polo match

North America, Polo News

Dundas Defeats Dundas II to Capture Title in Limited Edition 12-Goal

16. February 2021

By: Rebecca Baldridge
Photos by: ChukkerTV

WELLINGTON, FL, February 15, 2021— Dundas defeated Dundas II by 11-9 on Sunday to capture the Limited Edition 12-Goal title.

Dundas (Sarah Magness, Hugo Taylor, Mariano Fassetta, and Robertito Zedda) faced off against Dundas II (Cable Magness, Juan Cruz Marcos, Geronimo Obregon, and Juan Martin Obregon) at Jan Pamela Farm yesterday in the Limited Edition 12-Goal final.

The road to the championship was slightly more complicated this year as La Portola, Dundas, and Dundas II were tied after the semifinal with two wins and one loss each. Following a shoot out, Dundas II and La Portola were set to meet on Sunday, but due to scheduling difficulties La Portola was forced to forfeit and cede their place to Dundas. With a team handicap of 12 compared to 13 for Dundas II, Dundas started the match with one goal on the board.

Play was open and fast from the beginning of the first chukker, with both teams playing above their handicaps. After two and a half minutes of solid running, Sarah Magness of Dundas converted a Penalty 2 for the first goal of the day. Juan Martin Obregon knocked in the first goal from the field for Dundas II, while Sarah followed up with another successful penalty shot to end the chukker with Dundas in the lead at 3-1.

Juan Martin Obregon took the ball to goal at the very beginning of the second chukker, and at the bowl-in Geronimo took control of the ball and, five lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, made an easy hit between the posts. Juan Cruz Marcos put Dundas II into the lead after taking the ball to the goal on the near side. Sarah Magness tied it up with a Penalty 2 conversion, and Hugo Taylor tapped in a loose ball to put Dundas back in the lead by 1. Dundas was frustrated in the third chukker and couldn’t get on the board, while Geronimo Obregon scored to end the half with both teams tied at 5.

Dundas was awarded a goal on penalty at the beginning of the fourth chukker, and Sarah Magness followed up with another successful penalty shot, her fourth of the day. Hugo Taylor scored from the field, putting Dundas ahead 8-5. Juan Martin Obregon converted on a Penalty 4 with an impressively lofted shot to cut the lead to two goals.

With 5:15 left to play, Hugo Taylor picked up the loose ball and carried it through the posts to put Dundas in the lead 9-6. Another penalty conversion by Juan Martin Obregon and a big goal from Geronimo drew Dundas II into stricking distance with the chukker ending 9-8. Juan Martin Obregon tied the game at 9-9 early in the sixth chukker but the Dundas II defense wasn’t able to keep Dundas from scoring. Goals by Mariano Fassetta and Hugo Taylor sealed an 11-9 win for Dundas.

Robertito Zedda, controlling the game from the number four position, was the Most Valuable Player while Dolfina Secuaz, owned by J5 Equestrian and played by Zedda in the fifth chukker, was the Best Playing Pony.

By: Rebecca Baldridge Photos by: ChukkerTV WELLINGTON, FL, February 15, 2021— Dundas defeated Dundas II by 11-9 on Sunday to capture the Limited Edition 12-Goal title. Dundas (Sarah Magness, Hugo…

Europe, Polo News

Les Lions / Great Oaks find Cartier Queen’s Cup glory with a golden goal

12. November 2020

Dillon Bacon’s team, which had produced some wonderful team polo over three weeks in late summer, once again brought their impressive style of polo to the Queen’s Ground at Guards Polo Club to win this coveted cup. They beat Andrey Borodin’s Park Place 9-8 in a sudden-death, seventh chukka.

Dillon, who was later named the Cartier Most Valuable Player, was thrilled with this win, describing it as a “dream come true”. Talking to Ebe Sievwright of Polocam TV after the game he said: ”I have dreamed of winning The Queen’s Cup ever since I came [to Guards Polo Club] with my father as a young kid. You see this level of polo – the players, the horses, the field – and you dream of being on that field and winning – so it really is a dream come true.”

Park Place, who received a goal on handicap, were in their third successive Cartier Queen’s Cup Final but struggled to find their form in the first half of this match. Les Lions/Great Oaks had clearly done their homework and were successful in preventing Facundo Pieres in particular from making his trademark, fast runs to goal. The winners were 8-5 ahead going into the final chukka, not least thanks to Barto Castagnola making the most of any space and younger brother Jeta firing through penalties with ease.

All credit to Park Place though, who never gave up hope. They had the horsepower and the experience and so when Will Harper fired through an equalizer 8-8 in the final moments of the sixth chukka, extra time was inevitable, and Park Place were very much back in contention. Both sides then had chances in this extra, seventh chukka before Jeta blasted though the winner for Les Lions/Great Oaks.

It was a shame that such a wonderful final had to be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic that was sweeping the world in 2020. Although the Club did ensure that every moment of every match – some 30 games – was filmed by Polocam TV so that members and polo lovers around the world could still watch 22-goal polo at its absolute best.

The absence of spectators also meant the absence of Cartier’s always impressive hospitality. Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier UK, title sponsor of this tournament since 2012, could not attend as he was self-isolating at home due to an overseas trip but did send a message to all the finalists. “It has been incredible to see such powerful games played by some of the very best polo players in the world, during this year’s Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo, despite the unprecedented turn of events this year. I am truly inspired by the resilience and talent of these wonderful players capturing the true essence and spirit of the sport.”

Although Cartier did make sure that all the players headed home with some impressive prizes, including Cartier Tank watches to the winners. One prize was the coveted Cartier Best Playing Pony prize, which this year went to the stallion Chalo Angelo. This magnificent horse was bred by Lolo Castagnola, who won the Queen’s Cup himself in 2003 when playing with the Dubai polo team and played by both of his sons in this final – Barto in the second and fifth chukkas and Jeta during that all-important extra time.

Despite the difficulties the pandemic has caused to the global polo community, 10 top teams had entered this year’s Cartier Queen’s Cup tournament and earlier in the day Brian Stein, Chairman of Guards Polo Club, presented Alessandro Bazzoni of the Monterosso Polo Team with the Cartier Trophy.

This was the first time in the history of the competition that a Cartier Queen’s Cup match has been played between a husband and a wife. Alessandro was competing in this tournament for the fourth time while his wife Siri was making her Cartier Queen’s Cup debut with her MT Vikings squad. This was another close game, played over six chukkas, with Monterosso just stealing a 6-5 win in the final chukka. Alessandro was rewarded with the Cartier Most Valuable Player prize as well as heading home with the Cartier Trophy.

Ranking:

1^st place
Les Lions/Great Oaks (+23)
Camilo (Jeta) Castagnola (+7)
Dillon Bacon (+2)
Bartolome Castagnola Jnr (+8)
Santiago Laborde (+6)

2^nd place
Park Place (+22)
Andrey Borodin (0)
Will Harper (+3)
Gonzalo Pieres (+9)
Facundo Pieres (+10)

3^rd place
Monterosso Polo Team (+22)
Alessandro Bazzoni (+1)
Guillermo Terrera (+7)
Ignacio Toccalino (+8)
Jeronimo del Carril (+6)

4^th place
MT Vikings (+22)
Siri Evjemo-Nysveen (0)
James Beim (+7)
Sebastian Merlos (+8)
Juan Martin Zubia (+7)

Images: © Images of Polo

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”1107″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]www.guardspoloclub.com

Dillon Bacon’s team, which had produced some wonderful team polo over three weeks in late summer, once again brought their impressive style of polo to the Queen’s Ground at Guards…

Europe, Polo News

Silver Cup – the quirky surprise: Coupe d’Argent Diane Barrière Desseigne

18. August 2020

Maison Décalé (Quirly House), an essentially French team, were not really the favorites for this Silver Cup. Composed of three French players and an Argentinian who partly grew up in France (Ramiro Zavaleta, h4, is also bilingual), this close-knit team came up with a string of surprises.

It started with the victory over Talandracas last Thursday which allowed them to advance to the penalty play-off and then to the final where they would face the impressive Spanish team Marqués de Riscal and its two Argentinian stars, the 8-goaler Alejandro Muzzio and the 7-goaler Santiago Cernadas alongside two amateurs playing „very strong“, the Aznar father and son. In short, a big piece for the „little ones“ of Maison Décalé. But obviously, the victory over Talandracas had given wings to the young Thomas Rolland (best man of the match) and his acolytes. A united game, not giving up, with an impeccable back (Ramiro Zavaleta), a perfect organizer (Pierre-Henri Ngoumou, h6 and scorer of 5 goals) and a decisive Édouard Pan in the key moments.

It was a Hitchcock-style match scenario where neither team ever gave up, making it a blow for blow, so much so that at the end of regular time the score was still undecided: 9 – 9 and overtime! Pierre-Henri Ngoumou put an end to the suspense until the end with a third goal with a mare named Vaivia: „Basically, we are four friends which makes it easier to get along on the field,“ he explained. “I played with Édouard (Pan) at the beginning of the season, I had already won the Gold Cup with Ramiro (Zavaleta) here a few years ago. This team got organized very quickly, we were still in La Baule last week. After losing the first game against Barrière, we got back on track after a comeback against Talandracas, who had dominated us for a good half of the match. It was a structuring victory for the team. We then started to believe in it and we‘re winning today and it‘s always a joy to win here in Deauville“.

The first match between Barrière and Taladrancas will be played on Tuesday. A double for Maison Décalé? Why not?

Maison Décalé: Thomas Rolland (FRA, h2, 3 goals), Édouard Pan (FRA, h4, 2 goals), Pierre Henri Ngoumou (FRA, h6, 5 goals) and Ramiro Zavaleta (ARG, h4)
Marqués de Riscal: Luis Aznar (ESP, h1, ), Santiago Cernadas (ARG, h7.4 goals), Alejandro Muzzio (ARG, h8, 4 goals) and Alejandro Aznar (ESP, h0, 1 goal)
Best playing poney: British, 11 year-olds mare bred, owned and played by Alejandro Muzzio, dark bay by Theol and Franganzia.

www.deauvillepoloclub.com