TOURNAMENT SPOTLIGHT
THE HARRIMAN CUP
The 2019 season culminated in an exciting weekend of polo at Myopia, featuring highscoring games, young players making their mark and a festive party atmosphere provided by Visit Barbados. by Bill Burke
T PHOTOGRAPHS BY
JACQUELINE MILLER
the 2019 season was sent off in style on the last weekend of September—under conditions perfect for tailgating and polo—with an additional match preceding an alumni game pitting Yale University against the University of Virginia to decide the winner of the 35th Harriman Cup. The Virginia side was made up of Merrall Echezarreta, Nick Barry, Simon ColloredoMansfeld and Myopia-member and the
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youngest player on the field, Reed Miller. The Yale team included Jim DeAngelis, Sam Clemens, Patrick Marinelli (coach and manager of the Yale polo program), Seppi Colloredo-Mansfeld, Chelsea Messinger and Leila Chang. The four-chukker feature match started quickly under bright skies and with sidelines packed by spectators, alumni and families. With a one-goal handicap, Yale jumped into the lead by scoring in the first minute of play—putting the team up by two. Virginia answered, however, getting on the board and within one. With the game tied in the final chukker, Simon Colloredo-Mansfeld scored a penalty conversion with just seven seconds left in regulation to put Virginia on top, 5-4. The Best Playing Pony was presented to Reed Miller’s Mistica, and Yale’s Sam Clemens was named the Most Valuable Player. It was a day of recognition, however, with awards being presented for Best Tailgate, Best Hat and Best Dressed Man and Woman. Players for both teams were also presented with trophies at the end of the closely-contested match. After the game, Myopia’s Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld—captain of Myopia Polo and a longtime equestrian—was honored with the 2019 Harriman Cup Award. As a supporter of the Yale, Virginia and Harvard polo programs, Mansfeld saw two of his sons, Seppi and Simon, compete for the Harriman Cup that afternoon, and his daughter, Annie, compete in the captain’s match. More than 800 spectators lined the pitch at Gibney Field, with more than 300 packed into the pavilion for a celebration sponsored by Visit Barbados. Participants enjoyed island delicacies prepared by a Barbadian chef, sipped cocktails crafted by a mixologist from the island and danced to festive music while enjoying premium seating for the exciting match. Also that same day, Longmeadow faced Del Rancho/Black Oak in a game that saw Myopia members play a key role in a high-scoring game. Longmeadow players Reed Miller, Estani Puch, C.B. Scherer and Manuel Mazzocchi took on
