Thai Polo NP Secure Spot in Quarterfinals with Victory Over Murus Sanctus
In their final games of league play of the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship, Thai Polo NP and Murus Sanctus had their sights set on a 3-1 record. Leading from start to finish, Thai Polo NP moved to the top of League B, capturing their third win with the 14-10 victory over Murus Sanctus.
Presented with a similar number of opportunities from both the field and the penalty line, Murus Sanctus and Thai Polo NP produced a competitive match on the Ambersham grounds at Cowdray Park Polo Club, but it was the efficiency of Thai Polo NP that propelled them to victory. The young duo of Louis and Ned Hine combined for seven of Thai Polo NP’s nine field goals, missing just one shot between them in impressive performances that were crucial to their team’s success. Sapo Caset led all players with seven goals to lead Murus Sanctus, however the team shot just 30% from the field, preventing them from keeping pace with Thai Polo NP in the 14-10 defeat.
Pressuring Murus Sanctus from the first throw-in, Thai Polo NP’s Nico Pieres received a quick foul and converted the Penalty 2 to open the scoring. After a couple missed attempts from Murus Sanctus, Louis Hine doubled the lead to two, an advantage Thai Polo NP would maintain into the end of the chukker. For the remainder of the half, Murus Sanctus’ offense came from the penalty line where Caset converted two penalties, but the lack of offense from the field resulted in Thai Polo NP extending their lead. The Hine brothers combined for three goals to end the half, leaving Thai Polo NP ahead 7-4 entering halftime.
In what was the decisive moment of the match, Thai Polo NP dominated play in the fourth chukker, outscoring Murus Sanctus 3-0 with Ned and Louis Hine continuing to push the attack forward. James Harper collected two assists with Thai Polo NP taking control of the game, holding a commanding six-goal advantage with two chukkas remaining. Caset tried to bring his team back into the game, adding a field goal and penalty conversion in the fifth chukka, but inaccurate shooting prevented Murus Sanctus from challenging Thai Polo NP. Two penalty conversions for Pieres in the final chukka sealed the 14-10 victory for Thai Polo as they improve to 3-1 and secure their place in the quarterfinals.