Park Place and La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal qualified to the championship match of the Queen’s Cup, following the semifinals that took place at Guards Polo Club, on Wednesday June 11. Park Place defeated Dubai, while La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal claimed a victory over King Power. The premier tournament of the club set in Windsor Great Park sees nineteen teams up to 22 goals, in participation.
The Princes’ Ground hosted the first semifinal between Park Place – with Andrey Borodin back on the saddle – and Dubai. While the latter claimed the first chukka 2-1, Park Place seized the reins in the second chukka, with an impressive 4-1. From then onwards, the match belonged to Andrey Borodin and Co, by widening their advantage chukka after chukka. Everything seemed said and done by the end of the fourth chukka, when Park Place had a five goal lead, 12-7; but Dubai bounced back in the fifth chukka. The Albwardy’s family team claimed that fifth episode 4-2, however Park Place remained in the lead – 14-11 with one chukka left. In the last chukka, Park Place slowed down a bit, with the idea to control their contenders; and although they lost 1-2, the damage has already been done. Led by a remarkable performance by Hilario Ulloa, who produced nine goals, Park Place won 15-13 and secured the first ticket to the final.
Up next, Marqués de Riscal and King Power clashed on The Queen’s Ground. The former had a couple of changes within the lineup – Luis Aznar and Lucas Criado Jr. subbed in for Alejandro Aznar and Carlos María Ulloa, respectively. With regards to the match, and following two very leveled chukkas, La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal took off in the third chukka, and by half time they had a 6-3 lead. And the story would change in the three remaining chukkas – La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal took control of the match and the scoreboard, and by the end of the fifth chukka, they were 10-6 up. Although the last chukka ended tied at 1-all, luck was on La Dolfina Marques de Riscal’s side, who claimed a 11-7 victory and the second spot for the final.
Park Place and La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal are due to play the championship match of The Queen’s Cup on Sunday June 15, on The Queen’s Ground at 3,30pm (UK time).
The Queen’s Cup has been played since 1960, and was established in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, 2022; her 70-years reign made her not only the longest serving British monarch ever (1952-2022), but also the second longest in history, behind His Majesty Louis XIV, known as Le Roi Soleil (The Sun King), who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, a total of 72 years. Queen Elizabeth II was suceeded by her son, His Majesty King Charles III, the current President of Guards Polo Club, a position he inherited from his father, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who founded the club 70 years ago, on January 25, 1955 and remained as the President until his passing, on April 9, 2021. Today, His Majesty King Charles III is in charge to present the trophy to the winning patron, like his mother did before.
The championship match of the Queen’s Cup is due on Sunday June 15.
The Queen’s Cup – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by Pablo Ramírez.