The Queen’s Ground, Guards Polo Club’s main field, is set and ready to host the championship match of one of the most significative tournaments of the international calendar, The Queen’s Cup, on Sunday June 16. La Dolfina Great Oaks and Talandracas will clash for the coveted trophy, established in 1960, as a tribute to the then monarch of the United Kingdom, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A record of nineteen teams have taken part of the Queen’s Cup, in a display of first class, high level polo, with many contests decided either in the last chukka or even in OT. And out of those nineteen lineups, two remained to battle for the coveted trophy – La Dolfina Great Oaks and Talandracas.
As in the past season in Palm Beach, La Dolfina made their debut in the English high goal, with two teams, La Dolfina Scone (with Adolfo Cambiaso and his daughter, Mia), and La Dolfina Scone, with Poroto Cambiaso. The latter joined forces with Dillon Bacon’s organisation, Great Oaks. “I felt very well playing with La Dolfina Great Oaks. I’ve been with La Dolfina, in Argentina for the last ten years and I feel very comfortable with them. I never played for Great Oaks, but I can tell you they are a very impressive organisation with a fantastic infraestructure in England. And Dillon Bacon plays very well”, Diego Cavanagh told PoloLine. Diego, one of the key pieces within the team, will play his very first Queen’s Cup final.
Dillon Bacon is no stranger to the Queen’s Cup. He won the tournament twice, with his own Great Oaks – in 2020, in a lineup that included the two Castagnola brothers (Barto and Jeta), and 2022, with Juanma Nero, Cruz Heguy and James Beim. This means that Dillon will aim to claim the contest for the third time.
La Dolfina Great Oaks (Dillon Bacon 2, Kian Hall 3, Diego Cavanagh 8, Poroto Cambiaso 9), didn’t have a good start in the Queen’s Cup – they lost to Dubai in their debut match. But they managed to bounce back, as Diego points out: “Dubai beat us in the first game, so after that defeat we were well aware that the three next matches would be three finals. And all of them were very tough; we played under a lot of pressure because if we knew if we lost one game, we could be out”. But they suceeded and reached the quarter finals to play against the brother lineup, La Dolfina Scone, “a match we knew it would be hard, or I should say, special. That’s how I felt it, very hard and special”, Diego says,
It’s worth to notice that Poroto Cambiaso will play his first Queen’s Cup final, a tournament his father, Adolfo, claimed many times – nine, to be precise. Poroto already won the British Open, in 2020, with his father and Diego Cavanagh, as a member of Jean-Francois Decaux’s Next Generation. So, the Queen’s Cup could be Poroto’s momentum after an extraordinary season in Palm Beach with la Dolfina – he played the three finals of The Gauntlet of Polo, and won two – the USPA Gold Cup and the US Open.
With regards to Talandracas (Hugues Carmignac 0, Rosendo Torreguitar 5, Pablo Pieres 10, Alejandro Muzzio 7), everything is a bit different. They are still undefeated and the Carmingacs’ French-based team have two defending champions within the lineup, Alejandro Muzzio and Polito Pieres, who won the Queen’s Cup in 2023 with another French organisation, Murus Sanctus. “I am very happy to play this final again, now with Talandracas; I am very grateful to this organisation. They always encouraged me and gave me many opportunities thoroghout my career. I will enjoy this final a lot”, remarks Alejandro.
Talandracas arrived to the final unbeaten. How does it feel?
Indeed, we are unbeaten, but it was not that easy. We struggled to win two matches in extra chukka. Really, we saw remarkable games during the current Queen’s Cup; there were many great and competitive teams, and that meant that we had to go step by step and prepare good horse lists. Polo in England is wonderful, the quality of both horses and players is incredible.
“The Queen’s Cup had nineteen great teams, all of them with chances and, although we have a good organisation, we were well aware it wouldn’t be that easy. And that was it; the tournament was very hard, very tough. Yes, we are in the final, but we were very aware that we could have lost at any time, against any very competitive contender”, says Diego.
Like Dillon Bacon, Polito Pieres is no strange to the Queen’s Cup – he will play his third final in four years and he already claimed two titles: in 2021, with UAE and in 2023, with Murus Sanctus. And it seems Polito have a great deal of chance to win it again. He is playing at his best and he is very well supported by Alejandro Muzzio. “Polito always gives everything for the team, and he makes you feel good on the ground. I wish I could help him much more”, says Alejandro about his team mate.
What are your expectations for the final of the Queen’s Cup?
Alejandro: I think it will be very tough; La Dolfina Great Oaks is a great team, all of them play very well, and have a great deal of confidence. I hope it will be a nice game, a game to enjoy.
Diego: It will be a hard game, indeed. Talandracas is playing very well, the three professionals as well as Hughes Carmignac. We have to be very focused and concentrated if we want to win; in addition, they have Ale Muzzio and Polito Pieres, who are defending champions and they fit perfectly together. On a personal side, this is my first ever final of the Queen’s Cup, so I hope I can win, because I don’t know whether I will have another opportunity.
THE QUEEN’S CUP – FINAL – SUNDAY JUNE 16 3,30pm
THE QUEEN’S GROUND – GUARDS POLO CLUB
LA DOLFINA GREAT OAKS vs. TALANDRACAS
La Dolfina Great Oaks: Dillon Bacon 2, Kian Hall 3, Diego Cavanagh 8, Poroto Cambiaso 9. Total: 22.
Talandracas: Hugues Carmignac 0, Rosendo Torreguitar 5, Pablo Pieres 10, Alejandro Muzzio 7. Total 22.
Umpires: Howard Smith & Jason Dixon.
Third man: Peter Wright.
Cover photo, Diego Cavanagh (La Dolfina Great Oaks), by Pablo Ramírez.