Monterosso 11 – 9 Ojo Caliente
White Crane Black 11 – 10 Emlor
Alessandro Bazzoni’s Monterosso team will play Jasmine Calvert-Ansari’s White Crane Black in the final of the Aston Martin Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup this Sunday afternoon after two intense semi-final matches earlier today.
Monterosso beat Ana Escobedo’s Ojo Caliente in a tense semi that was, for the spectator, marred by too many umpires’ whistles. With so much at stake, both teams produced a physical game that did not allow for any running polo. There was an occasional fast run from Diego Cavanagh for Monterosso, with Alfredo Capella in hot pursuit, but this was mostly a close contact game. Monterosso had given themselves a comfortable 6-2 lead early into the third but some sharp shooting from Ojo Caliente’s Cruz Heguy brought Ana’s team back to within one goal (6-5) at the end of the third. Three goals off the stick of Heguy in the fourth turned the tables, giving Ana Escobedo’s team an 8-7 lead.
Ojo Caliente was particularly keen to win today as it had been Monterosso that had beaten them in the 2023 final of this trophy. Cavanagh had a different script though. He fired through a big hit from distance at the start of the fifth to level the scores. With a minute left to play in this chukka, Monterosso converted a penalty to put them ahead once more. So the sixth was a tense affair, with Cavanagh finding the flags twice and Bazzoni producing a fabulous save from a Heguy penalty. Heguy did fire through one more just before the final bell but there was now a clear winner – Monterosso.
The second semi was a little different. More flowing play from Jasmine Calvert-Ansari’s White Crane Black and Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor on The Queen’s Ground. Emlor were without their captain Joaquin Pittaluga, who had been injured in a previous game. His place was taken by Tomas Fernandez Llorente who had a standout game for his adopted team. Teaming up well with Javier Guerrero, this duo helped Emlor come back from 3-1 down early in the second to level the scores (3-3) at half-time.
The umpires were a little busier in the second half as this game remained very open. Teamwork from David Stirling, Felipe Dabas and Mackenzie Weisz gave White Crane Black the lead at the start of the fourth only for Max Charlton to fire through the equaliser. Tit-for-tat play ensured with Weisz picking up a pass from Stirling to fire through a nearside neck shot which was counteracted by McCarthy firing through his second goal of the game. A pair of penalties, taken by Javier Guerrero and Jasmine, ensured the scores remained level. It was left to Stirling to make the break, picking up a great pass from Dabas to put White Crane Black back ahead at the end of the fourth. Emlor dominated the fifth with three goals in succession to give them, for a moment, a much-needed, two-goal advantage (9-7). Dabas fired through a penalty to close the gap once more at the end of this chukka. Plenty of up-and-down play in the sixth before Weisz found the equaliser for White Crane Black. He then converted a penalty 4 to put Jasmine’s team in the lead. This advantage was short lived as Charlton found the flags from an almost impossible angle to level the scores. When Stirling’s long-range shot hit the post and ran wide it looked as if this match would be going into extra time. But, with only seconds left on the clock, White Crane Black were awarded a penalty. Keeping cool, Weisz found the perfect shot to win the game 11-10.
Images copyright Marcos Cerdeira
