After the first round of games in the 2018 Cartier Queen’s Cup, there has been little separating the teams with five of the 10 games thus far decided by just one or two goals. Three teams remain undefeated with La Bamba de Areco the lone team with a 2-0 record. RH Polo and Valiente will look to improve to 2-0 in Wednesday’s games
The tournament began with two exciting games as Talandracas defeated high goal newcomers Park Place 12-10 and La Indiana held on for the narrow 8-7 victory over the all-English El Remanso. All four teams in the opening day of games provide potential for extended runs in the Cartier Queen’s Cup, with firepower in 10-goalers Hilario Ulloa (Park Place) and Facundo Pieres (La Indiana), and more balanced attacks for Talandracas and El Remanso. In their second game,
Park Place’s Juan Britos put forth an exceptional performance with six goals on 4 for 5 shooting from the penalty line to defeat La Indiana and remain steadily in the conversation among the top teams. Britos's accurate penalty shooting brought him into a tie with Agustin Merlos for the tournament lead with 13 goals.
Day three and four of play featured La Bamba de Areco and Valiente’s debuts in the tournament and both teams put their opponents on notice with five and four goal victories respectively. With a back line of David Stirling and Juan Martin Nero, La Bamba de Areco has the offensive ability to match any team but the key to their success has been their defensive efforts as they have allowed just 5.5 goals per game, lowest in the tournament.
Facing off against an Emlor team that had an impressive opening victory, Valiente showed an elite level that left their opponent in shock. Racing out to an 8-0 lead, Valiente secured the victory early in the game, and displayed a potent attack led by Adolfo Cambiaso, with Magoo Laprida finishing effectively around goal. Their next game comes against a Monterosso team searching for their first win after two close losses to Emlor and Les Lions. With five teams holding 1-1 records, much is left to be decided in the next week of play.
A key upcoming game features RH Polo, as they look to remain undefeated against a tough Emlor team with a 1-1 record after a tough loss to Valiente. RH Polo with Sapo Caset and Rodrigo de Andrade provide a dynamic attack as the two players combined for eight goals in their 11-6 victory to open the tournament. and a fast playing style that led to a dominant five-goal victory in their opening game. With five-goaler Martin Podesta strong in defence, RH Polo will look to contain an Emlor team that displays a duo of their own in Agustin Merlos and Diego Cavanagh.
A second feature game of the week has undefeated La Bamba de Areco facing a tough opponent in La Indiana. Looking to continue their defensive performance in the tournament and contain Facundo Pieres and Nic Roldan, La Bamba de Areco’s David Stirling has been impressive offensively, with 11 goals, third best among all players.
Lastly, El Remanso will square off against Talandracas in their third games of the tournament with implications on seeding for the quarter-finals. Talandracas’ balanced offensive attack with Julian de Lusarreta, Francisco Elizalde and Alejandro Muzzio has been very effective during the tournament as they have been able to score goals quickly and get off to very fast starts in the game. Although they lost their opening game in a hard-fought game against La Indiana, El Remanso will look to find the form that saw them reach last year’s semi-finals and display the depth of their complete four-man line-up that utilises an effective passing attack.
Bank Holiday Monda's match was a crucial game for Clinova and El Remanso, as they were both looking for their first victory in the Cartier Queen’s Cup to remain in the conversation for a spot in the quarter-finals. El Remanso dominated this particular contest, delivering some great team-work to win the game 14-9.
Copy provided by Guards Polo Club's official match stats providers Michael Foster and Charlie Froggatt of the International Polo Academy
