It was a busy fortnight in English polo: a repeat Gold Cup winner at Cowdray Park, a new ladies’ champion, and a classic Coronation Cup at Guards.
King Power Foxes retain the Gold Cup
On Sunday 17 July, King Power Foxes retained the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup for the British Open at Cowdray Park, beating La Indiana in the final. There was a change at the top of the team: 2015 winner Top Srivaddhanaprabha handed his number one place to his brother Tal, with Hugo Lewis (now on two goals) and the ten-goal Pieres brothers, Gonzalito at three and Facundo at back, unchanged. La Indiana, backed by American patron Michael Bickford, fielded Nic Roldan, Agustín Merlos and Julián de Lusarreta.
King Power led 3-2 after the first chukka and it was 5-5 at half-time. The fourth chukka was scoreless, and the game turned in the fifth. Facundo missed two chances at goal, but Lewis won the roll-in and sent a long shot towards goal, and a scramble ended with de Lusarreta pushing the ball over his own line for 6-5. Gonzalito then carried the ball through the posts for 7-5, and early in the sixth the same pair created another goal for 8-5. At the next throw-in all four La Indiana players had inexplicably gone off to change horses, and Gonzalito scored again to settle it.
- MVP: Facundo Pieres.
- Best playing pony: Sarmiento, owned by Marcos de Paola and ridden by Facundo.
Ladies’ title to the Vikings
The British Ladies’ Open Championship, sponsored for the first time by City & Country, ended on Saturday 16 July. Cowdray Vikings (Katie Vickery, Lila Pearson, Hazel Jackson and Sarah Wiseman) beat 2015 winners Huntington House/Apes Hill (Camilla Williams, Emma Boers, Tamara Fox and Lucy Taylor) 6-2.5 after a half-goal handicap advantage for the opposition. Jackson was named most valuable player.
Commonwealth beat England
At Guards on Saturday 23 July the GT Bank Commonwealth team beat England 12-11 in the Royal Salute Coronation Cup. The sides were level at half-time and England led 8-7 in the fourth, but goals from every Commonwealth player put them 11-9 ahead. South African Chris Mackenzie, who defended superbly, was named MVP, and England’s Jack Richardson took the best playing pony prize with Light Nights. The cup was presented by the Duke of Edinburgh to Commonwealth captain Fred Mannix Jnr, with Hissam Ali Hyder becoming the first Pakistani to play in the match.
Sources: Sussex Express, Guards Polo Club
