5th July – LATEST MATCH REPORTS Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship
by Katie Vickery, Editor Fantasy Polo.
Talandracas 13 vs 10 Monterosso
Another big day at Cowdray Park Polo Club saw the league matches of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup continue with two exciting games. The first match of the day saw Guillermo “Sapo” Caset lead his Talandracas team to victory, scoring 12 of the 13 goals that saw them defeat the Monterosso side 13-10. Monterosso entered the field with confidence after their shock win over RH in their previous match and yesterday looked set to follow the same pattern, Talandracas trailing by 3 goals going in to half time, but Monterosso could not shut down the scoring power of 9 goaler Caset (just 1 penalty missed out of 8 taken) and they lost their lead in the fourth chukka, Talandracas scoring 5 goals. Every one of the Monterosso players got on the scoreboard with a diplomatic 1 goal apiece, but they were unable to bring it back after a slow start to the second half that saw them lose their second match of the tournament.
Match Progression:
2-1 3-5 4-7 9-7 11-7 13-10
Sommelier 11 vs 10 Murus Sanctus
Up next was a close match between Murus Sanctus and Sommelier. This game had the potential to go either way, made even more intriguing by the sight of young Mia Cambiaso (daughter of world number 1 Adolfo Cambiaso) playing for Murus Sanctus in her high goal debut, taking the place of Corinne Ricard at the last minute. Sommelier took advantage of the change in line up, working hard all game to keep on top of the Murus Sanctus foursome. Fred Mannix scored 6 times, twice from the penalty line, to help secure the 11-10 win and their first triumph of the tournament. Murus Sanctus were not without opportunities but a couple of missed penalty opportunities by Hilario Ulloa and some peppering of the backline by teammates Sola and Podesta saw them unable to convert to goals bringing their tournament record to 1 for 3.
Match Progression:
1-2 2-3 4-4 7-5 9-7 11-10
