Cartier Queen’s Cup – Day 5
By Diana Butler
El Remanso 12 – 10 Salkeld at Manor Farm
El Remanso are looking to be one of the strongest teams in Group One after their victory today at home over Salkeld. The Hanburys’ team dominated the first half of the match, with David (Pelon) Stirling, Charlie Hanbury and Ollie Cudmore shooting goals through. By the end of the third El Remanso were 8-4 ahead. Juan Gris Zavalata, who had a great game for Salkeld, scored some impressive goals, but George Hanbury was working brilliantly in defence and successfully Salkeld away from the play as match as possible. With Salkeld failing to score in the fourth, it looked to be over for Nick Clarke’s team, especially as Stirling was just warming up; successfully converting a penalty and producing a lovely run down the field and through the players to score too.
Salkeld had not given up though. Joaquin Pittaluga and Zavalata dominated the next chukka, scoring three between them to only one in reply from El Remanso. Salkeld were suddenly back into this game and rode into the sixth with 11-7 on the scoreboard. Time though was against them and although they fired through three more goals to only one successful penalty from El Remanso, the home side had done enough in the early stages of this game to win.
Zacara 11 – 10 Talandracas at Zacara
The defending champions continue their winning form, defeating Edouard Carmignac’s Talandracas 11 -10 at Zacara’s home ground. However this game was not without incident for Lyndon Lea’s side as the 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero had to retire hurt in the sixth chukka. Of course there are never too many 10 goalers to call on and so King Power Foxes Facundo Pieres, who won the Cartier Queen’s Cup with Zacara in 2013 and ’14, stepped in as a “super sub”!
Talandracas, winners in 2011 and one of the four seeded teams in 2015, already had one win under their belts, but were eager to assert their dominance in Group One. By the end of the second chukka this was looking likely as they were 4-2 up. Some strong defensive work had ensured that Zacara failed to score in this chukka, while both Sapo Caset and Polito Pieres added three goals to Talandracas’s tally. Such was the calibre of the teams in this match that the roles reversed in the third. This time Talandracas failed to score, while Zacara added three goals to their tally instead. One of these was off the stick of the young English player Jack Hyde who was named Talacrest Best Young Player of the Year earlier in the week, a new youth award created by Guards Polo Club and sponsored by former player John Collins. Hyde, playing in his first season for Zacara, has proved particularly useful, scoring four goals today, including the final goal of the game. At half-time there was still all to play for, with the score reading 5-4 in Zacara’s favour, but with both teams scoring six goals apiece in the final three chukkas, victory went to Zacara.
Dubai 12 – 5 Somerton Polo at Guards Polo Club for the Kerry Packer Trophy
This was a match featuring some of the biggest names in the game. Ros Packer, the widow of the late, great Kerry Packer of Ellerston fame, was in the Royal Box at Guards Polo Club to watch this Cartier Queen’s Cup league match, played for the Kerry Packer Trophy. On the field was one of the biggest names of the modern game – Adolfo Cambiaso. However he and his Dubai team were up against a group of young, British professionals who were looking to cause a major upset – Somerton Polo.
The Somerton boys did not disappoint and the final score does not do them justice. The score was 0-0 at the end of the first chukka, not seen in any other league match this season so far. There might not have been any goals but there was no shortage of excitement with Richard Le Poer and Jack Richardson on superb form for Somerton. The team did a great job of shutting Cambiaso out of the play and forcing Diego Cavanagh into unexpected errors, including failing to convert a 30-yard penalty! Le Poer was the first to score, at the start of the second, but by the end of the this chukka, Dubai had got into their stride; the scoreboard reading 2-2. This was clearly going to be a memorable game and the large crowd defied the rain as it did not want to miss a moment – especially when Richardson, on a gorgeous grey, flew down the Queen’s Ground, with Cambiaso in hot pursuit, to score!
Not surprisingly though, Dubai turned up the pressure in the third. Some great play between Cavanagh and Albwardy resulted in goals for Dubai, while Cambiaso escaped from the pack to score a great goal, despite being pursued by Le Poer and Richardson. Only a lovely goal from Matt Perry, the result of some great Somerton team-work from the throw-in, restored some honour before the half-time bell.
Both Cavanagh and Le Poer added to their teams’ tallies, taking the score to 7-4 after the fourth, but Somerton failed to score at all in the fifth. Dubai were now in the driving seat and when Albwardy sent a beautiful pass up to Cambiaso to score, Dubai’s victory seemed assured. Somerton were still fighting though, illustrated by Richardson’s great run at the start of the sixth, which was picked up by Le Poer to score. There was another young British star of the game on this field of play, the Dubai team’s Tom Brodie. He is in playing in his first season for Dubai and who had worked tirelessly all game in defence, allowing Cavanagh especially to run free. So it was perhaps apt that it was Tom that should score the final field goal of the match in a match very much highlighting the next generation players. However with Somerton now starting to make mistakes in their eagerness to get goals, Cavanagh successfully converted two further penalties, giving Dubai a winning score of 11-5.
Tomorrow’s matches – Monday 25th May (Bank Holiday in the UK)
11am King Power Foxes v HB Polo at Billingbear
3pm VPS Healthcare Sifani v UAE Polo at Guards Polo Club
Please note that all the games will be live streamed courtesy of PoloCam Productions and Horseplay TV and can be viewed at www.guardspoloclub.com
If you are watching the game you can pick up the commentary on your car radio at 90FM.
You can watch all previous games at http://www.polocamproductions.com/#!guards-tv/czwm