The St. Regis Cowdray Gold Cup, the highlight of the season in England, is due to commence on Tuesday June 23, hosted by the prestigious Cowdray Park Polo Club; in addition, the competition will be celebrating a remarkable milestone, no less than 70 years of heritage, elegance and excellence. The St. Regis Cowdray Gold Cup will see nineteen teams, one more than last. Hence, this led to a new set of rules for the teams to step into quarter finals.
To read about the changes and how teams are going to qualify to quarter finals, click here.
According to the new rules, that will be applied during the initial phase, all the teams within the same group or league will clash against each other. So, let’s give a look about how teams arrive to the most significant tournament at Cowdray Park Polo Club, starting with League A – made of five teams, they will play four games each, and the two best within standings, will advance to quarter finals.
- Dubai: The Middle-East based organisation, who claimed the tournament six times, is the first seeded of this League. That’s it because they reached the semifinals of the Queen’s Cup, but they lost to Balanz Capital. During the current season in England, they already played the Prince Of Wales Trophy, but they were dropped in the league phase, with a 1-1 record, 22 goals in favour and 18 goals against. Their performance in the Queen’s Cup was a complete different story – they were victorious five times and only lost once, producing 67 goals and receiving 50. Their top scorer is Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. (9), with 50 up-to-date. The remaining team members are Tariq Albwardy (0), Santos Merlos (6) and Antonio Heguy (7). The latter already claimed the Gold Cup, with Dubai.
- Ojo Caliente: Ana Escobedo’s (o) organisation is playing their first ever St. Regis Cowdray Gold Cup, and their expectation is to overcome the league phase. Ojo Caliente’s first tournament in England this year was the Trippetts Challenge, but they didn’t make it to the final due to a 1-1 record. They scored 22 goals and received 24. It was the same in the Queen’s Cup; they lost three games and won only one against La Dolfina Jindal Panther. Thoroghout the Queen’s Cup, Ojo Caliente scored 41 goals and they received 46. Mexico’s Ana is joined by Facundo Sola (8), Alfredo Cappella (8) and Martín Podestá (6).
- Ferne Park: The English organisation will compete for the third consecutive year, with the aim to equal or improve last year’s remarkble performance, that saw them in semifinals, but lost to La Dolfina Scone. They tumbled at the start of this season – they weren’t unable to earn a win in the Trippetts Challenge and their score record marks 22 goals against and 20 in favour. They improved in the Queen’s Cup, reaching the quarter finals, but they were defeated by Balanz Capital. With a 2-3 record at Guards, they had 50 goals in favour and 54 against. The lineup is made of Jonathan Rothermere (0), Chris Mackenzie (6), Facundo Pieres (9) and Joaquín Pittaluga (7).
- Shoreline: Nigeria’s organisation will participate in the St. Regis Cowdray Gold Cup for the first time, with a lineup that features a recent runner up of the Queen’s Cup – Diego Cavanagh, formerly of Aureus. With a 1-3 record in the Queen’s Cup, Shoreline produced 42 goals and received 56. Their first game is due on Wednesday June 24 against Ferne Park, with a brand new foursome – Tunde Karim (0), Rufino Bensadón (7), Diego Cavanagh (8) and James Harper (6).
- Clinova: Raja Karim’s (0) Pakistani-English organisation will play their first high goal tournament in England. It is one of the few teams that didn’t participate in this level of polo, so it’s a matter of wait and see whether they are up to the task. Raja Karim hired Teodoro Lacau (7), Juan Gris Zavaleta (7) and Isidro Strada (7).