Desert Palm 10 – 8 La Dolfina/Marques de Riscal

Park Place 10 – 8 Gaston Polo Team

It was all about family in the first of two Cartier Queen’s Cup matches today. Mia Cambiaso, the eldest daughter of the polo legend, Adolfo Cambiaso Senior, was in action for Desert Palm, alongside her cousin, Barto Castagnola. Opposing this duo was Mia’s brother, the 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso Junior, known to all as Poroto. Not surprisingly there was much hype about this game, but it did not really live up to the pre-match chatter. These teams were so perfectly balanced that they often cancelled each other out. La Dolfina/Marques de Riscal, playing in their first Cartier Queen’s Cup game of 2025, had a narrow, 5-3 lead at half-time. Castagnola eradicated that advantage early in the fourth thanks to a pair of penalties. This was followed by a goal from Mia, giving Desert Palm the lead for the first time since the first chukka. Plenty of battles across the next two chukkas saw some short bursts of flowing play and some good goals, including a lovely, angled shot off the stick of Rufino Merlos, but Desert Palm held on to their advantage. The sixth chukka saw Poroto fire up a big pas to Carlos Ulloa who sent the ball through the goal, only for Castagnola to convert a penalty in the final 60 seconds to win the game.

The second match, played on The Queen’s Ground at Guards Polo Club, was a stop/start affair. Finishing on the same 10-8 score as the morning’s game, Park Place had to battle hard against Gaston Polo Team to win. There were some flashes of excellence from both sides, but the match was marred by too many umpires’ whistles. Park Place were able to pull away in the fifth, giving themselves a three-goal advantage. Gaston closed the gap to 9-8 in the sixth only for Park Place to be awarded a penalty one with only three minutes left on the clock. This goal confirmed Park Place as the winners. Matias Maldonado, subbing for Park Place patron Andrey Borodin, delivered a strong performance. In fact he was the first player to score in this game. The 16-year-old is a member of the Hurlingham Polo Association’s Performance Pathway Scheme, supporting players aged 15-21 who want to pursue a professional career in polo. Maldonado’s performance today was a brilliant advert for the scheme and he played with confidence and a maturity well beyond his years.

Image copyright Pablo Ramirez