Thai Polo and Park Place Victorious in Cartier Queen’s Cup
An exciting day eighth day of the 2020 Cartier Queen’s Cup resulted in two dominant performances, beginning with Thai Polo defeating Park Place Vaara 13-8 behind perfect 9 for 9 penalty shooting. Park Place overwhelmed Polo Stud Schockemohle in the second match, scoring 17 goals in five chukkas to capture the 17-13 victory at Guards Polo Club.
In a match that was won from the penalty line, Tommy Beresford was 100%, converting all nine penalty attempts to lead Thai Polo to victory. Foul trouble hindered Park Place Vaara throughout the game, preventing them from matching Thai Polo on the scoreboard, despite outscoring them 7-3 from the field. Juan Britos and Hilario Ulloa worked effectively to combine for six of Park Place Vaara’s eight goals, but the performance of Beresford was the story of the game for Thai Polo in the 13-8 victory.
The opening two chukkas set the tone of the game, with Park place Vaara outshooting Thai Polo 9-2, yet trailing 5-3 on the scoreboard. Three penalty conversions for Beresford provided the foundation of Thai Polo’s offense, while Jack Richardson added one goal from the field to give Thai Polo the early advantage. Zac Beim’s second goal of the game gave Park Place Vaara some energy before the end of the half, but a fourth penalty conversion for Beresford maintained their two-goal lead at halftime.
In what was the decisive chukka of the match, Park Place Vaara was held scoreless in the fourth chukka while Thai Polo dominated possession to put six shots at goal. Although they converted just one shot from the field, another penalty conversion pushed their lead to four, leaving Park Place Vaara in desperate need of offense with two chukkas remaining. Four missed shots in the fifth chukka sealed Park Place Vaara’s fate, with three penalty conversions from Beresford, bringing his penalty total to eight, securing the victory for Thai Polo. Holding a six-goal lead, Thai Polo protected their goal to complete the 13-8 victory.
The second match saw park Place produce a balanced team effort resulting in all four players scoring at least two goals, led by six goals from Facundo Pieres. Utilizing strong horsepower and an efficient passing attack, Park Place amassed 25 shots at goal, while shooting over 50% in a dominant 17-goal performance through five chukkas. The inability to maintain possession and produce scoring opportunities kept Polo Stud Schockemohle from challenging Park Place in the 17-13 defeat.
The four-goal advantage on handicap for Polo Stud Schockemohle was erased entirely by the end of the first chukka as Park Place provided a relentless attack led by Gonzalito Pieres. Scoring three goals, Gonzalito Pieres attacked forward while Facundo Pieres facilitated from the back of the game to tie the score at 5-5, leaving the final five chukkas to be played on even footing. Carrying their momentum into the rest of the first half, Park Place continued to utilize the pass effectively to get in behind the Polo Stud Schockemohle defense. Two goals from Facundo Pieres, along with one each from Gonzalito Pieres, Andrey Borodin and Will Harper pushed Park Place into a 10-7 lead at halftime, with Patrick Maleitzke leading the way for Polo Stud Schockemohle with two goals.
The multi-faceted attack of Park Place overwhelmed Polo Stud Schockemohle in the second half, with Faucndo Pieres directing the play and utilizing all three teammates for runs to goal. Borodin’s second goal of the match contributed to Park Place’s five-goal lead at the end of the fourth chukka, with a dominant fifth chukka all but securing the victory. Seven shots at goal in the fifth chukka alone resulted in four field goals, two off the mallet of Will Harper in what was ultimately a dominant offensive showing. With 17 goals and an eight-goal lead, Park Place cruised to their third victory of the tournament.
All matches remain behind closed doors but every game is being filmed and can be viewed LIVE via a pay per view service at guardspoloclub.com/guards-tv.
| Rank | Player | Goals Scored |
| 1 | Facundo Pieres | 23 |
| 2 | Tommy Beresford | 18 |
| 3 | Joaquin Pittaluga | 15 |
| T-4 | Bartolome Castagnola | 12 |
| T-4 | Hilario Ulloa | 12 |
| 6 | Nico Pieres | 11 |
| T-7 | Gonzalito Pieres | 10 |
| T-7 | Ignacio Toccalino | 10 |
| T-7 | Juan Martin Zubia | 10 |
| T-7 | Poroto Cambiaso | 10 |
Photos – Images of Polo