Guards Polo Club

Cartier Queen’s Cup Final 
Great Oaks LL 9 – 8 Park Place Vaara The Queen’s Ground  

Cartier Trophy
King Power 9 – 7 UAE Polo Team The Duke’s Ground 

Following four weeks of world-class competition, the final of the Cartier Queen’s Cup was finally underway on Sunday between Dillon Bacon’s Great Oaks LL and Andrey Borodin’s Park Place Vaara on the famed Queen’s Ground at Guards Polo Club. The highly anticipated final featured Park Place Vaara in search of their organisation’s first title after reaching the final on three of the past four seasons, against Great Oaks LL, looking to reclaim the title they won in 2020. 

Setting the tone early from the field, Park Place Vaara’s Hilario Ulloa launched the ball from 60 yards out to score just seconds into the game. This initiated a strong first chukka where Park Place Vaara took a 3-0 lead, completed by a Penalty 2 from Juan Britos. With time running out in the opening chukka, Cruz Heguy completed a breakaway run to keep Great Oaks LL within reach, trailing 3-1. That field goal would prove to be Great Oaks LL’s only one of the first half as both defences provided few opportunities in a tightly marked match. 

Receiving a pass from Britos at midfield, Ulloa’s second goal pushed Park Place Vaara further ahead in the second chukka, but penalty goals accounted for the rest of the attacking play, with Britos and Heguy exchanging penalty conversions to leave Park Place Vaara ahead 5-3 at half-time. 

Field goals continued to be difficult to come by as neither team found the goal for the second consecutive chukka with one penalty tally for each team. Park Place Vaara’s combined effort defensively allowed them to maintain their two-goal advantage into the sixth chukka, seemingly leaving them just seven minutes from victory. Stealing the ball from a knock-in, Britos fought his way to goal and was fouled just steps from the post, knocking in a Penalty 2 to put Park Place Vaara ahead by three and bring the Cartier Queen’s Cup title within their reach. Time ticked down to inside the final four minutes when Juan Martin Nero scored from distance for, incredibly, the first Great Oaks LL field goal since the opening chukka. Scoring his second goal shortly after, Nero brought Great Oaks LL within one with just over one minute remaining in what was now a thrilling conclusion. Working the ball down the right side, Nero hit a neckshot across goal and with a quick turn of his horse, Heguy gained possession and found the goal to send this match into overtime. 

Stunned by the late comeback from Great Oaks LL, Park Place Vaara found the first opportunity in overtime, receiving a Penalty 4 to win the game and the title. However this ball was hit short, ensuring this nail-biting match continued. Hitting a long ball from midfield, Nero sent James Beim racing towards goal under pressure from Britos. Winning the ride-off, Beim picked up the ball on the nearside and ran it through the goal, ensuring Great Oaks would win this epic final 9-8.

Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier UK, sponsors of this 22-goal tournament since 2012, presented the trophy to Dillon Bacon. Juan Martin Nero, thanks to his brilliant play to turn this match around, was named the Cartier Most Valuable Player, while Hilario Ulloa stepped forward to receive the Cartier Most Valuable Player prize for Lucinda Ambar. This pony had also been recognised with a similar award in Park Place Vaara’s semi-final match. 

Earlier in the day the UAE Polo Team, featuring Lucas Monteverde Jnr for the first time this season, faced King Power on The Duke’s Ground to determine the winner of the subsidiary Cartier Trophy. Initiating a dominant first half for King Power, back-to-back goals from Mackenzie Weisz and Nicolas Pieres were briefly interrupted by a successful drive from UAE Polo Team’s Bartolome Castagnola Jnr. However, the first half continued to belong to King Power as Pieres took over play from the field scoring four goals in the first three chukkas of play, including the only penalty conversion of the match. With Pieres leading a six-goal run, contributions from teammates Weisz and James Harper saw King Power firmly in control of the match to take a commanding 8-1 lead at the break. Finding their first defensive successes in the early stages of the second half, UAE Polo Team were able to hold King Power’s potent field attack to just one goal off the mallet of Pieres as they began to mount a comeback. An early goal in the fourth chukka from Tomas Beresford kick-started the re-surgency of Castagnola Jnr, scoring four second half goals on seven shot attempts. UAE Polo Team managed to bring themselves within two, but two crucial missed penalty opportunities and their substantial first half deficit was ultimately too much to overcome, as King Power held on to take the Cartier Trophy 9-7. Mackenzie Weisz was named the Cartier Most Valuable Player in this subsidiary final.

Great Oaks 
James Beim (6)
Dillon Bacon (2)
Juan Martin Nero (9)
Cruz Heguy (5) 

Park Place Vaara
Josh Hyde (0)
Juan Britos (8)
Hilario Ulloa (10)

Santos Merlos (4)

King Power
Beltran di Paola (1)
Mackenzie Weisz (5)
Niolas Pieres (9)
James Harper (7)

UAE Polo Team
HH Sheikha Maitha (0)
Lucas Monteverde Jnr (6)
Bartolome Castagnola Jnr (9)
Tomas Beresford (7)

Photos by IMAGES OF POLO

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Great Oaks LL 9 – 5 Park Place The Duke’s Ground 
Park Place Vaara 10 – 9 La Magdeleine The Queen’s Ground

Four teams entered Wednesday’s semi-finals of the Cartier Queen’s Cup with hopes to seal their spot in Sunday’s final. The opening match on The Duke’s Ground featured Park Place, led by the firepower of 10-goaler Facundo Pieres, versus Great Oaks LL, who were looking to recapture the title they held just two years earlier. A consistent source of attacking play from the penalty line throughout the tournament, Great Oaks LL’s Cruz Heguy, who was later named Cartier Most Valuable Player, struck first from the 40-yard line, followed by a second penalty off the mallet of Juan Martin Nero to take advantage of Park Place’s early foul troubles and seize a two-goal lead. Blanking Park Place in a second consecutive chukka, Heguy, and Nero each found the goal once more to increase their lead to four. Missing two penalty attempts in the first half of play, eight shots on goal from the field for Park Place finally led to their first goal of the match from Facundo Pieres. However, the first half story was the dominant defensive effort from Great Oaks LL, whose tournament-best defence held the strong Park Place attack to just one goal and take a 4-1 lead into half-time. Finally finding an attacking rhythm in the later stages of the fourth chukka, Pieres and Francisco Elizalde combined for three-goals in open play, but further foul trouble prevented Park Place from pulling even on the scoreboard. Two penalty conversions from Heguy, along with a drive from James Beim from the field extended Great Oaks LL’s lead 7-5. Providing a final defensive stand in the sixth chukka, Great Oaks LL successfully kept Park Place off the scoreboard for the third time in the contest. Adding an additional two goals, Heguy finished his day with six goals, including three from the penalty line to confirm Great Oaks LL’s 9-5 victory, receive the Hubert Perrodo Trophy from Laurent Feniou of Cartier UK and Carrie Perrodo and send Dillon Bacon’s team back to the final. Nero’s OSA, whom he had played in the second and sixth chukkas, was named the Cartier Best Playing Pony. 

Moving to the historic Queen’s Ground, the second team of the Park Place organisation sought their place final against a La Magdeleine team that has been led by tournament stand-out Pablo MacDonough. The most proficient team in open play, Park Place Vaara quickly asserted their fast style of play in the opening chukka with Hilario Ulloa scoring two goals, while La Magdeleine were held scoreless over the opening seven minutes of play. However, MacDonough responded with two goals of his own. Evident that a close back-and-forth game was going to decide this match, Ulloa added two more field goals to restore his team’s two-goal advantage. These players continued to lead their respective teams into the end of the half, with Ulloa contributing on all five first half goals with an assist to Joshua Hyde, while La Magdeleine inched within one goal after MacDonough’s third tally and a field goal from Min Podesta, who was later named the Most Valuable Player in this match. The low-fouling game resulted in a thrilling match and end-to-end action with Park Place Vaara scoring all their goals from open play. The few fouls Park Place Vaara did commit resulted in penalty goals for La Magdeleine. A combined team effort out of the half-time break saw Ulloa, Hyde and Juan Britos score a goal each during a strong fourth chukka to extend their lead to three. Active in the #1 position, Hyde broke through once more to provide some breathing room and give Park Place Vaara a 10-6 advantage with time beginning to run out for La Magdeleine. However, Park Place Vaara found themselves in foul trouble in the final minutes, conceding two penalty goals to MacDonough. Running nearly the length of the field, MacDonough’s third goal of the chukka suddenly brought La Magdeleine within one with two minutes left on the clock. Thwarting multiple attempts from La Magdeleine to run downfield, Park Place Vaara held off this late comeback to receive the Kerry Packer Trophy from Laurent Feniou and Ben Barham, Kerry Packer’s grandson, and claim their spot in Sunday’s final against Great Oaks LL. Ulloa received the Cartier Best Playing Pony prize for Lavinia Ambar, whom he had played in the first and fifth chukkas. 

Sunday’s Finals

11am: Teams TBC for the Cartier Trophy (sub final) on The Duke’s Ground
3:30 pm: Great Oaks LL vs Park Place Vaara on The Queen’s Ground

All games are being livestreamed by Guards TV in association with Polocam TV. Go to https://guards.polocam.tv/package

Photos by IMAGES OF POLO

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La Magdeleine 11 – 8 Scone Polo Zacara
Park Place Vaara 11 – 9 King Power The Duke’s Ground 

With two spots remaining for Wednesday’s Cartier Queen’s Cup semi-finals still up for grabs, an undefeated Scone Polo began Sunday’s action at Zacara against the 2-2 La Magdeleine. Alexandre Garese’s La Magdeleine struck first, blanking Scone Polo from the scoreboard while posting back-to-back goals from Min Podesta and Pablo MacDonough. Mounting a response for Scone Polo in the second chukka, goals from Adolfo Cambiaso Snr in the field and Poroto Cambiaso from the penalty line brought the match back level 2-2, only to be answered once more by MacDonough and Podesta. Scone Polo found themselves in a similar situation to the previous chukka and again relied on the Cambiaso duo. They contributed one more goal each, including a Penalty 1 for Adolfo to tie the match at 4-4 entering half-time. Creating some much-needed separation in the fourth chukka Ollie Cudmore initiated the scoring for La Magdeleine, to be followed by two goals from MacDonough from both the field and 30-yard line. La Magdeleine’s defence was an emerging storyline as Scone Polo would score just two goals from the field on 12 shots, putting immense pressure on Scone’s penalty taking to keep pace in the second half. Two crucial penalty conversions from the Cambiasos brought Scone Polo back to within two goals, but it was short-lived as La Magdeleine’s success in open play resulted in goals from Podesta and MacDonough to put La Magdeleine ahead 10-6. Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso made one last push for a final chukka comeback that included Adolfo’s third penalty conversion of the match but despite these efforts, Podesta’s fifth goal in one of his best performances of the season sealed an 11-8 victory and guaranteed La Magdeleine’s place in Wednesday’s semi-finals.

With one of Andrey Borodin’s Park Place teams already in the semis, his second team, Park Place Vaara were looking to claim the final spot in a match against King Power on The Duke’s Ground. Executing a flawless knock-in, King Power opened the scoring as Mackenzie Weisz fought off Hilario Ulloa to run the ball through the goal. Park Place Vaara responded with consecutive goals from Ulloa and Juan Britos to hold a narrow 2-1 lead. Returning to the King Power line-up for the first time in three games, Nico Pieres brought King Power back to even in a match that was continuing to go back and forth. James Harper kickstarted a run for King Power with consecutive goals in a fast-paced second chukka to inch King Power ahead by one. It was evident though that these two teams were closely matched as Park Place Vaara erased the deficit in the third chukka to tie the game at 6-all. After feeling unwell at the start of the fourth, Britos then stepped up for Park Place Vaara, firing through two goals, including a nice cut shot to hold a two-goal advantage. Their defence stood strong too, keeping King Power off the scoreboard. However, Park Place Vaara’s lead evaporated after Weisz impressively ran a throw-in straight to goal and Pieres successfully fought through multiple defenders as one chukka remained to determine the last semi-finalist. A missed Penalty 4 from King Power opened the door for Park Place Vaara, with Britos scoring from distance and then drawing a foul in front of goal to add a penalty conversion. With just three minutes left, King Power charged down the field but Park Place Vaara produced some strong defensive play, including a backhand from Santos Merlos off the goal line, to secure a hard-fought, 11-9 victory and claim the fourth and final spot for Wednesday’s semi-finals. 

Wednesday’s Semifinal Fixtures 

12:00 pm – Park Place vs Great Oaks LL at Guards Polo Club. The winner of this game will receive the Hubert Perrodo Trophy.
4:00 pm – La Magdeleine vs Park Place Vaara at Guards Polo Club. The winner of this game will receive the Kerry Packer Trophy. 

All games are being livestreamed by Guards TV in association with Polocam TV. Go to https://guards.polocam.tv/package

Photos by IMAGES OF POLO

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Park Place 16 – 15 Dubai Polo Team   Les Lions
Great Oaks LL 12 – 10 UAE Polo Team    The Princes’ Ground for the Platinum Jubilee Trophy

Kicking-off today’s quarter-final action in the Cartier Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club was an undefeated Dubai Polo Team in action against a 2-2 Park Place team that only secured their place after a thrilling penalty shootout on Wednesday evening. This match quickly established itself as a high-scoring affair as these two teams traded goals to open the first chukka of play, with contributions from Park Place’s Francisco Elizalde and Facundo Pieres to be matched by Dubai Polo Team’s Camilo Castagnola on back-to-back drives from the field. Holding Dubai Polo Team to just one goal off the stick of Guillermo Terrera, Park Place’s high-octane, attacking play seized control of the second chukka to score five unanswered goals, including three from Pieres to secure an early four goal advantage. Despite a brief refuge from Park Place’s scoring onslaught from Castagnola at the penalty line, Park Place continued to apply pressure, with Andrey Borodin getting in on the action as another run of three goals gave Park Place a firm 10-5 lead at half-time. Regrouping in time for the fourth chukka, Dubai Polo Team emerged out of the break with a spectacular fourth chukka from Castagnola, who produced a five-goal individual run, taking advantage of Park Place’s foul troubles to score three of his five goals from the penalty line. Tied for the first time since the first chukka at 10-all, Castagnola continued his dominant play from the line with two more conversions, only to be matched once again by Elizalde and Pieres. These teams could not be more evenly matched, delivering an exhilarating quarter-final and entering the final chukka tied at 12-12. Both teams continued to score at an electric pace, with the battle continuing until the final bell. A Dubai Polo Team foul sent Pieres to the 40-yard line with a chance to win the game. Incredibly this penalty sailed wide with 20 seconds left. Overtime now seemed certain. A broken knock-in from Dubai Polo Team was jumped on by Park Place and Pieres was given a second opportunity to win the match. This time Pieres tapped through the penalty to confirm a 16-15 victory for Park Place and their ticket to the- semi-finals. 

Turning to the Princes’ Ground for the second quarter-final, Great Oaks LL faced the reigning Queen’s Cup champions UAE Polo Team. Both teams came into this match with 3-1 records. Early goals from UAE Polo Team’s Tomas Beresford were equalled by a team effort from Great Oaks LL’s Cruz Heguy from the line and James Beim in the field in what was surely going to be close contest. Continuing to exchange goals, neither team could build a significant lead as Beresford’s four goals accounted for all of UAE Polo Team’s attacks on goal in the first half. However, it was a final conversion from Heguy on the 30-yard line that kept Great Oaks LL ahead 5-4 entering the half-time break. The back-and-forth match carried into the second half with UAE Polo Team striking first with Beresford delivering some strong, attacking play. Team-mate Bartolome Castagnola Jnr found his first goal of the match to bring the game even at 7-all. Castagnola stuck once more for UAE Polo Team in the fifth, but three fouls committed in the chukka allowed Heguy to convert twice more from the line and turn the momentum back in Great Oaks LL’s favour. Conceding seven penalty goals to Great Oaks LL on 13 fouls proved to be detrimental to UAE Polo Team’s title defence. Unable to score in the final chukka, UAE Polo Team conceded three more goals to Heguy as he finished with a game-high nine goals to secure the 12-10 victory and ensure a new champion will be crowned in the Cartier Queen’s Cup Final on Sunday 12 June. Dillon Bacon had to leave immediately after the game and so Great Oaks LL team-mate Juan Martin Nero stepped forward to receive the Platinum Jubilee Trophy, especially created by Guards Polo Club to honour HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which was being celebrated across the country this weekend. 

Sunday’s Quarter-Final Fixtures 

12:00 pm – Scone Polo vs La Magdeleine at Zacara
3:00 pm – King Power vs Park Place Vaara on The Duke’s Ground. The winner of this match will receive the Gerard Leigh Trophy

All games are being livestreamed by Guards TV in association with Polocam TV. Go to https://guards.polocam.tv/package

Photos by IMAGES OF POLO

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Scone Polo 9 – 8 Vikings The Castle Ground 
Great Oaks LL 13 – 7 Park Place The Princes’ Ground

The final day of league play in the Cartier Queen’s Cup kicked off with Scone Polo, looking to enter the quarter-finals with an undefeated 4-0 record, in action against Vikings, who were in need of a victory to reach a penalty shootout. Assembling on the Castle Ground, Rosendo Torreguitar initiated a strong first half effort from Scone Polo, receiving a pass from Adolfo Cambiaso and hitting a neckshot through the goal just 15 seconds into play. Vikings mounted a response due to the exceptional play of Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, who converted both her shots in the first and second chukkas. Turning to young Poroto Cambiaso, Scone Polo’s young talent scored two penalty goals while adding a third goal off a pass from father Adolfo to put his team ahead by one. A back-and-forth first half concluded with the teams tied at 5-all as Vikings continued to use Evjemo-Nysveen at the front of the game as she added her third goal on perfect shooting to highlight Vikings’ attack entering the half-time break. The father-son Cambiaso duo took over in the fourth chukka, combining for three goals while holding Vikings scoreless to instantly change the dynamic of the match and put Scone Polo firmly ahead with two chukkas remaining. Striking again, Adolfo found Poroto for a fourth consecutive goal as time began running out for Vikings to generate a comeback. Increasing the pressure in the final minutes, Mark Tomlinson found the goal on two different occasions to help Vikings pull back within one with just under four minutes still left on the clock. Withstanding a final run from Evjemo-Nysveen, Scone Polo held on for the 9-8 victory and joining Dubai Polo Team as the only teams with a perfect 4-0 record. 

Reconvening on The Princes’ Ground for the last of 30 league matches, Great Oaks LL and Park Place met in a match with everything on the line. Holding 2-1 records, the victor would immediately enter the quarter-finals, while the loser would join the evening’s penalty shootout to advance. A fast, open match featured two attacking teams going shot for shot in the early stages. Facundo Pieres and Fran Elizalde added one goal each for Park Place, while Great Oaks LL’s duo of Cruz Heguy and Dillon Bacon answered with goals of their own for a 2-2 score. Great Oaks LL’s Juan Martin Nero broke the stalemate in the second chukka with Great Oaks LL yet to miss a shot through two chukkas of play. On the other side, Park Place struggled to convert their scoring opportunities in the first half, shooting just 33% as their deficit grew to two by halftime, with Bacon and Heguy striking once again for a 6-4 lead. Attempting to seal their ticket into the quarter-finals, a crucial fourth chukka set the tone for the remainder of the match. Park Place was kept off the scoreboard, while Nero and James Beim combined for two goals in a well-rounded team effort from Great Oaks LL. Limited to just one field goal throughout the entire second half, Park Place entered the sixth chukka trailing by four and despite two penalty conversions for Pieres, they fell short in challenging a Great Oaks LL team that shot an accurate 65% on 17 shots to claim this important 13-7 victory and secure their place in the weekend’s quarter-finals.

A shootout was contested shortly after the final game between Park Place, La Magdeleine and Monterosso with two places up for grabs in the quarter-finals. Showcasing exceptional accuracy, Park Place’s Facundo Pieres and La Magdeleine’s Pablo MacDonough advanced, while Monterosso was eliminated from the competition.

Saturday’s Quarter Final Fixtures 

12:00 pm – Dubai Polo Team vs Park Place at TBC
3:00 pm – Great Oaks LL vs La Magdeleine at TBC. 

The winners of this 3pm game will receive the Platinum Jubilee Trophy, created specifically by Guards Polo Club to honour HM The Queen’s 70 years on the throne. 

All games are being livestreamed by Guards TV in association with Polocam TV. Go to https://guards.polocam.tv/package

Photos by IMAGES OF POLO

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UAE Polo Team 12 – 8 Marques de Riscal Manor Farm
King Power 12 – 10 Monterosso     Noel Farm 

A crucial day for three 2-1 teams looking to secure their place in the Cartier Queen’s Cup quarter-finals. Play began with UAE Polo Team facing Marques de Riscal at Manor Farm. The opening chukka proved to be a display of skill from Bartolome Castagnola Jnr as he scored all three goals for UAE thanks to perfect shooting from the field and a Penalty 2 conversion. Holding an early 3-1 lead, UAE Polo Team looked to have the momentum in their favour, but Marques de Riscal produced a strong end to the first half against the defending champions, scoring four of the final five goals. In search of their first victory, Guillermo (Sapo) Caset led the charge with three goals during this stretch, while UAE Polo Team were limited to just one shot in the third chukka, trailing 5-4 at half-time. A foul-ridden fourth chukka resulted in the two teams exchanging penalty conversions, including a Penalty 3 for Louis Aznar, substituting for Alejandro Aznar for Marques de Riscal. Still behind by one, UAE Polo Team stepped up the pressure, forcing Marques de Riscal into two more fouls that ultimately led to penalty goals from the sticks of Castagnola and Tomas Beresford. The latter was the catalyst in the fifth chukka, Beresford adding a goal and an assist from the field to push UAE Polo Team ahead by three. With a UAE victory in doubt at half-time, Sheikha Maitha’s team finished this game with an 8-1 run to deliver a 12-8 win and a place in this weekend’s quarter-finals. 

The second match of the day featured 2-1 King Power against 2-1 Monterosso, with the game holding heavy implications for advancing in the tournament. Fighting for the victory, a back-and-forth game ensued, coming down to the final chukka to determine the winner. Monterosso received a boost with 9-goaler David (Pelon) Stirling returning to the line-up, along with Diego Cavanagh replacing Ignacio Toccalino. The rain poured, making for difficult conditions, but Stirling wasted little time in scoring his first goal after Matias Gonzalez stole the ball and set up Stirling on a run to goal. Stepping into the King Power line-up for a second time, Pablo MacDonough highlighted a strong response from King Power; they would score five consecutive goals over the first and second chukkas to take a commanding lead. However, in a game full of alternating momentum, Cavanagh brought Monterosso back in contention from the penalty line where he converted three opportunities and helped his team pull even at 6-all at half-time. Monterosso struck first in the second half with consecutive goals from Alessandro Bazzoni and Cavanagh to hold a narrow lead. However, a resilient King Power battled back in the fifth, completed by a long pass from MacDonough that was carried through the goal by Top Srivaddhanaprabha. Deadlocked at 9-all and a spot in the quarter-finals on the line, Mackenzie Weisz stole the ball in front of goal to score his fifth goal of the day to put King Power ahead by one. Quickly followed by a Penalty 2 conversion from MacDonough, King Power claimed a hard-fought 12-10 victory to improve to 3-1 and join UAE Polo Team at the top of League Two. 

Wednesday’s Fixtures 

12:00 pm – Scone Polo vs Vikings (ground TBC) 
3:00 pm – Great Oaks LL vs Park Place on The Princes’ Ground

All games are being livestreamed by Guards TV in association with Polocam TV. Go to https://guards.polocam.tv/package

Photos by IMAGES OF POLO

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