The Duke of Sutherland Cup, presented by Equine Management, saw Emlor face Valhalla in a closely fought 18-goal final, held on Sunday 9th June.
Spencer McCarthy (1) rode out at 1 for his Emlor team alongside Jose Ramon Araya (5) at 2, Max Charlton (6) at 3, and young 6-goaler Chulo Guerrero at Back. Justin MacRae (0) wore the number 1 shirt for Valhalla, with Pedro Harrison (5) at 2, Lucas Jnr Monteverde (7) at 3 filling in for Benjamin Panelo (7), with English 6-goaler Jack Richardson at Back.
The nail-biting game held at a busy Lawns 2, saw tremendous efforts by both teams, with Emlor ultimately taking the victory with a score of 8-7, despite a momentous last push by Valhalla. A dominant first chukka for Emlor gave them an early lead with a goal for Charlton and McCarthy. In the second chukka Emlor continued their strong form with a further goal by Araya, however an incredible neck shot by MacRae put his Valhalla team onto the scoreboard, finishing the second chukka 3-1.
The third chukka saw a change in momentum for Valhalla with an outstanding performance by team captain Jack Richardson for two consecutive goals, and strong defensive play to go into the second half equal on 3-3. The fourth chukka was dominated by a regrouped Emlor, storming into the lead with a hat-trick of goals by an unstoppable Guerrero, in addition to a further goal by teammate Araya, to put Emlor ahead 7-3 going into the last. Valhalla wasn’t letting the victory out of their grips in the last chukka, with phenomenal teamwork by the home team to score four goals, by an unstoppable Richardson and Monteverde, however it wasn’t quite enough with Guerrero countering their attack with a further goal leaving Emlor victorious by 1 goal.
Stephen Biddlecombe presented the Duke of Sutherland Cup to a delighted Spencer McCarthy, in addition to presenting his own handcrafted Stephen’s Polo Division English bridles to the Emlor team. The Most Valuable Player prize was awarded to Chulo Guerrero, kindly provided by Gusbourne and presented by their own Alice Hanson. Jack Richardson’s ‘Chickpea’ was awarded the Equine Management Best Playing Pony rug, due to it’s standout performance in the game, with his groom receiving a hamper generously provided and presented by Stephen Biddlecombe.
