The Queen’s Cup, Guards Polo Club’s premier competition, is stepping into the final stage, following the quarter finals that were held through Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, and saw the four teams victorious and ready to play the semifinals – Marqués de Riscal/La Dolfina, Aureus, Balanz Capital La Hechicera and Dubai. Precisely, the latter two, victorious on Sunday, will be playing the second semifinal, in what’s expected to be a thrilling contest, with the clash of the Castagnola brothers – Barto (Dubai) and Jeta (Balanz Capital La Hechicera).
The tournament hosted by the club located in Windsor Great Park, England, sees nineteen teams up to 22 goals, compete.
The summary of the quarter finals is the following:
- SATURDAY JUNE
Marqués de Riscal/La Dolfina 14-11 Kazak
Marques de Riscal/La Dolfina secured the first semi-final ticket but had to contend with a competitive Kazak team to get through. Both squads had to contend with cold, windy and damp weather too. Kazak had a slight advantage in the first half, narrowly leading 6-5 at half-time. Their goals had come off the sticks of Nico Pieres, Leon Donoso and patron Sebastian Aguettant. Meanwhile, Simon Prado and Marques de Riscal/La Dolfina’s captain Poroto Cambiaso kept their team in contention but neither side was really dominant. The second half was all about Marques de Riscal/La Dolfina. Cambiaso and Prado fired through four field goals in the fourth, to only one in reply off the stick of Donoso. Surprisingly, there was only one penalty in this chukka, a spot hit to Kazak. Suddenly Marques de Riscal/La Dolfina were in the lead (9-7). Fran Elizalde fired through two to level the scores in the fifth only for Prado to convert a penalty and find a field goal to regain the advantage. It was a similar story in the sixth and when Alexandre Aznar fired through a 30-yard penalty with little time left on the clock that sent Marques de Riscal/La Dolfina to the semifinals.
Aureus 9-8 Gaston (chukker suplementario)
The second match,was an close fight between Aureus and Gaston. Both sides had moments which could have won the game, a close game with the teams only ever being separated by a goal. Some spectacular saves, including an impressive clearance on the line by Beltran Laulhe in the final chukka made it even more memorable. Mark Tomlinson scored the winner but it was his team-mate Jake Coventry that got the ball free and passed it up to his captain.
This win was particularly moving to Aureus; they were on the same field, The Duke’s Ground, almost a year earlier that their patron, Sunjay Kapur, had collapsed and died during a Queen’s Cup subsidiary semifinal. His widow, Priya Sachdev Kapur, received the Platinum Jubilee Trophy from the Club’s Chairman, Lt Col Sean O’Dwyer.
- SUNDAY JUNE 7
Balanz Capital La Hechicera 13-8 Ferne Park
Balanz Capital La Hechicera and Ferne Park opened fire on the second day of quarter finals, with the latter fielding their patron, Jonathan Rothermere, in place of his son, Vere Harmsworth. Ferne Park had a slightly better start, earning a close 2-1 lead after the first chukka, but Balanz Capital, who have impressed throughout the tournament, leveled the scores at 3-al in the second. After that, 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.
Dubai 13-6 Akasha
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. 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.
The semifinals of the Queen’s Cup will be played on Wednesday June 10:
12pm: Marqués de Riscal La Dolfina vs. Aureus (Kerry Packer Trophy)
4pm: Balanz Capital La Hechicera vs. Dubai (Hubert Perrodo Trophy)
The Queen’s Cup was established in 1960, in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8 2022. Her Majesty was not only the longest serving monarch of Great Britain (February 1952-September 2022), but also the second longest in history, behind His Majesty Louis XIV, known as Le Roi Soleil (The Sun King), who ruled France during 72 years (1643 to 1715). Queen Elizabeth II was suceeded by her son, His Majesty King Charles III, who is also 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 on January 25 1955 and remained as the President until his passing, on April 9, 2021.
THE FINAL OF THE QUEEN’S CUP WILL BE PLAYED ON SUNDAY JUNE 14.
The Queen’s Cup – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by The Art Of Polo.