Adolfo Cambiaso and his Dubai teammates (Rashid Albwardy, Alec White, Nico Pieres and Adolfo Cambiaso) wasted little time in taking control of the Cartier Queens Cup quarterfinal match with UAE (HH Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum, Jack Richardson, Lucas Monteverde and Pablo MacDonough), charging out to a commanding 7-2 halftime lead before coasting to the 12-8 win and a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals.

Dubai got off to a good start, outscoring UAE 3-1 in the first chukker.  UAE fought to break through a stubborn Dubai defense to no avail, as they were limited to a single goal in the opening period of the game.

Nico Pieres and Alec White each added a goal to the Dubai total in the second chukker.   Once again, UAE was limited to a single goal.  Dubai began to show their dominance on the field as they rode off with a 5-2 lead after the first two chukkers of play.

Two more Dubai goals went unanswered in the third as the Dubai defense continued to shine.  At the end of the first half it was all Dubai, 7-2.

The two teams traded goals in the fourth.  Dubai added two goals while UAE had their biggest offensive chukker of the game with two goals.  Dubai continued to lead by five goals, 9-4.

For the first time all day UAE managed to outscore the dominating Dubai team.  Three UAE goals in the fifth chukker cut into the comfortable Dubai lead, but not by much.  Two more Dubai scores kept Cambiaso and company in the lead, 11-7.

Single goals were scored by each team in the final seven minutes of the game.  Dubai celebrated the 12-8 win in a game that they dominated from the opening throw-in.  UAE had finished their first Queens Cup campaign with a respectable 3-1 record.

The victory boosts Dubai into Wednesday’s semifinals against the winner of Sunday’s Zacara vs. Les Lions match while UAE will have to watch from the sidelines and prepare for the British Open.

EL REMANSO 12, BLACK BEARS 11

El Remanso (Ali Patterson, George Hanbury, Pelon Stirling and Guillermo Terrera) and Black Bears (Guy Schwarzenbach, Nachi du Plessis, John Paul Clarkin and Patrick O’Dwyer) started the second Queens Cup quarterfinal of the day on an even keel.  Each team came up with a pair of first chukker goals for a 2-2 tie.

The two teams continued to play aggressively through the second period.  Two more goals from each side kept it all even at 4-4 at the end of the chukker.

El Remanso took the gloves off in the third.  Four consecutive goals were scored by El Remanso as the Black Bears searched for an offensive response.  At the end of the first half, El Remanso held a four goals lead, 8-4.

Black Bears regrouped and returned to the field in the fourth with a new focus.  Black Bears outscored El Remanso 4-3 in the fourth chukker, cutting the lead to three goals, 11-8.  El Remanso, however, remained in control.

Black Bears had their best defensive chukker of the day in the fifth.  Although they only managed one goal offensively, for the first time all afternoon they held El Remanso scoreless.  The El Remanso lead now stood at two goals, 11-9, with one chukker left to play.

The Black Bears continued to press the attack into the sixth chukker, cutting the lead to a single goal, 11-10.  El Remanso responded in kind, and held it together enough to ride off with the 12-11 win and a date in the semifinals on Wednesday at 5pm with the winner of the Cortium vs. Talandracas game.