Friday, September 20, 2024
Four semi-finals involving ten nations, two mixed teams for the Open de France Barnes and two “ladies” teams for the women’s Open, making up four fine finalists: Yves Delorme (FRA) and Augustinus Bader (LUX) for the women and Mungo (FRA) against La Fija Sandbox (ARG) for the men. Sunday’s programme is sure to be a treat, the icing on the cake of a three-week competition that has lived up to all its promises in terms of beauty of the game, competitiveness, atmosphere and conviviality.
These two finals (and a third, the Castel Trophy, as a bonus) will bring the festivities to a close with a particularly rich Sunday programme, as the Chantilly Polo Club has made a point of welcoming the public as well as the sport.
But first let’s talk about the sport and the four semi-finals, which were like most of the games of these tournaments: exciting, spectacular, emotional, but with much clearer victories than in the quarters.
The first women’s semi-final pitted the French champions, team Yves Delorme, against another local team, Polo Angels, with German captain Nina Frühauf. It was a match in which Australian Millie Hine made the most of her three French teammates, a true team effort that allowed Yves Delorme to lead from start to finish without really being troubled, despite their opponents fighting until the very end.
The second game was a Benelux affair, pitting Luxembourg’s Augustinus Bader, led by Argentinian champion Lia Salvo, against the team assembled by Dutchwoman Annita van der Hoeven around British crack Hazel Jackson. But Lia Salvo, who knows her friend Hazel Jackson inside out, “had a plan” that allowed Augustinus Bader to control the match despite some tentative resistance from La Monarquia – Nipas in the second half, but no worries for Augustinus Bader, who will meet Yves Delorme in the final next Sunday at 12.00. The two teams met in the qualifying phase, where Millie Hine’s French team beat Lia Salvo and her international team 11-5… but as we know, nothing is ever certain in polo.
Barnes Open: an unprecedented final
In the mixed competition, two French teams had a chance of reaching the final. Kazak, led by Argentinian champion Nicolas Pieres, faced a tough opponent in the form of Argentinian club La Fija Sandbox, whose captain is French… The defending champions fell victim to the infernal duo of Fran Elizalde, the tournament’s top scorer (33 goals), and Rufino Bensadon, who scored 6 goals this afternoon. After keeping their opponents at bay for two periods, Kazak fell behind despite some spectacular efforts from Nico Pieres.
Finally, Mungo won their ticket to the final against Jolly Roger. Once again, Sweden’s Niclas Johanson’s team never really seemed in a position to put up a fight against a French team that had spent the summer building up its strength in order, it seemed, to be in the best possible shape for these finals. Lolo Bayugar and Alti Garros clearly raised their game, boosted by the solidity of French defence player Pierre Henri Ngoumou. As a result, the semi-final turned out to be a treat for Mungo (12-7), with French captain Ulysse Eisentchteter actively contributing to this victory with his two goals.
Two big finals on the horizon for a day that promises to be magical, starting at 11.00 a.m. with the inauguration of the village, where no fewer than seventeen stands and four food stalls await the visitors, but that is not all, as entertainment is also on the programme: fhe fanfares of the Garde Républicaine (majestic), a moment of equestrian magic with the show of Alizée Froment (not to be missed), the arrival of the Rallye de l’Open (for vintage car fans), the mini-game opposing kids on Shetland ponies (absolutely cracking) and the final of the Mini Open de France with slightly older children and the future stars. The big finals take place at 12.00 (Women’s Open), 15.30 (Barnes Open) and 17.30 (Castel Trophy). Admission is free, so why miss out on the big day?
Semi-final results, Friday 20 September
13th French Women’s Open
Yves Delorme: Margaux Perruchot FRA 2 (1 goal), Adèle Renauldon FRA 2 (1 goal), Charlotte Garaud FRA 3 and Millie Hine AUS 8 (6 goals including 4 penalties).
Polo Angels: Nina Frühauf GER 1, Lucie Venot FRA 4, Pearl Venot 5 FRA and Luisa Del Carril ARG 5 (4 penalties)
Progression Yves Delorme: 3-1 / 5-2 / 5-3 and 8-4
2nd match
La Monarquia – Nipas: Annita van der Hoeven NED 1 (1 goal), Megan Manubay USA 1, Polina Nazarova RUS 4 (2 penalties) and Hazel Jackson GBR 10 (2 goals)
Augustinus Bader: Mendoza Houben NED 0, Paloma Lauro LUX 3 (2 goals), Ambre Ploix FRA 4 (3 goals) and Lia Salvo ARG 4 (5 goals including 2 penalties)
Augustinus Bader progress: 2-0 / 3-2 /7-4 and 10-5
24th Barnes French Open
Kazak: Sébastien Aguettant FRA 0 (1 penalty), Tomas Ferrari ARG 3 (2 goals), Nicolas Pieres ARG 8 (2 goals) and Beltran Laulhe ARG 5 (1 goal) + 1 Penal 1
La Fija Sandbox: Arthur Madrid FRA 0 (1 goal), Rufino Bensadon ARG 7 (6 goals), Fran Elizalde ARG 8 (3 goals) and Nicolas Tomasevich ARG 1
Progression La Fija Sandbox: 2-2/ 3-3 / 6-3 / 9-5 and 10-7
BPP (best playing pony): Oriental Jennifer ridden by Rufino Bensadon
BPP AACCP (best horse registered in the Argentine studbook): DS Claridad ridden by Fran Elizalde
2nd match
Mungo: Ulysse Eisenchteter FRA 1(2 goals), Lolo Bayugar ARG 4 (3 goals), Alti Garros ARG 5 (5 goals including 2 penalties) and Pierre Henri Ngoumou FRA 6 (1 goals) + 1 Penal 1
Jolly Roger: Niclas Johanson SUE 0, Hugo Taylor GBR 4, Manuel Plaza de Ayala ARG 6 (4 goals) and James Beim GBR 6 (3 penalties)
Mungo progression: 3-2 / 6-3 / 8-4 / 10-5 and 12-7
BPP (best playing pony): Oriental Griega ridden by Lolo Bayugar
BPP AACCP (best horse registered in the Argentine studbook): Lavinia Extasis ridden by Hugo Taylor
PRESS ROOM
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À propos du Polo de Chantilly
Founded by the late Patrick Guerrand Hermès and a group of shareholders in 1995, and managed since then by Philippe Perrier, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly covers an area of 130 hectares. Comprising nine grass fields and one sand field (arena), it is the largest polo club in Europe and since 2001 has organised the renowned Barnes International French Open, attended by the world’s best players, one of the 60 prestigious grass tournaments held every year on the grounds of the Ferme d’Apremont. Home to the French Polo Federation, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly is open to all: all matches from April to October are free to the general public. poloclubchantilly.com – @polodechantilly
Media contacts
Pascal Renauldon
06 08 75 94 07
p.renauldon@rbpresse.com
Adèle Renauldon
06 50 05 69 34
adele@rbpresse.com