For a few days, even the horses were eyeing the thermometer with suspicion. In Chantilly, the Barnes Polo Nations Cup had to put its gallop on hold, caught out by a heatwave that disrupted far more than just match schedules. Now the mercury has dropped, the mallets have found their rhythm again and the tournament is entering its week of truth.
Even before the authorities pulled out the ban on outdoor sporting competitions during the red alert, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly had already rewritten its plan. Matches had been moved to dawn or evening in order to protect both horses and players. That organisation was eventually halted by the prefectural order, before competition was able to resume in recent days.
Île-de-France dethrones the champions
The first to regain its rhythm was the OniriQ Ladies Polo Nations Cup. After a compressed schedule designed to make up for lost time, the women’s tournament delivered its verdict on Sunday morning.
Hauts-de-France Yves Delorme, the defending champions, long believed they could hold on to their crown. But Île-de-France had decided to write a different story. At the end of a final fought all the way to the last chukker, the Paris-region side claimed a 3-2 victory.
“Despite the low number of goals and a very competitive Hauts-de-France team, we managed to stay the course until the end. Above all, it was a collective victory. Of course, playing with my sister is a joy, but Esther opened the scoring and I knew Megan would always be there when I carried the ball,” Pearl Venot savoured after the final whistle.
A little earlier, Brittany had secured third place by beating Normandy and left with the Yves Delorme Cup.
The French vineyards head back to the cellar
In the men’s competition, or rather the mixed competition, where Isabelle Larenaudie still leads Occitanie with the ambition of retaining her title, the restart was not short on suspense.
Before the interruption, only one team had already stamped its ticket to the semi-finals: Occitanie, flawless with four wins from four matches.
Behind them, nothing had been decided. In Zone A, PACA, Belgium and Switzerland had to be separated… by penalty shots. A lottery in which the Provençaux held their nerve best to join the defending champions in the final four.
Zone B did not hold back either. Normandy swept Champagne aside 10-4, while Italy dominated Burgundy 11-6. A bad day for the French vineyards, whose two representatives left the stage at the same time.
The final sprint can begin
After a pause dictated by exceptional weather, the Barnes Polo Nations Cup is finally back to its normal rhythm. The calculations are over, the semi-finals are known and the tournament can now let the game do the talking.
Next stop: the mythical Terrain d’Honneur on Friday for a final that promises a fine closing bouquet. An ideal conclusion for an edition that has already had to deal with an unexpected opponent: the thermometer.
(Photos © Polo Club Chantilly/Justine jacquemot)
