Play in League Two continued in the Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club with Monterosso capturing their second victory of the tournament, defeating Marques de Riscal 10-8, while UAE Polo Team remained undefeated on a final second penalty conversion from Tomas Beresford to secure the 13-12 win over Twelve Oaks on The Prince’s Ground.
With three teams holding a 1-1 record in League Two of the Cartier Queen’s Cup entering Wednesday’s matches, Monterosso began play with a crucial game against Marques de Riscal as they challenge for a place in the quarter-finals. On the opening throw-in, Monterosso’s Ignacio Toccalino took the ball straight to goal, giving his team a 2-0 lead after they began with one goal on handicap. Young Poroto Cambiaso, once again substituting for Pelon Stirling, made an early impact with a first chukka goal as Monterosso controlled the opening minutes to hold a 4-0 lead. Limited to just one field goal on six shots in the first half, the Marques de Riscal offense was stifled by a strong Monterosso defense. Scoring three of Monterosso’s final four goals of the half, Cambiaso demonstrated why he is on his way to 10-goals, guiding Monterosso to the significant 8-2 lead at halftime.
Exiting the break, Marques de Riscal brought their game to another level, scoring five consecutive goals, three from the field and two from the penalty line, to quickly pull within one-goal and instantly change the dynamic of the game with the momentum firmly in their favour. Guillermo Caset was instrumental to the run for Marques de Riscal, converting two penalties, while Alejandro Aznar was effective in the #1 position, collecting two assists in the second half. Unable to generate the offense from the field that they had in the first half, Toccalino’s sixth chukka goal proved to be the only field goal they needed, securing the tense 10-8 victory and improving to 2-1 in the Cartier Queen’s Cup.
Determined to capture their second consecutive victory of the tournament, Twelve Oaks produced a strong start against UAE Polo Team on The Prince’s Ground. Wasting little time, Charlie Wooldridge stepped into the spotlight off a pass from John-Paul Clarkin to open the scoring in a tightly played first chukka, but UAE Polo Team responded with a strong second chukka that gave them the lead. Two goals from Tomas Beresford, one each from the field and the penalty line, contributed to a three-goal run that pushed UAE Polo Team ahead. A game full of momentum swings, Twelve Oaks turned back to Wooldridge who continued his phenomenal play with two more goals to lead his team’s attack. The ball moving via the pass proved to be a successful strategy for Twelve Oaks as they finished the half on a high, with one field goal each from Wooldridge, Laprida and Pittaluga, all of which were assisted to take a 7-4 lead against the defending Cartier Queen’s Cup champions.
A different UAE Polo Team was seen in the fourth chukka as they accelerated forward to score three field goals on seven shots, more than they had throughout the entire first half. The key cog in their offense during the stretch, Bartolome Castagnola added his first two goals of the game, along with an assist as the game became tied at 7-all with two chukkas remaining. It was evident that the game was going to come down to the final seconds as Twelve Oaks struck first in the fifth chukka scoring four goals, but once again momentum swung back in favour of UAE Polo Team as HH Sheika Maitha left the ball for Juan Ambroggio to tie the game with two and a half minutes remaining. Under immense pressure, Beresford sent a Penalty 3 through the goal with seconds remaining and not leaving enough time for a throw-in as UAE Polo Team emerged victorious 13-12.
Photo Credit: Images of Polo