Mon 18th May 2026Golden Goal Win for Juan Pepa Cibao La Pampa/Murus Sanctus victorious at The Justerini & Brooks Prince of Wales Trophy
Cibao La Pampa/Murus Sanctus claimed The Justerini & Brooks Prince of Wales Trophy after edging Jindal Steel/La Dolfina 9-8 in a dramatic extra chukka Final at The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on Saturday 16 May.
One of the most prestigious tournaments of the English high-goal season and the first of the 22 goal Victor Ludorum tournaments, the competition featured 12, 22 goal teams with the Final delivering a closely fought contest between two well-mounted and tactically strong sides.
Jindal Steel/La Dolfina, led by Adolfo Cambiaso, started the stronger of the two teams and quickly established control in the opening stages. Goals from Cambiaso and Gonzalo Ferrari helped them move ahead early, but Cibao La Pampa/Murus Sanctus gradually settled into the game through the tireless work of Paco de Narváez Jr and Carlos Ulloa. By the end of the fourth chukka, the scores were level at 5-5.
Jindal Steel/ La Dolfina regained momentum in the fifth chukka, taking back the advantage 8-7 thanks to the attacking pressure of Cambiaso and Ferrari, who both finished with three goals apiece, while Rufino Merlos added two. However, Cibao La Pampa/Murus Sanctus refused to let the match slip away. A determined final chukka saw them equalise once again at 8-8, forcing the game into extra time.
With momentum now on their side, it was Juan Pepa who produced the decisive moment. Breaking quickly towards goal in the extra chukka, Pepa converted a fairytale winning goal to seal a hard-fought 9-8 victory and secure the title for Cibao La Pampa/Murus Sanctus.
A truly thrilling Final to watch, both sides produced some crowd-pleasing, open and fast polo. Cudmore was later named Most Valuable Player for his influential all-round performance throughout the Final. An incredible start to the season for the team who will go on to play The Cartier Queen’s Cup, starting this week, with the same line-up.
The Best Playing Pony Award went to Antu Wallung Rumba, played by Paco de Narváez Jr.
The Justerini & Brooks Prince of Wales Trophy Final Teams:
Cibao La Pampa / Murus Sanctus (22): Juan Pepa (2), Carlos Ulloa (7), Paco de Narváez Jr (8) & Ollie Cudmore (5)
Jindal Steel / La Dolfina (22): Naveen Jindal (0), Rufino Merlos (6), Gonzalo Ferrari (7) & Adolfo Cambiaso (9)
Photograph: Cibao La Pampa/ Murus Sanctus in an extra chukka victory for The Justerini & Brooks Prince of Wales Trophy. Courtesy of RCBPC
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