Sujan Indian Tigers 14- 13 White Crane

King Power 13 – 9 Calatagan LL

The UK summer weather disappeared today, replaced by rain and cold winds. This change in temperature did not seem to deter any of our teams though, with two thrilling games on day eight of this season’s Cartier Queen’s Cup competition. First up was Jaisal Singh’s Sujan Indian Tigers looking to maintain their unbeaten status and win their third match. They achieved this but only after an intense battle against Alexie Calvert Ansari’s White Crane squad. Spectators who braved the rain were treated to a fast-running game with few interruptions from the umpires. In fact all but one of Sujan Indian Tiger’s goals were field goals, a remarkable stat considering how tough this match was. The Tigers’ main goal scorer, Juan Martin Zubia, teamed up brilliantly with Juan Britos. This duo was  strongly supported by their patron, Singh. He not only scored goals but delivered some superb passes to his professionals. One of these was an accurate pass to Ollie Cudmore, who fired through the Tigers’ 14th goal. White Crane’s Polito Pieres and Lorenzo Chavanne stayed focused, knowing that fortunes can change in a moment at this level. Both of these players did find the flags in the final moments of the match but time was against them.

It was a similar story in the afternoon’s match. King Power won the day to maintain their unbeaten status but again had to fight every step of the way. Calatagan LL were trailing in the first half but got themselves back in contention in the final chukkas. Facundo Pieres converted a couple of penalties to level the score (8-8). Team-mate Santiago Laborde then delivered a fabulous run to goal to give Calatagan LL the lead. However neither team could relax for a moment. Pablo Macdonough, who was everywhere for King Power today, delivered an angled shot to level the scores early in the sixth. Tommy Beresford followed this up with a goal and Macdonough went on to win the next line out, taking the ball down the field to score. King Power now had a two-goal lead and there were only minutes left to play. Beresford found himself with some space so he added another to his team’s tally. With time ticking down, Ricardo Garros fired through another on the bell. This last-minute flurry ensured King Power won this crucial match by four goals.

Images copyright Pablo Ramirez