Next Generation and Les Lions/Great Oaks Victorious to Conclude Round 1 in Cartier Queen’s Cup
The conclusion of the first round of play in the 2020 Cartier Queen’s Cup saw Les Lions/Great Oaks narrowly defeat Thai Polo 13-12, while Next Generation continued their winning ways, defeating Polo Stud Schockemohle 15-10 at Guards Polo Club.
In a game that came down to the final minute, Les Lions/Great Oaks narrowly captured the victory over Thai Polo behind a more efficient attack from the field, and one more penalty conversion. Newly ranked 8-goaler Bartolome Castagnola led all players with six goals and was a crucial part of Les Lions/Great Oaks 53% shooting from the field that proved to be the difference in the exciting one-goal victory.
Receiving two goals on handicap to start the game, Thai Polo held onto that advantage in a fast-paced opening chukka with a combined eight shots between the two teams. Tommy Beresford and Michel del Carril scored a goal each while Bartolome Castagnola was responsible for both Les Lions/Great Oaks goals, leaving the score at 4-2 in favour of Thai Polo. The duo of del Carril and Beresford struck early in the second chukka, quickly extending Thai Polo’s lead to four as they excelled against the strong Les Lions/Great Oaks team. Foul trouble slowed their momentum as they conceded two penalty goals to Bartolome Castagnola and a field goal to Camilo Castagnola as they watched their lead shrink back down to two. Slowly inching closer, Les Lions/Great Oaks pulled within one goal as they held Thai Polo off the scoreboard in the third chukka, entering the half trailing 7-6.
The determined effort of Camilo and Bartolome Castagnola finally brought Les Lions/Great Oaks into a tie with Thai Polo, erasing the two-goal deficit from handicap. Scoring a goal each, the Castagnola’s paced the Les Lions/Great Oaks attack while a combined team effort on the defensive side of the ball limited the opportunities for Thai Polo. The game intensified in a thrilling fifth chukka that provided back and forth action from the two teams. Dillon Bacon made a significant impact, converting both his shot attempts to lead Les Lions/Great Oaks in a three-goal chukka, but Thai Polo responded with three goals of their own, two of which came from Beresford. A penalty 4 conversion for Bartolome Castagnola opened the scoring in the final chukka, but a penalty 2 conversion for Beresford quickly followed, setting the scene for the winning goal. Choosing a perfect moment to score his first goal of the game, Santiago Laborde secured the victory for Les Lions/Great Oaks, converting from the field to give les Lions/Great Oaks the 13-12 victory.
In arguably his best performance to date, Poroto Cambiaso provided an incredible showing for Next Generation with seven goals on 78% shooting, running rampant against the Polo Stud Schockemohle defense. Outscored 14-3 from the field, Polo Stud Schockemohle struggled to keep pace with a dynamic Next Generation team that could not be stopped on the day, dominating possession to capture the 15-10 victory.
Using an 18-goal line-up, Polo Stud Schockemohle received five goals on handicap but saw their large lead quickly disappear in the opening stages of the match. Keeping the ball in the offensive end, Next Generation shot at goal seven times, scoring four times led by two goals from Poroto Cambasio and two assists from Diego Cavanagh. After Juan Gris Zavaleta pushed Polo Stud Schockemohle’s lead back to three at the start of the second chukka, Next Generation began a run of 11 consecutive goals, overwhelming polo Stud Schockemohle on every area of the field. Poroto Cambiaso continued to capitalize on every opportunity, scoring his third and fourth goals in just two chukkas. Before the end of the half, Next Generation produced another four goals in a balanced offense that saw all four players, including Jean-Francois Decaux score one goal to hold a commanding 12-7 lead.
Held scoreless for the second consecutive chukka, Polo Stud Schockemohle were unable to push past the Next generation defense in the fourth chukka, dashing their hopes of a second half comeback. Cementing his status as player of the game, two more goals from Poroto Cambiaso brought his total to seven and gave Next Generation a seven-goal advantage. Managing their lead, Next Generation prevented any runs from Polo Stud Schockemohle, finishing the game with the 15-10 victory.
All matches remain behind closed doors but every game is being filmed and can be viewed LIVE via a pay per view service at guardspoloclub.com/guards-tv.
| Rank | Player | Goals Scored |
| 1 | Tommy Beresford | 9 |
| T-2 | Facundo Pieres | 8 |
| T-2 | Joaquin Pittaluga | 8 |
| 4 | Poroto Cambiaso | 7 |
| T-5 | Bartolome Castagnola | 6 |
| T-5 | Michel Del Carril | 6 |
| T-5 | Juan Gris Zavaleta | 6 |
| T-5 | Ignacio Toccalino | 6 |
| T-9 | Juan Martin Zubia | 5 |
| T-9 | Nico Pieres | 5 |
Photo credit – Images of Polo