The 50th International Polo Tournament Silver & Gold Cups

from Polo Times Sept 21

by Edit

Passions: Charles Whittington

The medium goal Terralpa Silver Cup Final winners, John Smith Ayala

Sotogrande

Silver & Gold Cups Terralpa Silver Cup Finals

Photography by Matias Callejo John Smith vs Cibao La Pampa

Friday 13 is considered unlucky by most, but not for John Smith Ayala who enjoyed a 14-11 win against Cibao La Pampa in the medium goal Terralpa Silver Cup Final at Santa María Polo Club.

Despite a descending fog, John Smith Ayala dominated the fi rst chukka, however Cibao La Pampa managed to level the scores and even managed to tie; yet going into the last chukka John Smith Ayala managed to widen and maintain their advantage to secure the trophy. Alejandro Muzzio was named Most Valuable Player while Dolfi na Minifalda, played by Patricio Cieza and owned by Adolfo Cambiaso was the Best Playing Pony.

The following day, Saturday 14 August, The Terralpa Silver Cup came to an end with the high goal Final between BN Polo and Ayala, the tournament marks the second phase of the 50th International Polo Tournament. The fi rst two chukkas had the spectators on the edge of their seats as both teams exchanged goals to tie 5-5, however BN Polo took a two goal lead in the third chukka, with Ayala closing the gap with a goal of their own. Ayala managed to fi nd their form in the

The high goal Terralpa Silver Cup Final winners, Ayala

second half, producing fi ve unanswered goals. While BN Polo tried to get back onto the scoreboard, Ayala managed to hold them at bay and with Polito Pieres (later named Most Valuable Player) scoring 10 goals in total for Ayala, they lifted the cup high. Fanta, played by Pieres and owned by Juan Martín Nero was the Best Playing Pony, while Lavinia Cautiva, played by Hilario Ulloa, was the Best Argentine Bred Pony.

The Medium Goal Terralpa Silver Cup Final Teams:

John Smith Ayala (14): Gabriel Aguirre (0), Gregorio Gelosi (4), Alejandro Muzzio (8) & Nicolás Álvarez (2) Cibao La Pampa (14): Juan Pepa (1), Patricio Neves (4), Patricio Cieza (6) & Jorge Pepa (3)

The High Goal Terralpa Silver Cup Final Teams:

Ayala (20): Iñigo Zobel (0), Benjamín Panelo (5) (replaced by Mackenzie Weisz (4) in the fourth chukka), Santiago Laborde (6) & Pablo Pieres (9) BN Polo (20): Babar Nassem (0), Marcos Araya (6), Hilario Ulloa (10) & Pelayo Berazadi (4)

This weekend of 27 – 29 August saw The 50th Anniversary International Polo Tournament at Santa María Polo Club come to an end, with the Finals of both the high and medium Gold Cups.

On Friday 27 August, the medium goal Gold Cup Final was played between John Smith Ayala and Nairobi; overall the match was fairly even throughout the six chukkas, although twice John Smith Ayala managed to gain a three goal lead, but Nairobi worked had to bring the scores level again. Although Alejandro Muzzio (John Smith Ayala) and Juan Zubiaurre (Nairobi) were the two most decisive players in the Final, it was Gabriel Aguirre who took the ball at the decisive moment and scored the winning goal, securing the 9-8 win for John Smith Ayala; this adds to their Silver Cup win earlier in the series.

The tournament continued on Saturday 28 August, with the high goal Gold Cup Final between Marqués de Riscal and Ayala, which marked the end of the tournament. Marqués de Riscal got off to a strong start, ending the chukka with a comfortable 5-1 lead; halfway through the second chukka an injury forced Benjamín Panelo to retire from the match (he is now recovering well in hospital) and was replaced by Mackenzie Weisz, after which Ayala slowly began to gain momentum. Both teams put up a tough fi ght in the last two chukkas, but Marqués de Riscal’s strong defence overcame the scoring attempts of Ayala, and Marqués de Riscal secured the win, 14-10.

The High Goal Gold Cup Final Teams:

Marqués de Riscal (19): Cruz Heguy (4), Santiago Cernadas (6), Guillermo Caset (9) & Alejandro Aznar (0)) Ayala (20): Iñigo Zobel (0) (replaced by Roberto Iturrioz in the fi fth chukka), Benjamín Panelo (5) (replaced by Mackenzie Weisz, 4, in the second chukka), Santiago Laborde 6 (3), Pablo Pieres 9 (6). Total: 20.

The Medium Goal Gold Cup Final Teams:

John Smith Ayala (14): Gabriel Aguirre (0), Gregorio Gelosi (4), Alejandro Muzzio (8) & Nicolás Álvarez (2) Nairobi (14): Grace Cariss (0), Hernan Pieres (3), Santiago Schweitzer (5) & Juan Zubiaurre (6)