Dubai and Park Place qualified for the final of the British Open Gold Cup, the apex of the British season, at Cowdray Park Polo Club, set in Midhurst, West Sussex. Both semifinals were rematches, with the contenders having clashed previously during the league stage. While Dubai beat Scone once again, Park Place made up for their previous loss against Talandracas. The tournament sees fourteen teams, up to 23 goals, compete.
Dubai and Scone clashed in the first semifinal. Scone played without Adolfo Cambiaso, who was subbed in by Juan Martín Nero. The match saw cousins Camilo “Jeta” Castagnola (Dubai) and Poroto Cambiaso (Scone) go head to head. Scone got off to a strong start, claiming a commanding 4-1 lead in the first chukka. But it was short-lived – Dubai replied quickly, putting pressure on their contenders to tie the following two chukkas. However, Scone bounced back to claim the lead in the fourth and fifth, stepping into the sixth chukka with a two goal advantage (9-7). But Dubai made an impressive comeback in the sixth to outscore Scone 4-2, tying the scoreboard 11-all by the end of the sixth and forcing the game into extra chukka. That was when the extraordinary Jeta Castagnola scored a fantastic goal to seal the deal and put Dubai in the final.
The second semifinal followed, Park Place took on Talandracas, where cousins Facundo Pieres (Park Place) and Polito Pieres (Talandracas) went head to head. In the league stage, on June 26, Edouard Carmignac’s team narrowly won the match against Park Place by 11 goals to 10. The result was similar in the semifinal. The match got off to a very tight first start. Park Place claimed the first chukka, the second was tied 4-all, and the third chukka went to Talandracas. The story changed in the fourth, when Park Place outscored their opponents 4-1 to take a 10-8 lead. Park Place maintained the lead for the rest of the game. At the start of the sixth, they were 12-9 up. Talandracas fought back, but their efforts didn’t pay off. Andrey Borodin’s team claimed the 13-10 win and secured a place in the final of the British Open Gold Cup.
BRITISH OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE COWDRAY GOLD CUP – SEMIFINALS – WEDNESDAY, JULY 13
DUBAI 12-11 SCONE (Ellerston Cup) OT
Dubai: Rashid Albwardy 1, Matt Perry 5 (3 goals), Camilo Castagnola 9 (5), Jerónimo del Carril 7 (4). Total: 22.
Scone: Luis Aznar 1*, Rosendo Torreguitar 4 (1 goal), Juan Martín Nero 9** (4), Adolfo Cambiaso Jr. 8 (6). Total: 22.
Score Dubai: 1-4, 4-4, 5-5, 5-6, 7-9, 11-11, 12-11.
Umpires: Jason Dixon & Tim Bown.
Third man: Julian Appleby.
*Subbed in for David Paradice (o).
**Subbed in forAdolfo Cambiaso (10).
PARK PLACE 13-10 TALANDRACAS (Tramontana Cup)
Park Place: Joshua Hyde 1, Louis Hine 4 (1 goal), Facundo Pieres 10 (7), Francisco Elizalde 8 (5). Total: 23.
Talandracas: Hughes Carmignac 0*, Alejandro Muzzio 7 (3 goals), Isidro Strada 6, Polito Pieres 9 (6). Total: 22.
Score Park Place: (0-1) 3-2, 4-4, 6-7, 10-8, 12-9, 13-10.
Umpires: Peter Wright & Ben Turner.
Third man: Howard Smith.
*Subbed in for Edouard Carmignac (0) in the second chukka.
Dubai and Park Place will go head-to-head in the final of the British Open Gold Cup on Sunday, July 17, at 3pm.
British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup – Fixture & Teams
IMAGES
Semifinal #2, Park Place vs. Talandracas