The English high-goal season is in full swing, and the league stage of the Cartier Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club has produced some tight scores. Here is a round-up of how the second week of league play looked.
The big match of the week
The result everyone noticed was between two unbeaten teams. Dubai Polo Team beat Park Place Vaara 15-13 at the Castle Ground at Flemish Farm, a high-scoring game between two sides with a perfect record. Park Place had earlier beaten Vikings 15-9 on the same ground, so they came into the match in good form.
Other results
- Thai Polo NP beat Clinova 10-9 on the Queen’s Ground.
- Scone Polo beat Murus Sanctus 13-12 on the Princes’ Ground.
- King Power beat UAE Polo Team 11-8 on the Duke’s Ground.
- Noel Farm Twelve Oaks beat Marqués de Riscal 11-10 in a League Two match.
- Great Oaks LL beat Murus Sanctus 10-8.
- Monterosso beat Marqués de Riscal 10-8 on the Queen’s Ground.
- UAE Polo Team beat Twelve Oaks 13-12 on the Princes’ Ground.
What these scores tell us
Several of those results were decided by a single goal, which says a lot about the depth of the field. Murus Sanctus lost by one goal to Scone and then lost again to Great Oaks, while Twelve Oaks lost a one-goal game against UAE after winning against Marqués de Riscal. At this level of polo, a single missed penalty or a late goal often decides who goes through.
The UAE Polo Team, who won this tournament for the first time last year, lost to King Power in this round, but they bounced back with a narrow win over Twelve Oaks. With a league stage like this, we would not like to pick a winner just yet.
What to watch for
Last year’s finalists, UAE Polo Team and Scone Polo, are both still in the competition, and Park Place, who won the Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup at Guards in August, remain a team that can score in bunches. As the knockout rounds approach, we will be watching the standings closely.
Sources: Polo+10 (Queen’s Cup league reports)
