Argentina lifts the Coronation Cup

The Coronation Cup went ahead after an excellent display of wonderfully-trained household cavalry, choreographed by Simon Ledger and including horses from the Royal Guards. This was a great beginning to the day’s proceedings and was highly enjoyed by the enthusiastic crowd.

In the start of the game, Luke Tomlinson was first to receive the ball after a direct attack from Cambiaso, who boldly took the initiative and kept the ball on his side. A block from Tomlinson was not enough to deter the Argentinian, who made a solid run with the ball and scored Argentina’s first goal.

Cambiaso tried to keep the ball with him as he searched for his team-mates, making a pass to Uzandizaga. However, he was blocked by Borwick, who passed the ball to Tomlinson, who then took it with him and scored the first goal for England, by means of a clear, 60-yard shot.

After a quick horse-change, Cambiaso was once again in charge of the ball, but his attempted shot was too wide and the backhand ball from Pieres was not enough to maintain a defence as Luke Tomlinson grabbed the ball. Mark Tomlinson now played alongside his brother, keeping the ball between them, and making three great passes while moving towards the Argentine goal.

A penalty was taken by Tomlinson but was blocked by Pieres.
Pieres claimed the ball and galloped towards the opposite end of the field, and made a superb pass to Uzandizaga, who scored the second goal for Argentina.

Borwick then led the way for England, taking the ball towards the Argentinians’ goalposts. However, Cambiaso, who had surprisingly been keeping away from the action, was not quick enough to take the ball, and fortunately Pieres was quick on the uptake, leaving the score at 3-1.

A defensive match was being played by both teams, and with Cambiaso in possession of the ball, there was some incredible juggling between the Argentine players, which was completed with Valent scoring the 4th goal.

A 60-yard penalty shot by Pieres led to the score being 5-2 . Beim, who had not always been in the midst of the action, ended the first-half by scoring for England and leaving the score at 5-2.

England was keen to keep on top of the match in the second-half, and it was Luke Tomlinson who was first to score by means of two penalties, becoming the only player to score for England in the second-half of the match. Unfortunately, this goal streak of the local team was interrupted, as Pieres attacked and claimed the ball from Tomlinson, taking it with him. After a brief encounter with Borwick, Pieres scored for Argentina, raising the score to 6-4.
It was clear the English team was rapidly tiring, as the next succession of goals were all scored by Argentina. Valent was up next, followed by Cambiaso, Uzandizaga and again Valent.
The match came to an end with a penalty taken by Luke Thomlinson, but this was not enough to help England overcome the Argentina’s solid score, the latter team dominantly winning 12-5.

We will bring you much more today about this dominating win, plus photo galleries on the celebrities attending Cartier International Polo at Guards. Special coverage on LivingPolo.com with our UK Correspondent, Isamaya Ffrench.


The Teams:

England
James Beim 07
Mark Tomlinson 06
Malcolm Borwick 06
Luke Tomlinson 07
Total 26

Argentina
Gustavo Usandizaga 03
Facundo Pieres 10
Adolfo Cambiaso (Jr.) 10
Martín Valent 03
Total 26

Score Progression:

1st Half
1-0 Cambiaso
1-1 L Tomlinson
2-1 Cambiaso
3-1 Pieres
4-1 Valent
5-1 Pieres
5-2 Beim

2nd Half
5-3 L. Tomlinson (penalty)
5-4 L. Tomlinson (penalty)
6-4 Pieres
7-4 Valent
8-4 Cambiaso
9-4 Uzandizaga
10-4 Valent
10-5 L. Tomlinson (penalty)
11-5 Cambiaso
12-5 Pieres