cavanagh was unwell. This may have unsettled the team, even though the sub, Nico Pieres, would be playing alongside his older brother Gonzalito, whose play he would know well. That said, Jehangiri closed the gap to 6-3 at half-time. However, Louis Hine continued to have a strong game, finding the flags twice in the fourth to push Signet/Thai Polo further ahead. Jehangiri had a chance in the fifth when Signet/Thai Polo’s Tommy Severn was sent off for two minutes after being shown two yellow cards for dangerous play. Was this the moment that Jehangiri would gain the upper hand? Gonzalito converted two penalties but some great team-work between the Hine brothers ensured they finished the fifth with a four-goal advantage (11-7). Gonzalito started the sixth with a penalty but the rest of the chukka was owned by Signet/Thai Polo. Severn fired through an incredible shot from distance to take the score to 12-8. The Hine brothers then each added a goal to ensure Signet/Thai Polo won this match 14-8.
All games of the Queens’s Cup can be seen here
Polocam.tv – Quality Streaming Service
Image credit Pablo Ramirez
Stats provided by International Polo Academy