Cartier Queen’s Cup – Day 8
By Diana Butler
King Power Foxes 15 – 11 Dubai at Guards Polo Club
This was billed as the Clash of the Titans – Facundo Pieres v Adolfo Cambiaso – but did not quite live up to the billing. King Power were really together and Facundo’s reading of the match was superb. He seemed to be everywhere, even sometimes taking players of the calibre of Diego Cavanagh by surprise. Not everything went King Power’s way though. Their patron, Top Srivaddhanaprabha had to retire following a heavy fall and his place was taken by the young Kian Hall, who has been part of the King Power set-up this season.
Despite some strong play from Dubai, especially the young Englishman Tom Brodie, who worked tirelessly to keep the Pieres boys out of the game, Rashid Albwardy’s team failed to convert this good play into enough goals. In the second half Dubai created too many technicals after some “discussions” with the umpires, with the ball being moved to the half-way line. When you are up against a player of the calibre of Facundo Pieres, it is best to give him as few advantages as possible.
This win makes King Power Foxes the first team to register 3/3 in the league stages of the tournament and they now automatically qualify for next weekend’s quarter-finals by finishing top of Group Two. The only other teams in this tournament that can still win all three of their league matches are Zacara and El Remanso and they play each other tomorrow. So maybe Clash of the Titans Part II will take place at Guards Polo Club on Sunday at 3pm?
HB Polo 12 – 9 UAE Polo at Guards Polo Club
A bigger surprise occurred this afternoon when the Pailloncy brothers HB Polo team defeated the UAE Polo team 12-9 at Guards Polo Club. HB Polo had yet to register a win in this season’s 22-goal polo, but today put on a brilliant display of high-goal. They were 6-3 up at half-time and, incredibly when up against the talents of Pablo MacDonough and Lucas Monteverde, they pulled even further ahead – 12-6 – in the fifth chukka. UAE Polo did get themselves back into the game in the sixth chukka, but it was too little too late to change the final outcome of the game.
So HB’s win now mixes things up at the bottom of the groups with Dubai, HB Polo, Salkeld, Somerton and VPS Healthcare Sifani all confirmed finishers with one win apiece. There will be much head scratching during tomorrow’s final league matches as the final scores will dictate whether there will be a penalty shootout tomorrow night at 6pm. Zacara and El Remanso both have won two games apiece and the winner of this game will head up Group One. Meanwhile King Power and Talandracas are both looking for that all important second win and a chance to possibly finish second in the league. So a really exciting finale to the league stages of the Cartier Queen’s Cup is in store for players and spectators.
Tomorrow’s games
3pm Zacara v El Remanso at Guards Polo Club. The winner will receive the Richard Watt Cup
3pm King Power v Talandracas at Dubai
6pm Penalty shootout at Guards Polo Club