Tue 11th Jun 2019Cartier Queen’s Cup Semi Finals DecidedThrilling matches decide final four
Saturday 8 June and Sunday 9 June will go down in history as two of the most exciting days, of The Cartier Queen’s Cup 2019 to date. The final eight came together to fight tooth and nail for Wednesday’s Semi Final positions, with upsets aplenty throughout the weekend. First up, Scone delivered the first blow of the weekend, as they defeated Edouard Carmignac’s thus far undefeated Talandracas (one of the four automatic Quarter Final qualifiers) 11-7 on Saturday 8 June. Scone, with Max Kirchhoff playing instead of patron David Paradice, hassled and harassed Talandracas, halting their usual fast play and ensuring James Beim had the chance to secure six of his team’s goals and with it, a coveted Semi Final position. Next up, in one of the closest matches so far in the tournament, La Bamba de Areco exchanged goals continously with 2018 champions La Indiana. Juan Martín Nero and David ‘Pelón’ Stirling, matched the La Indiana power goal for goal in the first half, but brilliant play from Rodrigo Andrade and Facundo Pieres put Michael Bickford’s side in the lead 5-4 going into the third. The teams evened the scoreboard once more in the fifth, 8-8 and as the clock wound down, Dillon Bacon (substituting for injured patron Bickford) passed the ball to Pieres, who sealed the deal for La Indiana. Sunday’s play was no less dramatic, as Andrey Borodin’s Park Place came back from a 5-4 deficit to beat UAE Polo 9-8. Prior to the match, bets weren’t placed on either side, with the teams expertly matched. Going into the fourth chukka, it looked like UAE had the upper hand, but with a penalty falling in Park Place’s favour, Benjamin Urquiza equalised the scores at 8-8. As the golden goal scenario seconds ticked on, Hilario Ulloa secured the winning goal to put Park Place in Wednesday’s Semi Final against their 2018 Final rivals, La Indiana. To round off the weekend, Top Srivaddhanaprabha’s VS King Power edged out Dubai, who held the lead, 8-5, in the first three chukkas. Changing their tactic in the second half, sticking to the young Castagnola brothers like glue, VS King Power gradually added to their goal tally, with Polito Pieres really coming into his own. In the sixth chukka, VS King Power pulled away securing four goals and with it their Semi Final spot. The Cartier Queen’s Cup Semi Final matches on Wednesday 12 June will be as follows: 12pm: Scone Polo vs VS King Power for The Hubert Perrodo Trophy 4pm: La Indiana vs Park Place for The Kerry Packer Trophy Tickets for the Semi Finals are available here now with a full report from The Cartier Queen’s Cup Final set to take pride of place in the next issue of Polo Times. Make sure to subscribe here now! The Cartier Queen’s Cup Semi Final Teams: Scone (22): James Harper (6), James Beim (7), Nico Pieres (9) & David Paradice (0 – substituted by Max Kirchhoff) VS King Power (22): Top Srivaddhanaprabha (0), Polito Pieres (9), Marcos Di Paoloa (7) & Juan Martín Zubía (6) La Indiana (22): Michael Bickford (1 – substituted by Dillon Bacon), Jimbo Fewster (3), Rodrigo Andrade (8) & Facundo Pieres (10) Park Place (22): Andrey Borodin (0), Benjamin Urquiza (5), Juan Britos (7) & Hilario Ulloa (10) Photograph: Park Place secured their Semi Final spot, defeating UAE. By ©www.imagesofpolo.com |