Reports
Polo Rider Cup
Polo Park Zürich Prevail
T
he inaugural Polo Rider Cup was a success on so many levels, from the teams and players entered, to the wordwide coverage and viewer access, there were no holds barred for this tournament at Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly. 12 teams competed over the course of 10 days, with the Final between Polo Park Zürich and Deauville International Polo Club. Polo Park Zürich dominated their first two qualifying matches with an impressive 11-6 win against Moscow Polo Club kicking off their tournament journey; their goal scoring spree lessened over the days and their last two matches before the Final saw them secure wins by just one goal. Deauville International Polo Club enjoyed some similarly stonking wins, with a 10-3 victory over Las Brisas Polo Club in the early rounds and were no doubt feeling confident going into the Final.
12 teams from eight countries compete in inaugural Polo Rider Cup
Finals day dawned with a 6-5 win for Hong Kong Association against Empire Polo Club of Coachella Valley in the Subsidiary Final, with the winning goal scored by Thierry Vetois. The main event of the day, the Final between Polo Park Zürich and Deauville International Polo Club began with evenly matched play between the two teams in the first two chukkas, with Polo Park Zürich only managing to gain a one goal lead. However, the third chukka saw Polo Park Zürich begin to dominate the match, extending their lead to 7-3, while the fourth chukka resulted in zero goals for Deauville International Polo Club, while their opponents continued to streak ahead with a further three goals, taking their lead to a seemingly indomitable 10-3. The fifth and final chukka saw Polo Park Zürich ease off the gas and Deauville International Polo Club’s 15-year-old Ulysse
FINAL
10 20 JU
N
JUN
Where: Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, France Eisenchteter scored his second goal of the match, but it wasn’t enough and Polo Park Zürich ran out the winners with a score of 10-4.
Polo Rider Cup winners, Polo Park Zürich
24
Polo Times, July 2021
www.polotimes.co.uk