Dubai and Gaston are due to play the much anticipated final of the St. Regis Cowdray Gold Cup, the most important tournament of the season in England, following the semifinals that took place on Wednesday July 15, at Cowdray Park Polo Club, in Midhurst, West Sussex.
Dubai and Gaston were victorious over Ferne Park and La Hechicera, respectively, and will clash for the prestigious and coveted golden trophy, that has been established by John Weetman Pearson, Third Viscount of Cowdray, in 1956, a tireless visionary who became crucial for the comeback of polo in England after the devastating Second World War.
The first semifinal saw Dubai and Ferne Park, with the latter featuring Vere Harmsworth and Javier Guerrero subbing in for Jonathan Rothermere and Chris Mackenzie. Dubai, a six times winner of the St. Regis Gold Cup (the last was in 2024, when they claimed an impressive 11-3 win over La Dolfina Great Oaks), Gdominated throughout the six chukkas of play, earning a quick 4-2 advantage in the first chukka, which extended to 9-5 by half time. The remaining three chukkas were like a walk in the park for Tariq Albwardy’s team; led by a remarkable performance by the three professional players (Santos Merlos, Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. and Antonio Heguy), Dubai seized the reins to secure control of the match, while Ferne Park struggled to stay in the game. Camilo Catagnola and Antonio Heguy were the top scorers, with six goals each, with Santos Merlos adding three more which, at the end of the day, gave Dubai the 15-12 victory and the first ticket to the final.
Up next, in the afternoon, Gaston met up with La Hechicera, in a match that was a completely different story but somewhat expected to be a very tough one. La Hechicera were the team to beat – they claimed the 18-goal Trippetts Challenge under the name of Balanz Capital La Hechicera and the Queen’s Cup, under their current name, and their aim was to close a very successful season by winning the most important one. On the other side, Gaston reached the semifinal after beating Black Bears by a heavy 12-7 score in quarter finals.
Although La Hechicera managed to be in the lead during the whole contest, Gaston proved to be a tough contender and remained their tail. La Hechicera only widened their advantage to three goals by half time (8-5), but Gaston presented a very tough battle; the gap between the two of them was never more than one or two goals, and that’s what happened in the three remaining chukkas. While Lorenzo Chavanne and Camilo Castagnola produced crucial goals for La Hechicera, Gaston relied on those scored by Cruz Heguy and Beltrán Laulhe. By the fifth and penultimate chukka, La Hechicera was 11-10 up, so that meant that a very intense and nailbiting last chukka would follow; it was anyone’s game.
And it was anyone’s game indeed!! Because a determined Gaston, who never gave up, delivered their best polo in the last chukka – they held La Hechicera scoreless and produced two goals to claim the 12-11 win that earned them the second ticket to the final at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
ST. REGIS COWDRAY GOLD CUP – FINAL – SUNDAY JULY 19
DUBAI vs. GASTON
Dubai: Tariq Albwardy 0, Santos Merlos 6, Antonio Heguy 7, Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. 9. Total: 22.
Gaston: Jean-Paul Luksic 1, Beltrán Lauhlé 7. Gonzalo Ferrari 7, Cruz Heguy 7. Total: 22.
Source: PoloHUB Read More