Dubai 15 – 7 GenrosaLeo-Clinova
Ferne Park 12 – 11 Signet/Thai Polo
La Dolfina Scone 13 – 5 Jehangiri Polo
Three more games today, starting with Dubai v GenrosaLeo-Clinova. Rashid Albwardy’s Dubai squad already have a win under their belts, a confident victory on the opening day, and today was pretty much a repeat performance. Dubai claimed this game with 15 goals on their scorecard again and look very strong. Jeta Castagnola is one of only four 10-goalers in this year’s tournament and he delivered another masterclass in making space and shooting straight. He was also brilliantly backed up by Hazel Jackson, herself a 10-goal player in the ladies’ game, and Antonio Heguy. Raja Karim’s GenrosaLeo-Clinova squad were beginning their Cartier Queen’s Cup adventure today but it did not have the happy ending the team was hoping for. It started well as not only did GenrosaLeo-Clinova have a goal on the scoreboard at the start due to their handicap advantage but Raja Karim was the first to score. So for a minute or two GenrosaLeo-Clinova had a 2-0 lead over Dubai. However it was not long before Dubai pulled ahead and then remained in front for the rest of the game.
Next up was a very different affair. Ferne Park were hunting for a second win after an impressive victory on Tuesday, while Clinova/Thai Polo were looking for that all-important first win after a defeat by UAE Polo Team on the opening day. The result was a wonderfully competitive match on the Castle Ground. Signet/Thai Polo had a two-goal advantage (8-6) at half-time and were looking strong. Ferne Park rallied in the fourth with Vere Harmsworth and Pelon Stirling delivering two good goals to level the score. This match was now a battle to the wire, with both sides trading shots. Tommy Severn put Signet/Ferne Park ahead early in the fifth only for Joachim Pittaluga to cancel out any advantage. A penalty and a goal off the stick of Stirling gave Ferne Park a two-goal advantage (11-9) going into the sixth. The flowing game of earlier was now replaced with a more stop/start affair as both teams hunted for goals. Ferne Park was more successful, firing through two to only one in reply off the stick of Ned Hine. On the final whistle it was Fern Park ahead, giving then that all-important second win.
The final game of the day was similar to the opening match of the day. La Dolfina Scone proved too strong for Jehangiri Polo on the Princes’ Ground. The stand out players for David Paradice’s La Dolfina Scone today were Marcos Araya and Paco de Narvaez. They were everywhere and made the most of any space. Jehangiri struggled to match this A-star performance and sadly sent too many of their own opportunities wide of the mark. La Dolfina Scone were 9-2 ahead at half-time and went on to win this game 13-5.
