Murus Sanctus narrowly beat La Magdeleine 11-10 and ran out the champions of the Queen’s Cup, Guards Polo Club’s premier tournament and one of the most significant tournaments within the international polo calendar, following a thrilling and hard fought final, that took place on the club’s main ground, The Queen’s Ground, on Sunday June 18.
Therefore, Corinne Ricard’s lineup, with Polito Pieres, Alejandro Muzzio and Marcos Araya became the third French lineup to win the Queen’s Cup, after Labegorce (2004) and Talandracas (2011). In addition, Murus Sanctus had a spectacular tournament, having finished completely undefeated.
As expected, the match was very balanced and very close between two powerful organisations. The first half mostly; although Murus Sanctus got off to a better start, earning a 3-1 lead in the first chukka, La Magdeleine took advantage of many fouls by Murus Sanctus, and by half time they were tied at 7-all. Murus Sanctus re-took a narrow one-goal lead in the following chukka, but the story would change in the fifth chukka, when the combination of Polito Pieres and Alejandro Muzzio proved to be lethal enough to produce three unanswered goals to step into the last chukka with a 10-7 advantage. However, La Magdeleine were not about to give up that easily. With goals by Pablo MacDonough (2) and Santiago Laborde, they outscored their opponents 3-0 to tie again, but that was when a brilliant move from Polito Pieres ended between the posts to secure Murus Sanctus the win and the title.
THE QUEEN’S CUP – FINAL – SUNDAY JUNE 18
MURUS SANCTUS 11-10 LA MAGDELEINE
MURUS SANCTUS: Corinne Ricard 0, Alejandro Muzzio 7 (3 goals), Polito Pieres 9 (5), Marcos Araya 6 (1). Total: 22.
LA MAGDELEINE: Alexander Garese 0, Facundo Fernández Llorente 7 (1 goal), Pablo Mac Donough 9 (5), Santiago Laborde 6 (4). Total: 22.
Umpires: Peter Wright & Jason Dixon. Third man: Tim Bown.
Score Murus Sanctus: 3-1, 5-4, 7-7, 8-7, 10-7, 11-10.
MVP: Polito Pieres.
Best Polo Argentino Bred, presented by the Argentine Polo Pony Breeders Assn: Irenita Kioskera, ridden by Pablo MacDonough.
IMAGES
The Queen’s Cup, Final – Murus Sanctus vs. La Magdeleine
The Queen’s Cup saw seventeen teams up to 22 goals, in participation.