Oaks look the ones to fell in polo’s Gold Cup
Thekingpowergoldcupisup and running at Cowdray Park – and although there are no crowds to witness the action, it is already proving a classic renewal of the highlight of the British season.
At the beginning of the second round, Les Lions/ Great Oaks defeated Scone 1412 to become the first team to win twice.
Meanwhile Park Place Vaara overcame their opening round loss to defeat Polo Stud Schockemohle 8-6.
Arguably displaying the most potent attack of the tournament so far, Les Lions/ Great Oaks scored 14 goals for the second consecutive game, with at least three goals from each of the four players.
Scone performed admirably shooting more than 50 per cent from the field and converting four of five penalty attempts, but a dynamic passing attack led by Bartolome Castagnola and Alejandro Muzzio led Les Lions/great Oaks to victory.
A quick pace was set in the opening two chukkas with both teams avoiding the whistle in end-to-end action.
Muzzio and Nico Pieres led their respective teams to a 2-2 tie after the first chukka and the score was unchanged after a second chukka.
A decisive third chukka proved to be instrumental in the outcome as Les Lions/
Great Oaks built a three-goal lead behind accurate passes to goal, including two assists from Santiago Laborde. Les Lions/great Oaks had a 7-4 lead at half-time.
Fighting to close the gap, Nico Pieres converted a penalty attempt, while James Harper found Oliver Cudmore for a goal as part of a two-goal fourth chukka, yet Les Lions/ Great Oaks maintained their lead thanks to the efforts of Dillon Bacon, who finished accurately around goal.
Committing just one foul up to the fifth chukka, three fouls committed by Scone resulted in three penalty goals for Castagnola, deflating the comeback efforts of Scone.
Facing a four-goal deficit, a late push from Scone including three goals from Pieres in the final chukka, was not enough to claim victory in the 14-12 defeat.
The second game saw Park Place Vaara and Polo Stud Schockemohle searching for their first win in an entertaining match that came down to the final chukka. A hard-fought defensive game produced difficult scoring chances for both teams, leading to less than 40 per cent shooting from the field on both sides of the ball, but 10-goaler Hilario Ulloa was crucial in Park Place Vaara’s victory, scoring four goals while adding three assists to lead his team to the narrow 8-6 victory.
A low-scoring start to the game demonstrated the evenlymatchedteamsfighting for field position before both sides found rhythm.