Two more games on Sunday delivered some outstanding 22-goal sport, even though the summer weather seems to have abandoned the UK. First up was Balanz Capital against Ferne Park. The latter was fielding their patron, Jonathan Rothermere, in place of his son Vere Harmsworth who had played all of the team’s league matches. Ferne Park had a narrow, 2-1 lead after the first chukka but Balanz Capital, who have impressed throughout the tournament, got back level 3-3 in the second. Then it was just a question of how far ahead Balanz Capital would go. The partnership between Jeta Castagnola and Lorenzo Chavanne continued to impress. They seem almost telepathic in their play, correctly second-guessing the other’s moves and putting themselves in the right place to pick up or pass balls. Chavanne is only 18 but plays like someone with years of top-level experience. Ferne Park’s Facundo Pieres does have a huge amount of experience and used every ounce of it in this game to keep Ferne Park in contention. But even he, a four-time winner of the Queen’s Cup, had no answer to the Chavanne/Castagnola double act and Balanz Capital comfortably won this game 13-8.
Image credit: Art of Polo
The Teams:
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Second Match
The last quarter-final was a remarkable game because there were only five fouls in the entire match. The game was fast and flowing and was a pleasure to watch. Dubai, no stranger to Queen’s Cup success having lifted the trophy six times previously, won this game 13-6, enabling their patron, Tariq Albwardy to receive the Gerard Leigh Cup. Dubai’s Santos Merlos was the first to find the flags in this game and Dubai never looked back from that moment. Akasha, a new team into the mix in 2026, tried to contain Dubai and had moments of success but luck was often against them, with goals going wide by the narrowest of margins. This win will pitch brother against brother in Wednesday’s second semi-final as Dubai will play Balanz Capital for the Hubert Perrodo Trophy. Maybe Barto Castagnola, scorer of eight of Dubai’s 13 goals today, can find the key to unlock the Chavanne/Jeta Castagnola partnership?
Image credit: Art of Polo
The Teams:
Score Progression:
Game Statistics:
Stats provided by https://poloreport.com/