Park Place, Dubai, La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal and King Power are the four lineups who will battle for a ticket to the championship match of the Queen’s Cup, hosted by Guards Polo Club, located in Windsor Great Park, following their respective wins in the quarter finals, that took place through Saturday June 7 and Sunday June 8. The club’s premier tournament sees nineteen teams up to 22 goals, partake.
On Saturday June 7, Park Place – with Matías Maldonado filling in for the injured Andrey Borodin once again – claimed an impressive 18-9 win over La Dolfina Scone, led by an inspired Hilario Ulloa, who produced eleven goals. Up next, in the Middle East Derby, and under heavy rains, Dubai also earned a significant victory against UAE, by a 9-4 score. It’s worth to notice that both teams already clashed in the league stage, but the story was quite different – UAE were victorious 14-8. The quarter finals saw changes in the two foursomes – Dubai’s Rashid Albwardy was subbed in by Alfie Hyde, while Ashley Greene took UAE’s Sheikha Maitha’s place.
On the following day, Sunday June 8, La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal, with Luis Aznar as a replacement for Alejandro Aznar, defeated the tournament’s biggest sensation, Sujan Indian Tigers, 16-10. Poroto Cambiaso’s performance was crucial to the win – he scored a total of eleven goals. In the last quarter final match, King Power beat Aureus 11-9. Although Aureus had a stronger start and maintained the lead thoroghout five chukkas, King Power made a comeback in a dramatic sixth and last chukka. Tomás Beresford converted a penalty to put King Power 10-9 up; and with only 30 seconds remaining, Ricardo Garrós sealed the deal and secured the win and the last ticket to semifinals.
The semifinals of the Queen’s Cup are due on Wednesday June 11:
12pm: Park Place vs. Dubai (Kerry Packer Trophy)
4pm: La Dolfina Marqués de Riscal vs. King Power (Hubert Perrodo Trophy)
(UK times)
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.