Monterosso 11 – 10 Emlor
Monterosso made a winning start to their 2025 campaign in the 20-goal Aston Martin Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup on Sunday. However Alessandro Bazzoni’s team, winners of this trophy in 2023, had to work hard to beat Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor in this opening match. Monterosso had a two-goal advantage (3-1) at the start of the third but Emlor came back at them and then took the lead (6-5) thanks to a goal from McCarthy in this same chukka.
In fact the Emlor patron scored a hat-trick in these seven minutes of play. Monterosso had to substitute their number three, Diego Cavanagh, at the start of the third due to a fall, but super sub Fran Elizalde, who is playing in this tournament for Shoreline, soon found his stride. He found the equaliser (5-5) in the third and remained pivotal throughout the remaining chukkas, making the most of any space. Ignacio Toccalino, a member of that winning Monterosso team in 2023, was again impressive throughout this match, successfully converting a handful of penalties for Bazzoni’s team.
Meanwhile Emlor’s Max Charlton, who 24 hours earlier had been an impressive member of the winning England team in the Coronation Cup, was on form for Spencer’s squad. His big hits up the field reaped rewards several times. The result of such great play from both teams was that the spectators were treated to a fast, running game. Emlor’s Joaquin Pittaluga and Monterosso’s Elizalde produced several runs at top speed that would not be out of place at nearby Ascot racecourse.
All matches are being livestreamed for free at https://tv.guardspoloclub.com/
Photo credit – Marcos Ceredeira.