Reports
Open de France Final
Photography by RB Presse
Dillon Bacon & Nick Rogerson go head to head
Double Bounce for Bacon A Victory for Les Lions Panarea
side from the English season, the Open de France, played in the beautiful setting of Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, is one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe, with some of the best names in polo competing for the title. This year’s
French Open was special in many ways, celebrating their 20th anniversary with eight teams, 11 professional Argentine players, plus
the Castagnola brothers on opposing teams – the eyes of the polo world have been firmly glued to the action at Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly. The qualifying rounds began just two weeks after the high goal action had come to a close in the UK, which saw Dillon Bacon’s Les Lions reach both The Prince of Wales and The King Power Gold Cup Finals as well as ending their 2020 English season on a high with an impressive win at Guards Polo Club for The Cartier Queen’s Cup. Whereas during the English season both Castagnola brothers had played seamlessly side by side on the same team, in Chantilly the fraternal duo were divided with 19-year-old Barto Castagnola lining up for Bacon’s Les Lions Panarea, while 17-year-old Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola was dressed to impress in Carmignac’s Talandracas pink. Both teams met on Tuesday 8 September in the qualification stage, and onlookers were treated to an epic display of polo, which saw an extremely narrow 15-14 win for Les Lions Panarea, so when it transpired that both teams qualified for the Final, there was anticipation and excitement for the showdown between both teams. The first chukka was a fast paced, excellent display of seamless polo, keeping the spectators both at the Club and streaming the match remotely, on the edge of their seats, with the scores impossibly close. However, Les Lions Panarea managed to find their form and pull ahead, and by the penultimate chukka, led 9-6. Despite the best efforts of Talandracas the final chukka remained goalless for them, while Les Lions Panarea secured an extra goal to safely take the title 10-6 – giving Dillon Bacon and Barto Castagnola their second big win in just a few weeks.
Les Lions Panarea, winners of the 2020 French Open
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Polo Times, October 2020
www.polotimes.co.uk
