Murus Sanctus and La Magdeleine are through the final of the Queen’s Cup, following their wins against King Power and UAE Polo, respectively, in the semifinals that took place at Guards Polo Club, in Windsor Great Park, England, on Wednesday June 14. The 2023 edition of The Queen’s Cup sees seventeen teams up to 22 goals, partake.
Therefore, the championship match will be an all-French affair, with the clash of two powerful organisations from France: Corinne Ricard’s Murus Sanctus and Alexandre Garese’s La Magdeleine.
Murus Sanctus and King Power opened fire at midday, on The Prince’s Ground. The match was dominated by the blue jerseys from the kickoff, led by and outstanding Polito Pieres, who produced five goals. Corinne and her boys, then, claimed a 10-7 win, and the first ticket to the final, and, by the way, completely undefeated up-to-date.
Later in the afternoon, it would be a different story. The contest between La Magdeleine and UAE Polo was thrilling and hard fought, with both teams swapping the lead, although the gap was never beyond the two goals. Alexandre Garese’s foursome, coached by Pepe Heguy, stepped into the last chukka 6-7 behind, but they managed to hold UAE back to earn a 9-8 victory, that placed them in the championship game.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 14
SEMIFINAL #1: MURUS SANCTUS 10-7 KING POWER (The Prince’s Ground)
MURUS SANCTUS: Corinne Ricard 0, Alejandro Muzzio 7 (1 goal), Polito Pieres 9 (5), Cacu Araya 6 (4). Total: 22.
KING POWER: Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha 1, Nicolás Pieres 8 (2 goals), Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 9 (2)*, Will Harper 4**. Total: 22.
*Subbed in by Jerónimo del Carril (5 goals).
**Subbed in by Manuel Elizalde.
Score Murus Sanctus: 2-1, 5-1, 6-3, 8-4, 9-7, 10-7.
Umpires: Jason Dixon & Tim Bown. Third man: Henry Fisher.
SEMIFINAL # 2: LA MAGDELEINE 9-8 UAE (The Queen’s Ground)
LA MAGDELEINE: Alexander Garese 0, Pablo Mac Donough 9 (5 goals), Facundo Fernández Llorente 7 (2), Santiago Laborde 6 (2). Total: 22.
UAE: Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum 0, Lukin Monteverde 6 (2 goals), Barto Castagnola 9 (3), Tommy Beresford 7 (3). Total: 22.
Score La Magdeleine: 1-2, 4-2, 5-3, 5-4, 6-7, 8-9.
Umpires: Peter Wright & Howard Smith. Third man Ben Turner.
Murus Sanctus and La Magdeleine will go head-to-head for the Queen’s Cup on Sunday June 18 at 3,30pm.