Fox & Hounds 7 – 6 EFG Bank Aravali League One
The Fox & Hounds boys notched up another victory at Coworth Park yesterday, but again put everyone on edge by leaving it until the last minute to confirm victory. In almost a carbon copy of their match against Twelve Oaks on Sunday, the team of young English professionals – Jack Richardson, Max Routledge, George Meyrick and Tom Morley – had a comfortable, 4-1 lead after two chukkas. In fact EFG Aravali had failed to score at all in the second.
Clearly these boys don’t like to make things easy for themselves though. They failed to score at all in the third, while Aravali put four goals home to take the lead 5-4 at half-time. One of these goals came from the young Charlie Pidgley who was again standing in for injured Aravali patron Karan Thapar.
Tom Morley saved the day for the Fox & Hounds in the fourth, scoring two goals and giving them the lead once more, while Aravali again failed to score. This was now the boys’ chance to build on their one-goal lead and dominate the game. This did not happen in the fifth though as only Aravai’s Alejandro Muzzio scored, putting the scores level once more at 6-6. The sixth followed a similar pattern but luckily for the Fox & Hounds it was Jack Richardson who found the flags won the match 7-6. They have now won two of their three matches, but will have all to do in their last league match of the tournament as they play one of the pre match favourites, Dubai on 4th June.
Zacara 10 – 9 King Power League One
Zacara had their toughest game of the tournament so far on Thursday, winning by just one goal. Facundo Pieres was only able to score five goals but, ably supported by Gonzalo Deltour who scored another four, it was enough for them to register their third league victory. They were up against the King Power team who have had mixed fortunes in this competition – winning one and losing one. However King Power had an added weapon in this match – Gonzalito Pieres. He knows his brother Facundo’s game better than anyone and so King Power would be looking to use this “insider information” to their advantage.
This tactic appeared to be paying off as Zacara failed to score at all in the first chukka, while King Power put two on the board, thanks to Gonzalito Pieres and Marcos di Paola. Of course you cannot keep a talent like Facundo Pieres out of a game for long and he was back in the second chukka, scoring two goals, as did team-mate Matt Perry. Zacara were now in the lead and, as in previous games, spectators expected Lyndon Lea’s team to pull away, especially when King Power failed to score in the third.
Zacara did manage a couple more goals from Facundo in the third so the score was 6-3 at half time to Zacara but then this impressive team stalled. They failed to score at all in chukkas four and five. King Power tried to make the most of this change in fortunes with Gonzalito scoring three times and Pablo Llorente and Marcos Di Paolo finding one apiece. King Power were now ahead – 8-6 and was it enough? Unfortunately for them it was not as four goals from Zacara to only one in reply from King Power in the fifth saw the balance of power shift yet again and at the final whistle, it was a win for Lyndon Lea’s boys. Zacara’s final league match, on Monday 2 June, is against HB Polo who have yet to win a game in this year’s tournament and it will be the Pailloncy brothers’ side that will have it all to do!
