England beat Uruguay by an impressive 14-8, and claimed the prestigious Coronation Cup, the annual international match, that took place at Guards Polo Club, on a warm an sunny Saturday July 25. The Coronation Cup, that dates back to 1911, forms part of the Hurlingham Polo Association Iternational Day, on its 54th. edition.
The event kicked off with the Whitbread Tankard, that saw Young Argentina and Young England. Paco de Narvaez (8) led Young Argentina accurately and with enoughtconfidence, that was crucial to secure Young Argentina a commanding 9-3 win. Although the first half was very even, the visitors, which lineup was completed by Cata Lavinia (2), Floro Lanusse (2), and Miki Novillo Astrada (4), drew away in the second half to widen the gap and take the win.
With regards to the Coronation Cup, and the clash between England – who received two goals on handicap – and Uruguay, the match saw both lineups came out attacking; Uruguay opened the scores through a penalty conversion by Nachi Viana, but England replied quickly, with goals courtesy of Louis Hine and Tommy Beresford who secured the locals 3-1 lead. But that was not enough – Louis and Ned scored one goal each, and by the end of the first chukka, England, coached by Hilario Ulloa, were 5-1 ahead. Although Uruguay closed the gap to 4-6 in the second chukka, England bounced back to claim a 8-5 lead by half time.
England widened their advatage to 10-7 in the fourth chukka; Uruguay struggled to produce field goals, with most coming from penalty conversions. Increasingly confident, England headed into the final chukka with the deal almost said and done – 12-7 up. And although Uruguay fought back in an intense last chukka, luck remained on the local side, who claimed the match, 14-8, fair and square.
CORONATION CUP – SATURDAY JULY 25
ENGLAND 14-7 URUGUAY
England: Louis Hine 6, Ned Hine 5, Ollie Cudmore 5, Tomás Beresford 7. Total: 23.
Uruguay: Santiago Stirling 5, Ignacio Viana 7, David Stirling 8, Alejo Taranco 7. Total: 27.
Score England: (2-0) 5-1, 6-4, 8-5, 10-7, 12-7, 14-8.
Umpires: Peter Wright & Chris Hyde.
Third Man: Tim Bown.
Rufino Laulhé MVP Trophy: Louis Hine.
BPP: Guri Española, ridden by Louis Hine.
Emerson & Watson Retraining of Racehorses Award: Bockos Amber, ridden by Ollie Cudmore.
Cover photo by The Art Of Polo.