The Gold Cup for the British Open Polo Championship has been played in the strangest of summers, and it produced a very good final. On Sunday 26 July, at Cowdray Park in Midhurst, Next Generation beat Les Lions/Great Oaks 14-12 to win the King Power Gold Cup.
An unusual tournament
The tournament began on 1 July with eight teams, two of them making their Gold Cup debuts, and with modified rules that adhere to government regulations. It also had the highest number of British entrants in recent years, among them 18-year-old Will Harper from Midhurst. Because of English government restrictions the matches were played without spectators, which means the usual crowds on the lawns were missing.
The final
Les Lions/Great Oaks trailed 7-5 at half-time and mounted a late charge, but Next Generation held on. The team’s line-up included Adolfo Cambiaso and his son Poroto Cambiaso, together with Diego Cavanagh, who filled in for the injured David Stirling and finished as the top scorer of the match with seven goals. Next Generation converted all eight of their penalty shots, with Cavanagh scoring all three of his in the closing minutes.
Les Lions/Great Oaks fielded Bartolomé and Camilo Castagnola, Dillon Bacon and Santiago Laborde, who scored two goals from the number four position.
- Score: Next Generation 14, Les Lions/Great Oaks 12.
- Most Valuable Player: Adolfo Cambiaso.
- Best Playing Pony: Pintita, ridden by Poroto Cambiaso.
- Best Playing Patron Pony: Small Axe, ridden and owned by Dillon Bacon.
A family story
The sight of Adolfo Cambiaso playing alongside his son in a Gold Cup final is one of the great stories of the summer. Adolfo, the ten-goal veteran who has won nearly everything there is to win, has been joined by his teenage son, and the team’s name, Next Generation, fits them.
For Les Lions/Great Oaks, defeat was a disappointment, but they showed in the match that they are one of the best teams in England this summer. We would not be surprised to see them in another final before the season is out, and the Queen’s Cup, which has now been moved to later in the summer, is an obvious target.
It was an empty Cowdray, which is a strange thing for those of us who love the place, but a fine match played at a high level is still a fine match. The sport is back, and we are grateful to the club, the teams and the grooms for making it possible.
Sources: Hurlingham Polo Magazine, Alton Herald
