Sep 28, 2020 8:55 PM
American Dillion Bacon has captured two trophies in a row claiming the Open de France at Chantilly Polo Club after recently winning the final tournament of the British high-goal season, the Cartier Queen’s Cup with Les Lions. Playing for Les Lions Panarea (Aristide Faggionato, Dillon Bacon, Barto Castagnola, Tommy Beresford), Bacon and his team defeated Talandracas (Edouard Carmignac, Nick Rogerson, Francisco Elizalde, Camilo Castagnola) 10-6.
The match began close but Les Lions Panarea obtained a three-goal advantage from the second chukker and held onto it until the end of the match. Dillon scored one goal and took the Most Valuable Player Award - Team Owner. In the semifinals, Les Lions Panarea beat Marquard Media by a narrow one-goal margin 9-8.
“It means a lot to win this tournament!” Beresford said. “After a strange few months, I don’t think there was any better way for my European season to finish. Everyone at the club was saying that this was the most competitive year in the history of the tournament, so that definitely makes it feel extra special.” Beresford scored four goals in the final and performed well throughout the tournament, helping Les Lions to go undefeated with five victories. Beresford was also among the top scorers with 32 goals, the same amount as teammate Barto Castagnola.
“Outside of England the Open de France is definitely one of the most prestigious tournaments I have won,” Beresford continued. “I have also been lucky enough to win the Gold Cup in Spain, the USPA Gold Cup® in Wellington, Florida (2018 with Valiente), and the Abierto de San Cristobal in Chile.”
Playing against his brother Camilo, Barto Castagnola’s european season ended with a strong finish in the Open de France with Les Lions. "We had an amazing season, Dillon Bacon and I,” Barto Castagnola said. “We played four tournaments, reached all four finals, and won two tournaments so this was a nice way to end the season.” The 2020 Open de France was the highest rated it has ever been in the 20 years it has been played. "It's the first time we've come to play in France,” Castagnola said. “The fields were amazing, the venue was great, and the tournament was very competitive. All the teams were very good and the matches were very close.”
All photos ©Guadalupe Aizaga-CLICKPOLOUSA.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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