Murus Sanctus have won the Cartier Queen’s Cup. On Sunday 18 June, on the Queen’s Ground at Guards Polo Club, they beat La Magdeleine 11-10 in the final of the 22-goal tournament, claiming the title for the first time.
A first title for Murus Sanctus
Seventeen teams took part in four weeks of high-goal polo at Windsor Great Park, and the final was an all-French affair between Corinne Ricard’s Murus Sanctus and Alexandre Garese’s La Magdeleine. The two sides were level at 7-7 at half-time, and neither managed to break away for long. Murus Sanctus found just enough to stay in front at the end, and the margin of a single goal says everything about how well matched the two sides were.
The teams included, for Murus Sanctus, Polito Pieres, Alejandro Muzzio and Marcos Araya. La Magdeleine’s side featured Santiago Laborde, Pablo Mac Donough, Facundo Fernandez Llorente and Alexandre Garese.
Individual awards
Polito Pieres was named Cartier Most Valuable Player after scoring seven goals, six of them in open play. The Best Playing Pony award went to Irenita La Kiosquera, ridden by Mac Donough, which is a fine consolation for the losing side. Corinne Ricard received the Cup from Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier UK.
The Cartier Trophy
The subsidiary final was played on the Duke’s Ground, where Vikings beat Twelve Oaks 10-9. Juan Martin Zubia of the Vikings took the MVP prize for that match.
Our view
The Queen’s Cup is the first major trophy of the English high-goal season, and this year’s final lived up to its reputation for tight, tense finishes. We were struck by how close the whole tournament was, with the final decided by a single goal after four weeks of competition.
The Gold Cup for the British Open Championship at Cowdray Park is next, and the best teams will be heading to Sussex with plenty of confidence.
Sources: POLO+10
