Harcourt Development Queen’s Cup Semifinals 2011
A thrilling afternoon of polo – with one game going into extra time and the second match looking like it was going into extra time too.
The first Harcourt Developments Queen’s Cup semi-final, for the De Witt Cup, saw Enigma defeat 1870 10 – 9. However it all looked very different in the early stages of the game. Rob Archibald, John Paul Clarkin and Ruki Baillieu were on flying form for 1870, despite the heavy showers which marred most of this game and put them 3-1 up at the end of the first chukka. When Enigma failed to score at all in the second, it looked like this was going to be 1870’s game. Engima’s Juan Martin Nero then got into his stride in the third, scoring twice to only one in return from the stick of Clarkin of 1870. So now with the score reading 5-3 to 1870, the game began to speed up.
It was hard to call the between the teams in the second half. Juan Juaretche scored once for Engima as did 1870’s patron Adrian Kirby in the fourth, while Matias MacDonough and Nero found the flags for Enigma in the fifth, to counteract a double from Baillieu. Enigma came back strongly in the fifth, scoring three times to only one in reply for 1870 – keeping this game wide open. A goal from Nero was countered by a goal from Baillieu, taking the score to 9-7 to 1870 in the sixth. Suddenly Enigma realised that time was running out for them and they stepped up their game. Incredibly Matias MacDonough produced a great shot to close the gap and then, with just 30 secs left of this match produced a superb equaliser to ensure a sudden death extra chukka. However both teams struggled to convert shots to goal in this seventh chukka until the fifth minute, when Juaretche scored a superb shot to ensure Enigma’s place in Sunday’s final. Ironically this winning shot was the first time that Enigma took the lead in this match.
The second match, played on The Duke’s Ground, was an equally close and exciting game – featuring Talandracas vs. Richard Mille. There was nothing to chose between the teams in the first four chukkas – 3-3; 4-4; 6-6; 8-8. It was all change in the fifth with Milo Fernandez Araujo scoring once for Talandracas, while Alejandro Muzzio and Pablo MacDonough putting three through to make it 11-9 to Richard Mille going into the sixth chukka. Then it was all changed again. Richard Mille surprisingly failed to score while goals from Facundo Sola and Lucas Monteverde, who had played a great game for Talandracas, levelled the score.
Then with just a minute to go Sola produced a superb goal to ensure that it was his patron, Edouard Carmignac who received the Hubert Perrodo Trophy from Cari Perrodo and Talandracas’s ticket through to the final. They will play Enigma at 3pm on The Queen’s Ground at Guards Polo Club this Sunday.
Semifinal 1 – Wed June 8
Enigma 22
Jerome Wirth 1
Juan Jauretche 3
Juan Martin Nero 10
Matias MacDonough 8
def. (10-9)
1870 22
Adrian Kirby 1
John Paul Clarkin 8
Ruki Baillieu 7
Rob Archibald 6
Semifinal 1 – Wed June 8
Talandracas 22
Edouard Carmignac 0
Lucas Monteverde 8
Milo Araujo 8
Facundo Sola 6
def. 12-11
Richard Mille 22
Prince Jefri 1
Max Routledge 4
Pablo MacDonough 10
Alejandro Muzzio 7