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A C T I O N
Opposite:
Michael
Bickford of La Indiana
accepts the Queen’s cup
from Her Majesty the
Queen.
This page:
Charlie
Tighe (left) and
Michael Bickford
Things did not improve in the second chukka
with Andrey Borodin leaving the field in an
ambulance after a collision with La Indiana’s
Nic Roldan, to be substituted by Charlie
Tighe. This change in personnel did not
seem to disrupt the Park Place team too
much, although they could not take
advantage of a three-man La Indiana side
while Roldan sat out his two-minute penalty.
Another penalty conversion by Pieres and
a quick goal by Ulloa after the first bell saw
the teams all tied 2–2 going into the third.
This chukka was dominated by Park
Place. Britos converted a penalty and then
produced a lovely run to goal for the
subsequent throw in. With goals from
S P E C TAT O R S WO N D E R E D I F T H I S
WO U L D B E T H E F I R S T M AT C H O F T H E
T O U R N A ME N T T O G O I N T O O V E R T I ME
team-mates Ulloa and Tommy Beresford to
only two in reply from La Indiana – one off the
stick of Bickford who received a lovely pass
from Roldan – to make it 6–4 at half-time.
It was all change in the fourth though,
with Pieres and Roldan firing through a
couple of goals to none in reply from Park
Place. With the scores back level once again,
this remained anyone’s game. A goal apiece
in the fifth failed to produce a clearer picture
– although it should be noted that the Park
Place goal came off the stick of Charlie Tighe.
So with the score all square at the start
of the sixth, the many spectators wondered if
this final would be the first match of the
tournament to go into overtime. Man of the
match Pieres had other ideas and not only
saved a Britos penalty but fired through two
goals to secure victory for La Indiana and
earn himself the Cartier Most Valuable
Player Award in the process. Pieres’s very
talented pony Cube received the Cartier Best
Playing Pony prize too, an honour she also
received on this day in 2015.
The Cartier Queen’s Cup Finals had
started with an equally thrilling game for
the subsidiary Cartier Trophy. James
McCarthy’s Emlor defeated Hugues
Carmignac’s Talandracas 12–9 in a finely
balanced game. At 8–8 going into the final
chukka, the balance shifted, with Agustin
Merlos, Diego Cavanagh and McCarthy
all scoring for Emlor to only one in reply
from Francisco Elizalde. This was enough
to win the match for Emlor. Patron James
McCarthy was later named Most Valuable
Player and stepped up to receive both this
accolade, and the Cartier Trophy, from Her
Majesty The Queen during the afternoon’s
main match presentations.
