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the
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Shandur Polo Festival This photograph shows action on the highest polo ground in the world, in the Shandur Pass in northern Pakistan. At 3,738 metres above sea level, the pass is entirely covered in snow in winter but the ground begins to re-emerge from its hibernation about now, as the spring blossoms. By mid-summer, the ground is ready for polo. The Shandur Polo Festival runs in early July, attracting thousands of spectators from the nearby Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan regions. But this is no normal polo. Teams are six-a-side and the matches typically last an hour, with very few stoppages, owing to the fact that they have no umpires. The only scheduled break in play is a 10-minute interval at half-time. There are always at least three or four reserve players in attendance as well, in case of injury, such is the raw, physical nature of their contests ◗ Photographer Mark Pearson was drawn to capture the unique spectacle of the high-altitude event last year by its legendary status. See more of what he can do at www.puritapictureagency.com. Contact the agency directly by speaking to Andy Green on 07795 608941 ◗ Read about polo’s revival in Southern Pakistan on page 74
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Feature
Interview – Nacho Gonzalez
Nacho
Nacho man
St Moritz’s most valuable player tells Georgie May how he believes his Argentine name has held him back from playing for England and also suggests that the time has come to raise the level of high-goal polo in the UK in order to help bring on more British pros How did you come to play with patron François Le Barazer at St Moritz? I had a call about three weeks before the tournament asking whether I’d like to join the French side, after Russia pulled out. Oli Hipwood and François have played a lot before and Oli put the team together. Oscar Mancini was going to be out there anyway, as he was renting his ponies out, so he was asked too. What makes a winning combination on the snow? You need physical players and good ball skill. Good ponies are vital too. They need to be very strong and fast. Because of the altitude they can tire more easily and need at least a game to become acclimatised. Oscar’s ponies, who mounted the French team, had arrived straight from Klosters so that already gave us a game advantage ahead of the rest. Will you be playing for Emlor this season? Yes, I’ll be playing for Spencer McCarthy’s team for the fifth season. We’ll be playing the Queen’s Cup again but, this year, with Mark and Luke Tomlinson. It should be a great team and very competitive. Emlor have won the 20-goal Warwickshire Cup 22
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for the past two years so it would be great to win that for the third year running. Last season, I played for Roger Carlson’s Billingbear Park – where I am based with my 14 ponies – in the Cowdray Gold Cup.
“If you don’t get to five or six goals you are going to struggle to live comfortably” I’m not sure yet what his plans are for this season. There don’t appear to be that many slots available for English pros to find work in the 22-goal season at the moment so we’ll see what happens. You made your Coronation Cup debut for England in 2007, but do you think you should have been on the team before then? Yes I think I probably should have been, especially when I was on seven-goals and I wasn’t picked. But the HPA did give me a chance in the end and it was great to play against Chile, particularly as it was in memory of my great friend Gabriel Donoso. It would be good to play the Cartier again and compete on the big stage in front of so many spectators, but it’s difficult with
Luke Tomlinson and myself both playing back. I played with Luke in the 20-goal last year and he played at three but, at the higher level, he prefers to play at four. I’ve spoken to him about it in the past but it’s not his decision. The England management team and coaching staff make that call. What’s the background to your name, as I’m sure it was the cause of many a raised eyebrow when on the England teamsheet? My father’s Argentine and my mother is English. I grew up here, went to school in Cowdray and took up polo 21 years ago, when I was 14-years-old, playing at Ham at weekends. So I’m totally English as far as I am concerned. But, it’s true – when I first reached seven-goals in 2000 and there was a chance to play for England, I think perhaps my name may have held me back. I remember speaking to the late Bryan Morrison who said that it was difficult to choose me for the team for that very reason. That was 11 years ago. Nowadays it u Right: Nacho in action, playing for the victorious France team en route to lifting the St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow for the third time and scooping the plaudits as the final’s most valuable player
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Report
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27th St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow, Switzerland
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Allez les Franglais A very Anglophiled “France” team packed with familiar faces swept to success on the snow in the first year of the reconstituted St Moritz competition in January, beating Great Britain in the final, after Switzerland blew their chance at the title in bizarre circumstances
Georgie May in Switzerland
France Great Britain
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I
n a tough and tense game, François Le Barazer’s team France defeated Great Britain by one goal, 5-4, in the final of the 2011 St Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow at the end of January. With only a few months to put the tournament together, after the organisers gave the tournament the go-ahead in Left: Oscar Mancini, Oli Hipwood, François Le Barazer and Nacho Gonzalez celebrate victory for France
October having originally pulled the plug on it in June, the inaugural “Nations Cup” format went down well with players and spectators alike. Despite the last-minute organisation and a drop in handicap from 22-goal in previous years to 15-18-goal with the new format, the tournament was hailed by its seasoned visitors as a success. “Even given the lower level of polo, the event was one of the best,” Tony Ramirez told Polo Times, photographing the event for the eighth time. “All the patrons and players were happy and they didn’t have any pressure from big sponsors. There were no corporate VIPs, too, so the event was more relaxed for everyone involved. The tournament was very well organised and the final was well attended.” For the first time, teams represented their patron’s country of origin, instead of one of the main sponsors. But, since it was
only compulsory that the patrons be of that nationality, the tournament included the predictable crop of Argentines, as well as two Englishmen on the French side. In fairness to the French patron, Le Barazer only had three weeks to throw his team together after Russia pulled out, which makes it even more remarkable that they won. Oli Hipwood was instrumental in forming the team, bringing together Most valuable player
Nacho Gonzalez good friend Nacho Gonzalez and Berkshire-based Argentine Oscar Mancini to play alongside him and their patron. Great Britain fielded an all-British quartet. Recent newcomer to polo Vivek Rawal – who only took up riding two years u Polo Times, March 2011
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Knowledge
Know your game
Must-have tips for players – from Jamie Peel, three-goal pro and 2008 Gold Cup winner
Better budgeting March and April are notoriously difficult months for many professionals. The horses are coming back into work and your expenses are going through the roof but you might not be playing and, as a result, your earnings can be very low. Managing your money is key to successfully running your polo as a profitable business. It is important to have a budget for the year and to stick to it. Having money coming in on a regular basis is vital but it is not easy to achieve. During the winter months, playing jobs abroad are few and far between so you need to be well organised. If you have a contract with a team or patron, life is much easier – you firstly agree the amount of money that you are going to get paid and then you can put a payment plan in place so that you know when your money is going to come through. This will make a big difference. However, you might be playing for more than one team, which many people do and, as a result, you will have no control as to when the money will arrive. As a young player, you will more often than not be making your deal with the main professional on the team and this can make life difficult when it comes to invoice time. You must get everything clear and, if you can get some written
expenses. Polo's sports psychologist Miranda Banks (see below) has been working closely with many professional polo players since 2008 and she will tell you that the more organised you are off the field the better you will perform on it. Trust me, she’s right! Polo's oracle Julie Crocker, is responsible for organising 90 per cent of the top professionals based in Cowdray. Her advice is to be realistic when budgeting for the year and always to work within your financial capacity and do not forget your own personal expenses (e.g. phone, fuel, food and home). Here are Julie's other reminders for what to remember when creating your budget:
Players budgeting for the year have a lot to take into account and should be realistic about their expenses
confirmation in either an email, text or letter, then you will have some security if there is ever a problem. Playing fees are not the only source of revenue that a professional has but it is the most important as it supplies you with cash flow throughout the year. An amateur will have the same running costs as a professional: the farrier, feed, shavings, stables, vet and grooms all have to be paid every month so it is vital that your cash flow can support your
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Winter livery Deposit for stabling Grooms’ visas and flights Club membership Payroll expenses Employers and public liability Insurance 7. Farrier (summer and winter) 8. Transport 9. Vet (teeth, vaccinations and injuries) 10. General expenses (feed, hay, shavings, wormers) & A subscription to Polo Times (ed)!
Mind games Mind games Min Sports psychologist Miranda Banks on what polo players need to think about to optimise
Spring has sprung and the summer season approaches. As thoughts turn to forming teams for this summer, what goals are reasonable to create amongst a new side? Naturally, in a competitive sport you always must maintain the goal 66
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of winning, but be specific about it: what is your team going to stand for and how will that be achieved? Once you have established your style, which are the “must-win” events and how can you best prepare collectively to ensure you www.polotimes.co.uk
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Know your game
Fit for purpose James de Mountfort, polo player and personal trainer to the Red Bull F1 Racing Team reveals the exercises and techniques that will specifically help your polo While the forces players have to deal with in polo are different from Formula One, the benefits of training to improve fitness are just as valuable: improved fitness helps sustain optimum performances for longer during exercise, leading to improved hand eye co-ordination, faster reaction speeds, less fatigue and so better tactical choices under pressure.
Knowledge
Avoiding injury Essential tips, by the game’s go-to expert, Linda Byrne As discussed last month, exercising many muscle groups simultaneously with synchronised movements develops basic motor patterns, maximises strength and fitness gains specifically for polo, and can thus help you avoid injury.
Fitter players are better placed to deal with the game’s huge physical elements. Not only does your ability to recover from injuries increase the fitter you are, but you can help avoid them in the first place by strength and conditioning to avoid the common muscle imbalances that go with playing a unilateral game (where one side of the body is under different stresses and a separate workload from the other). Devising the correct programme for achieving this goal is what I will begin in the next issue. ◗ Contact James on 07949 455712 or james@personally-trained.co.uk to put together your own regime to get you fit for purpose.
The “box jump” provides an almost total body workout regardless of your level of fitness. Begin with a small box or step until your confidence grows: • Stand upright in front of a box or step with feet directly under the hips and hands by your side
Mind games Mind games their performances. This month – setting your side reasonable goals
give yourselves every chance? Then, more specifically, think about what should be each player’s own personal targets and how they can be measured at various points during the season. www.polotimes.co.uk
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Regular reviews, effective training methods and clear expectations are going to be essential. ◗ Contact Miranda on 07789 933936 and miranda@mirandabanks.com
• Looking straight ahead, lower yourself into a jumping position by bending your knees and hips, keeping your back straight at all times • Swing your arms and explosively jump onto the box or step, making sure you bring your feet up higher in order to clear the edge • Both feet should land softly and completely on the box or step. Then step down slowly. • Repeat 10-15 times • Do the whole set three times ◗ Linda Byrne is an equestrian and extreme sports biomechanics fitness specialist. Contact her on 07535 655338 and lindabyrne23@gmail.com Polo Times, March 2011
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Tell us yours at gossip@polotimes.co.uk
New look
for England
Having broken the news in the last issue that Joules would be taking over from Crew as the suppliers of the official England Polo Team shirts this summer, we can now give subscribers an exclusive first look at the new design.
Joule, CEO of Joules, and the collection is also set to include hoodies, gilets, jackets and kit bags as well as the shirt. All will be available for purchase by fans and supporters worldwide, so the look will not be limited to the members of the England squad alone.
“The England team have been involved in the design process,” said Tom
The Thorneloe legacy lives on
Vestey family preparing to welcome three new arrivals Polo Times is delighted to learn of the news that John Paul and Nina Clarkin (née Vestey), pictured right, are expecting their first child, that Tamara Vestey has become engaged to her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years, George Fox, and that Ben Vestey and his wife Chloe (née Sievwright) are looking forward to the birth of their first baby in April. Nina has had a bun in the aga since late October, hence why she hasn’t been seen in any high-profile action on the polo field since early November, when she took part in the Lady Luck Ladies’ International at Riverlands Polo Club near Sydney. “We definitely want a family,” said Nina to Polo Times editor James Mullan in an interview back in August. “The next few years will be split mainly between the UK and New Zealand but we’re hoping to put down slightly more permanent roots soon, though we are still arguing over where that will be!”
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Toby Addison is the 11-year-old we featured as a promising player for the future on the junior page in the last issue. He received the inaugural Rupert Thorneloe Trophy at the Pony Club Championships last August and, unbeknownst to us until now, has spent the whole year endeavouring to “fill the cup with cash” as he raises money for the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal Fund, the regiment Rupert Thorneloe was in command of when he was killed by an explosion in July 2009.
knee and producing a simply beautiful ring. I immediately burst into tears because, though I was looking anything but my best, it was actually extremely romantic. “It’s funny, too – because, while I live in Foxcote, and run Foxy Ladies Catering [and play for a polo team of the same name], I suppose it’s fitting that I’m marrying a man with the surname Fox! We’ve set the date for 3 September this year.”
“By the time Toby hands the cup back in late July, he’s hoping to have raised more than £2,000,” said his father Paul. “He’s hosting a fundraiser at school and Sussex Polo Club have very kindly agreed to a tournament in Rupert Thorneloe’s memory on Sunday 3 July.”
Quote of the month
Anyone wishing to make a donation can contact his father directly, on 07776 253907.
“I’d love to say I’m off somewhere exciting but it’s just back to Hollywood I’m afraid.” Ebe Sievwright, back to his best – see page 39
Look-a-likes
Paul Knights and Matthew Broderick
Photograph by Gillian Hughes
George Fox planned to pop the question to Tamara Vestey over Christmas but the disruption caused by the snow delayed his opportunity until early in the new year, as Tamara explains: “I’d just dragged all the shopping out of the car into our kitchen at Honey Barn in Foxcote, Gloucestershire,” she told us. “George asked if I wanted my Christmas present, and proceeded to blindfold me before getting down on one
Meanwhile, fellow polo shirt supplier Kukri has had 80 per cent of the company bought out by UK high-street sports retailers JD Sports in a deal reportedly worth well in excess of £1million. The remaining 20 per cent stays with existing group managing director, Phil Morris.
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Sidelines Sidelines
The huge 10-goal trophy provides the decorative centrepiece for the Ocho Rios table
Catherine Turner, Roy Prisk and Dani Rodger
Tim Bown and Katie Jones
Max Charlton
HPA National Club Championships RCBPC – 30 January 2011
Late but great Winning patron in the 10-goal section, Ocho Rios’s Simon Holley James Scott and Greta Morrison Winning patron in the 10-goal section, Ocho Rios’s Simon Holley UberPolo’s Leigh-Anne Moore with Chris Davies
UberPolo’s Winning patron Leigh-in the Anne 10-goal Moore section, with Ocho Tristan and boyfriend Rios’s Simon ChrisHolley ??? Ryan Pemble
For the second year in succession, January’s guests at the HPA National Arena Club Championships eventually sat down to “lunch” in the warmth of the Berkshire’s marquee as darkness set in. Most didn’t tuck into their main course until around 6pm, after the conclusion of the presentations for the 15-goal final of the tournament. However, the lunch proved to be worth waiting for. Main sponsors the HPA entertained a number of VIPs and selected members of the media, and the association was thanked generously by Berkshire polo manager Michael Amoore for its support. Amoore began his vote of thanks with a convincing impression of Colin Firth’s stuttering monarch in The King’s Speech, possibly worth an Oscar in itself, and which certainly had some guests worried they would wait even longer for their pudding than they’d had to for their Beef Florentine. However, he quickly recovered before inviting members of the final teams in each handicap bracket to say a few words themselves. w See also page 42
Tom House and James Mullan
Jamie Le Hardy
John Rendall, Danica Thrall, and Cold Smoke seven-goaler Jamie Morrison
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Berkshire’s Louisa Crofton shows off her engagement ring with fiancé Seb Dawnay
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