Another trophy for Jean Paul Luksic’s team. Gaston beat Jehangiri Polo 8-7 in the final of The Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup at Guards Polo Club, on the Queen’s Ground, a few weeks after their Gold Cup triumph.
The final
Gaston were Tomás Luksic, Louis Hine, Beltran Laulhé and Cruz Heguy, with a combined rating of 22. Jehangiri Polo, rated 20, were Muhammad Jehangiri, Chris Mackenzie, Gonzalo Pieres and Tomás Beresford. Cruz Heguy was named MVP, which makes it two big finals in a month for him. Earlier in the day, Bangash beat Shoreline 8-7 in the subsidiary final.
A one-goal margin in a final is nothing new for Gaston, who won the Gold Cup by the same single goal. They are a team that seems to thrive in tight games, and their form has made the second half of the summer very much their own.
The Asia Polo Cup
In Normandy, the Deauville International Polo Club hosted the first Asia Polo Cup from 6 to 9 August. Amateur teams from Asia and Europe took part, and Hong Kong Indigenous beat the Singapore Polo Club Lions in the final. The champion team was Lala Au-Young, Andrew Wong, Andrew Leung and Matthieu Delfosse.
It is an interesting addition to the calendar, and a sign of the growing interest in polo in Asia. Deauville has always been good at bringing people together, and a weekend focused on amateur players from Hong Kong and Singapore fits that nicely.
Deauville’s August
The Barrière Deauville Polo Cup begins today and runs to 30 August. The schedule is as follows:
- Coupe d’Argent: 10 to 16 August, at 14 and 16 goals
- Ladies Polo Cup: 11 to 14 August, at 12 and 14 goals
- Gold Cup (Coupe d’Or): 17 to 30 August, at 14 and 16 goals
- Bronze Cup: 17 to 29 August, at 6 and 8 goals
The Coupe d’Or was established in 1950 by François André, and polo at Deauville goes back to a first match in 1880, with the club formally founded in 1907. That is a lot of history on the Normandy coast.
Sotogrande’s Silver Cup
At Sotogrande, the Terralpa Silver Cup runs until 15 August, with the Medium Handicap final scheduled for Friday 14 August and the High and Low finals on Saturday 15 August. We will report on all three next week.
Sources: Polo Times (Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup), Polo Press (Asia Polo Cup), Polo Press (Deauville calendar)
