Piaget, Les Lions II gain perfect records in Queen’s Cup group
By Herbert Spencer
Piaget and Les Lions II were the only teams with a perfect win record after Group Two of the Queen’s Cup completed play Sunday (30 May) at Guards Polo Club. Both will go into the quarter-finals that start next weekend.
In their late afternoon match on the Duke’s Ground at Guards, Piaget’s dynamic brothers Marcos and Bautista Heguy showed less than their usual form in defeating Oussama Aboughazale’s Sumaya by a single goal, 9-8. With a place in the quarter-finals already assured, Piaget held back some of their top ponies in anticipation.
Sumaya had lost all their matches before then, but looked the stronger team as veteran Carlos Gracida led them to a 6-4 advantage at half-time. Piaget came back in the second half to equalise before losing the lead again, then regaining it in the fifth chukka and holding Sumaya to a single goal in the last to win.
Max Gottschalk’s Les Lions II completed their Group One games on their home ground at Les Lions Farm, defeating Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor by a single goal, 12-11, to hold a 3-0 win-loss tally.
On the Queen’s Ground at Guards, Jerome Wirth’s Enigma scored a surprise 15-9 victory over Lyndon Lea’s Zacara, pushing Zacara back to third place in the group.
Quarter-final deciders in Leagues One and Two of the 14-team tournament will be played on Monday (31 May).