Cartier Queen’s Cup knockout rounds
By Diana Butler
Salkeld 14 12 HB Polo
Dubai 13 10 Somerton
King Power 14 9 VPS Healthcare Sifani
RH Polo 14 9 El Remanso
The four knock out matches have been played over the past two days to decide who picks up the final four tickets for the quarter-finals. There were probably not too many surprises in these games, with the “bookies favourites” making it through to the last eight.
That is apart from today’s battle between El Remanso and RH Polo, who received a goal on handicap. After Sunday’s seven-chukka marathon against Zacara, El Remanso would have been expected to beat Ben Soleimani’s team, who had failed to win any of their previous league matches. Nico Pieres had different ideas though and produced a fast and flowing game which El Remanso struggled to find answers for. Pieres was allowed to run and regularly punished El Remanso for this freedom, converting many runs to goals. Fran Elizalde was equally strong and this dramatic improvement of form saw Soleimani’s team win when it mattered. They will now play Talandracas on Sunday in the final quarter-final of the 2015 Cartier Queen’s Cup, with Nico Pieres up against his in-form cousin Polito.
The full quarter finals are:
Saturday 6 June
11am King Power Foxes v Salkeld at Les Lions
3pm Dubai v Zacara TBC
Sunday 7 June
11am UAE Polo v King Power TBC
3pm Talandracas v RH Polo Guards Polo Club