RH Polo 10 vs 12 Habtoor
In the second shock upset of the quarters, tournament favourites RH Polo succumbed to the Habtoor side, losing out on a place in the semi finals going down 12-10. With Adolfo Cambiaso sidelined by injury, Hilario Ulloa stepped in to fill his 10 goaler space. Although he performed admirably, scoring 4 of the 10 RH goals, he was unable to lead the RH side to victory.
Habtoor started strong, going 3-0 after the first chukka. They have performed better and better each match showing that although they are a new team, they are a force to be reckoned with. This is only their second win of the tournament, the previous victory having put them through to the quarter finals so they clearly know how to get the win when it counts. Just two penalties in throughout the match meant plenty of exciting field goals, with Francisco Elizalde leading the scoring with six goals from the field.
Match Progression:
3-0 4-3 6-5 8-7 11-7 12-10
King Power Foxes 10 vs 6 Talandracas
King Power Foxes’ win over Talandracas means another brother vs brother semi final as the first match next Wednesday 19th July will see Nico Pieres and his Habtoor side face the reigning champions and his two elder brothers.
The Talandracas vs King Power match was hard fought, with Talandracas taking an early lead, and the score remained low as both teams tried their best to contain the scoring power of the other, marking closely and not allowing space for runs to goal. With just one of the 16 goals coming from the penalty line (a safety 60 in from Facundo Pieres), the match was all about field performance and in the second half King Power Foxes had figured out how to capitalize on the Talandracas style of play, mixing up their tactics and sending Facundo and Gonzalo forward to score and overcome the Talandracas defense. This they did effectively in the fourth chukka scoring four goals to take the lead. They maintained this style of play and lead until the end of the match.
Match Progression:
1-3 3-3 4-5 4-5 8-5 10-6
Semi Finals:
Wednesday 19th July
12pm – King Power Foxes vs Habtoor
4pm – El Remanso vs Sommelier
