The Cartier Queen’s Cup final at Guards Polo Club needed overtime to produce a winner. Great Oaks LL beat Park Place Vaara 9-8 on the Queen’s Ground, after coming back from three goals down in the sixth chukka.
How the final unfolded
Park Place Vaara, the team of Andrey Borodin, were looking for their organisation’s first Queen’s Cup title and led 5-3 at half-time. They were still three goals clear in the sixth chukka when Juan Martín Nero scored two late field goals for Great Oaks LL. Cruz Heguy then levelled the match and sent it to overtime, where James Beim scored the winner.
Great Oaks LL lined up with James Beim, Dillon Bacon, Juan Martín Nero and Cruz Heguy. Bacon received the trophy, and Nero was named Cartier Most Valuable Player. Park Place Vaara had Josh Hyde, Juan Britos, Hilario Ulloa and Santos Merlos.
The Cartier Trophy
The subsidiary final on the Duke’s Ground also had a swing in momentum. King Power beat UAE Polo Team 9-7 after leading 8-1 at half-time, with Nicolás Pieres scoring four goals in the first three chukkas. UAE Polo Team came back in the second half, led by Bartolomé Castagnola Jr., who scored four goals, but two missed penalties cost them the match. Mackenzie Weisz was named Most Valuable Player.
Why it matters
The Queen’s Cup, a 22-goal tournament sponsored by Cartier UK since 2012, is one of the most closely watched events of the English season. This year’s final had everything: a lead, a comeback, overtime and a winning goal in extra time. For Park Place Vaara, it is a hard result to take, though the team has already won big titles in Wellington this year.
Attention now turns to the Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship at Cowdray Park next month. Great Oaks LL will carry plenty of confidence, and every other team will have taken note of how they finished the Queen’s Cup.
Sources: Polo+10
