Opening Match- Queen's Cup Polo- Richard Mille vs Enigma- 18 May 2011
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Windsor and Maidenhead
Written by Alberto van der Mye +44(0)7703 559 625
The 51st Queen's Cup got underway on a rainy afternoon yesterday at Guards Polo Club, Windsor Great Park with a 22 goal league match featuring HRH Prince Jefri's Richard Mille Team versus Jerome Wirth's Enigma. Enigma won it 8-7 in rainy sudden death in a game that was close throughout the match.
Prince Jefri an underated young patron at +1 goal & the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei featured the great Pablo MacDonough at the 10 goal rating along with young British star Max Routledge who is on very fast ponies and Alejandro Muzzio a ringer at 7 goals.
Jeremy Wirth 's Enigma featured two players from the Argentine Palermo Open on his team: Juan Martin Nero probably the back in the world today & Matias MacDonough an experienced player with great presence plus Juan Jauretche the best 3 goal player in England hugely underrated thus making Enigma a three Argentine pro team with no home grown players. One or more of the Argentines must be on a European Union passport as only two "foreign players" are permitted in English high goal polo.
The Queen's Ground as the number 1 field at Guards is known was unusually slow and soft making the aforementioned superb polo talent miss a lot of shots sadly making a 22 goal match look more like 14 goal game. It is early days and the horses still far from top condition looking a bit fat & slovenly.
Richard Mille Polo led until the fifth chukka Matias McDonough equalized at 5 goal all then Matias scored on a penalty for the first lead to Enigma but young Routledge the HPA young player of the year on super fast Argentine bred grey "Rusic" scored a brilliant goal with 5 seconds on the fifth chukka . Game tied at the end of fifth chukka. Frantic sixth chukka with Enigma leading by one when Pablito equalised to send the game into sudden death over time.
Nothing beats a sudden death overtime polo match for excitement. Rumor has it that the late John T. Oxley owner of Royal Palm Polo In Boca Raton,Florida - "Capital of High Goal Polo" would reduce entry fees if games went into overtime at Boca.
Somebody had to win after a furious 7th chukka and it was Enigma with patron Jerome Wirth scoring the winning goal.
Judging by the talent of the 16 teams entered in the Queen's Cup is gone be an exciting and thrilling competition with as always the noble horses making the difference with who receives the cup from Her Majesty The Queen on Sunday 12 June.