The St. Regis British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup has reached the semi-finals. The quarter-finals, played over the weekend of 11 and 12 July at Cowdray Park Polo Club, gave us four winners.
Quarter-final results
- Dubai 11, La Dolfina Marques de Riscal 6
- Ferne Park 9, Sujan Indian Tigers 8 (extra time)
- Gaston 12, Black Bears 7
- La Hechicera 15, Akasha 8
The semi-finals are on Wednesday 15 July: Dubai against Ferne Park at midday, and Gaston against La Hechicera at 4pm. La Hechicera, previously Balanz Capital, won all three of their league games and then scored 15 goals against Akasha, which is a strong statement of intent. Ferne Park needed extra time to get past the Sujan Indian Tigers.
The league phase
Earlier in the week, Akasha, Black Bears, Dubai and Gaston had already secured quarter-final places. La Hechicera needed to beat UAE Polo Team on 7 July to join them, and Ferne Park faced Ojo Caliente on 8 July, with the possibility of a penalty shootout between Ojo Caliente, Ferne Park and Shoreline if the results fell a certain way. The league system, with five teams in League A and smaller groups elsewhere, gives a lot of scope for tie-break drama.
Polo Times goes Spanish
Polo Times has announced the launch of Polo Times in Spanish, its first Spanish-language edition in 31 years. Subscribers can read the digital issues, including July’s, with news, features, tournaments and interviews. Given polo’s Argentine roots and the number of Spanish speakers who follow it, this seems a very sensible step.
Landsberg
In Germany, Luisito Matero won the La Pava Grande Cup at Landsberg Polo Club, near Munich and Augsburg, over three days from 10 to 12 July. The winning team was Luisito Matero, Rafael Olivera, Gregor Gruber, Ken Kawamoto and Julia Lehner. Eden Food, Frias Pferde Transport, The Big Turkey, Eze Polo Mallets and DAR Metall were the other teams. It is a friendly, well-run club event that is a fine example of how the sport has taken root in Bavaria.
Looking ahead
The British Ladies Open is also under way at Cowdray Park, running from 6 to 19 July, with the final due on Sunday 19 July, the same day as the men’s Gold Cup final. It is shaping up to be a great weekend.
Sources: Polo Times (quarter-finals), Polo Times (Spanish edition), Polo Press (Landsberg)
