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[drama] Catch up with all the latest action from around the world

Polo triumphed over the elements to provide a genuinely memorable climax 46 Aiken

Whitney Field celebrated its 125th anniversary. Plus coverage of the Triple Crown of Polo and USPA Silver Cup 48 China

The world’s most populous nation is poised to embrace a game with ancient national connections

Chile emerged victorious from a hard-fought battle with Peru

Clare Milford Haven falls in love with Argentina all over again 56 Sardinia

Porto Cervo provided a glamorous setting for some seriously competitive action 58 Careyes

Snow polo offers skill, excitement and romance in stylish surroundings 62 California

Fires couldn’t prevent the USPA Arena Championship from putting on a show 63 Women’s polo

The Don Manuel International Ladies Tournament goes from strength to strength

The standard of polo at the Tortugas, Hurlingham and Argentine Opens made up for this year’s poor weather, writes Jorge Andrades

As was the case in 2005, La Dolfina JaegerLeCoultre beat Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra in the final of the Argentine Open and frustrated their dream of obtaining the Triple Crown in an amazing high-handicap season in Argentina. Most polo followers expected that Ellerstina’s Pieres and MacDonough brothers, who are cousins, would take revenge for their hard defeat of two years before. But Adolfo Cambiaso’s quartet again showed their skills, winning the decisive encounter and triumphing once again.

La Dolfina did not play high-class polo during most of the season, but they won the matches they needed to and that was enough for them. Mariano Aguerre, who was by far the best player in the title match at the ‘Cathedral of Polo’ stadium in Buenos Aires, said at the start of the Argentine Open: ‘We never begin the season well in the fight for the Triple Crown. In the Tortugas Open we are always a disaster. Then we improve in Hurlingham, but we put our minds and efforts towards winning the Open at Palermo. This is our obsession. A triumph there means we are happy for a whole year. It does not matter if we win or not outside Argentina in the following nine months.’

Aguerre described the situation exactly, as La Dolfina lost their game against Ellerstina in the Tortugas Open semi-finals, which were played in Palermo due to the bad state of fields at Tortugas after heavy rain in Buenos Aires. La Dolfina put up an unexpectedly poor performance and were soon eliminated. Ellerstina went on to win the tournament, the first stage of the Triple Crown.

In the opening round of the Hurlingham Open, the team from Canuelas, La Dolfina, easily defeated debutants Santa Maria de Lobos who entered the tournament through qualifying matches. Then they outclassed El Paraiso to face Chapa Uno Toyota in the semi-final, putting in their best performance so far to win the game in the last chukka.

Nevertheless, they lost the final to Ellerstina, who defeated them for the second time in the season. Cambiaso had to be replaced by Brazilian Rodrigo Andrade during a couple of chukkas because of a muscle injury in his right leg. For some reason, his team played better without the world’s best player and managed to narrow the goals difference. In spite of this, their opponents played excellent polo and deservedly prevailed in the second tournament of the Triple Crown.

A week after the Hurlingham final, Cambiaso was not sure if he would be able to play in the first match at Palermo. But he tried out his leg a few days before the start of the Argentine Open, and thanks to massage and therapy he was ready to face Alegria Park Hyatt whom La Dolfina demolished 14-7. They then won 15-14 against an El Paraiso Polo Team that badly missed Sebastian Merlos, but the difference between the teams was more than one goal.

In the final game for the A zone, Cambiaso’s quartet had no problem defeating Chapa Uno Toyota 18-15, putting up a

convincing performance in the first six chukkas, during which they took a decisive lead. In this match the winners again showed that they play their best polo under pressure when they need a good result –and they became serious candidates for the final against Ellerstina.

With ‘Dolfi’ (as Cambiaso is known to his friends) cured of his physical problems, his team looked good for the final. But the blackshirted Ellerstina had reached the decisive encounter unbeaten, making them favourites by the time they reached the finals.

The team had scored brilliant triumphs against Chapa Uno Toyota and then, as mentioned previously, against La Dolfina in the Tortugas Open, after which, playing below form, they beat El Paraiso Polo Team in an extra chukka to capture the tournament.

At Hurlingham, Ellerstina continued their unbeaten stretch, defeating Alegria Park Hyatt 21-9. A week later, they beat La Aguada Arelauquen 20-18 in an excellent

1 Regional band from Salta province below the new electronic message board 2 Adolfo Cambiaso being chased at speed by Gonzalito Pieres 3 Facundo Pieres (centre), playing No 3 for the first time, advances upfield followed by his teammates and the opposition

match decided in the last chukka after tying 17-17 at the end of the seventh. Indios Chapaleufu II Culu Culu were their victims in the decisive game in the B zone with a 20-16 triumph, leading most polo followers to judge them the best team of the season.

Bolstered by these results and their good play, the Pieres and MacDonoughs started to dream of the Triple Crown, as they had done in 2005, when they had been close to victory but lost to La Dolfina in the final of the Argentine Open in an extra chukka. Two years later, after a forgettable 2006 when they failed to repeat that spectacular performance, the Ellerstina players looked more mature, with their superb horses and improved individual skills that made them natural candidates to take revenge.

Facundo Pieres, Ellerstina’s best player this season and the top scorer in the Argentine Open with 36 goals, admitted after the decisive Hurlingham Open win: ‘We won two important tournaments, but we want the glory at Palermo.’

The black-shirted squad started the championship at the ‘Cathedral of Polo’ by outclassing Santa Maria de Lobos 21-10and then demolished La Aguada Arelauquen, who needed to win as they had lost their previous encounter against Indios Chapaleufu II. Nevertheless, Ellerstina gave the Novillo Astrada brothers a real polo lesson to win 18-11 in one of the season’s best matches.

Inspired by their performances so far, Ellerstina easily beat Indios Chapaleufu II 16-11in the last and deciding game in the B zone, and reached their third straight final.

The stage was set for the Argentine Open final. Ellerstina were going for the Triple Crown while La Dolfina were playing for their third championship in a row to equal Indios Chapaleufu I’s 1991 to 1993 record and gain their fourth title since the team was born in 2001.

The sold-out final was played in front of 17,000 spectators who never moved in spite of rain during the first chukka. Cambiaso’s squad did things better than their rivals and managed to stay ahead for most of the game. After a couple of level scores in the last two chukkas, it came down to an extra chukka, just as in the last three finals. Lucas Monteverde scored the decisive goal at the Avenida del Libertador end – curiously the same end at which Lolo Castagnola and Adolfo Cambiaso respectively had scored their goals to give La Dolfina the titles in 2005 and 2006.

There had been many rumours about changes in the tournaments. (By the way, Ellerstina officially announced Matias MacDonough’s replacement by Juan Martin Nero who will leave Chapa Uno.) There was talk of Bautista Heguy moving from Chapa Uno to La Dolfina, but after their great result at Palermo, would it be possible?

According to early speculation, the ‘big six’ teams all seemed to have an equal and fair chance to win the Triple Crown, but finally Ellerstina and La Dolfina shared the titles. So what of the rest?

The performance of La Aguada Arelauquen was far below that of 2003, when they won the Triple Crown. The Novillo Astrada brothers played below their handicaps and committed errors in defence (which had previously been one of their strong points). Miguel hardly found his rhythm and so they lacked an organiser. Their unconvincing performances led to one of their worst defeats at Palermo against

The stage was set for the Argentine Open final: Ellerstina were going for the Triple Crown while La Dolfina were playing for their third championship in a row to equal Indios Chapaleufu l’s record and gain their fourth title

Ellerstina, which eventually put them out of the tournament.

Chapa Uno are surely close to the end. The former Argentine Open multi-champions seem to have lost the ‘sacred fire’ which made them so good. Except, that is, for Bautista Heguy, who again showed what a great player he is, together with brother and teammate Marcos. Although they combined well in some matches, they were unable to put in convincing performances.

Meanwhile, Juan Martin Nero, playing most of the time as a lonely forward, did not have enough contact with the ball and therefore could not shine as he did when playing in the United States and England. Despite having played in the Argentine Open semi-final, the Heguys’ team played well below their former standard.

Indios Chapaleufu II Culu Culu started the season with Lucas Criado replacing Milo Fernandez Araujo, who had announced his retirement in 2006. After some mediocre team performances in Tortugas and Hurlingham, Lucas was injured when falling from his horse in the first match at Palermo, and could not play in the rest of the tournament. Milo came back to the line-up at number three, but he proved to be short of high-handicap competition. This was decisive for the team, which showed its well-known fighting spirit but without results.

El Paraiso Polo Team started the Tortugas Open with Sebastian Merlos suspended for three matches, but Ignacio Toccalino replaced him well and helped his teammates reach the final, which they lost to Ellerstina in an extra chukka. Then Sebastian returned for the first game of the Hurlingham Open but was again sent off and suspended for three months. Toccalino, with only a six-goal handicap, made a big effort in midfield but could not show Sebastian’s skill, and the team lost its chance to fight for a championship.

The polo season suffered from bad weather this year, which left the fields in a poor state. Indeed, the continuous rain during the Tortugas Open made the fields unplayable. On the other hand, the late cold spell and lack of rain conspired against Palermo, whose fields lacked good grass, thus preventing players from showing their skills with the ball.

Despite all this, the overall standard of polo was good. Ellerstina put up the best individual and collective play, followed by La Dolfina whose quality cannot be denied after winning the most important polo tournament in the world.

The ‘Cathedral’ stadium was refurbished with stands which replaced the old tents to give the teams, the sponsors and also the spectators more comfortable places to buy souvenirs, clothes and leather, or enjoy a drink after the matches. New stands were built at the number two field and VIP areas were installed for sponsors on top of the highest stands of the main field. Corridors were improved to make them more pleasant for spectators.

Palermo looked prettier than ever, but the Argentine polo association authorities promised to continue improvements, so it can do justice to the best polo in the world. Continuous rain during the Tortugas Open made the fields unplayable and the late cold spell and lack of rain conspired against Palermo whose fields lacked good grass, thus preventing players from showing their skills with the ball

1 Lucas Monteverde (left) shoots on goal watched by Pablo MacDonough and Adolfo Cambiaso (back) 2 On flying form: Pablo MacDonough went to 10 goals 3 MVP Mariano Aguerre receives the Argentine Open trophy from Juan Carlos Harriot 4 Coach Memo Gracida (in white hat) gives instructions to Ellerstina before the start of extra time

Sarah Eakin celebrates the 125th anniversary of the famous polo field and reports on the Triple Crown of Polo and USPA Silver Cup

Before the dust had settled following the departure of the USPA Gold Cup from the mushrooming polo facilities in Aiken, South Carolina, new tournaments had emerged to fill any potential void. Aiken was selected to host the third and final leg of the Triple Crown of Polo Championship series – a relatively new brand for polo that is televised worldwide on two ESPN channels.

Furthermore, the 302 Polo team was awarded the prestigious USPA Silver Cup, a tournament played as part of the newlyformed North American Polo League (NAPL).

Adam Snow and Owen Rinehart have been generally credited with the current renaissance of high-profile polo in Aiken. ‘Owen and I moved here some 12 years ago,’ recalls Snow about the area, where polo is now ‘bigger than any individual and has gathered a momentum of its own. To host tournaments like the Gold Cup and Silver Cup and bringing ESPN in [through the Triple Crown of Polo] brings interest and fans… Finally polo is getting into the sports pages where it deserves to be.’

Polo’s past, present and future were reflected in a season highlighted by Aiken Polo Club’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of Whitney Field – the field in longest continuous use in US polo history. As the historical legends of polo’s past graced the walls of the dedicated exhibition at the Aiken County Historical Museum –famous figures of the county’s polo legacy such as GH ‘Pete’ Bostwick, Tommy Hitchcock Jr, Devereux Milburn and Louis Stoddard – the next generation of American polo players was out on the playing field, competing in polo’s modern Triple Crown of Polo and the historic USPA Silver Cup. A strong showing of homegrown players included Tommy Biddle Jr (a protégé of the Aiken Polo Club), Nick Roldan and Jeff Hall (both aspiring young 8-goal players), Florida’s Kris Kampsen and polo’s modern-day US star Mike Azzaro, along with Rinehart and Snow.

Four teams threw down the gauntlet for the Aiken debut of the Triple Crown of Polo in a tournament set at the 22-goal level. Host team New Bridge was spearheaded by 2007’s new Stateside 10-goaler, Argentina’s Matias Magrini. Virginia’s Maureen Brennan launched a campaign on the Aiken high goal scene with the much-heralded return of an on-field Snow-Rinehart partnership for the 22-goal Goose Creek line up. Tres Hijas –the team of Texan Andy Stack – entered the fray with a husband and wife duo after Tommy Biddle’s wife Yvette was drafted in at the eleventh hour to substitute for Stack, confined to Texas on business. Christine Cato – a longtime supporter of the Aiken polo scene – entered her own team of Brigadoon, now the namesake for a new polo development in Aiken County (one of some 30-plus equestrian-related ventures).

The contest went down to the wire with all four teams in the running for a place in the finals when league matches came to a close. New Bridge and Tres Hijas prevailed, although neither team escaped incident en route to the finals. Magrini had apologised in the Aiken press for hitting his horse with a mallet in a preliminary game. He was fined $5,000 at the time by the tournament disciplinary committee and later suspended and put on probation by the USPA – the suspension resulting in the Pony Express team pulling out of the Silver Cup.

Tres Hijas’ participation had been touchand-go in the absence of their patron. They elected to play on without him and the decision paid off – their participation was rewarded with victory and TV glory. The Triple Crown of Polo final was to air in a first ever, two-hour polo special on ESPN2.

Tres Hijas trailed early, with a 4-0 deficit in the first chukka. Supported from the sidelines by fellow American Rinehart, they pulled ahead in the final chukka to win 11-9 despite some late power plays from Magrini. ‘I asked Owen to be there as moral support,’ said Azzaro, whose team sported an all-American line up. ‘American players need to come out and support each other. We all gave 150 per cent and listened well.’ Azzaro was recently lowered to a 9-goal handicap after 12 years as a 10-goal player, but has six US Open wins, four World Cup victories and two USPA Gold Cup triumphs to his name. ‘A win’s a win,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t make any difference playing one, two, three or four. Each has its own challenges.’ In Aiken, Azzaro was the commander – and he marshalled his troops to maximum effect. ‘The only way to have a champion team is to have one general,’ he said. ‘If the play doesn’t work, it’s my mistake. I talked a lot of discipline and defence into Kris [Kampsen] into shutting down Magrini.’

Arriving at the winners’ podium in the Lexus convertible, Azzaro emerged from underneath his three children and climbed on the podium for a family-themed presentation. Tommy and wife Yvette were joined by daughter Lauren as Tom Biddle Sr and his wife Linda looked on with pride. Kampsen cleaned the slate, taking Best Playing Pony and Most Valuable Player, and no one seemed happier for him than his former teammate Magrini, who had sold him the

1 Yvette and Tommy Biddle congratulate each other 2 Cote Zegers dribbles the ball through the goal 3 Winifield/Camo’s Tom Uskup on the ball in the USPA Silver Cup finals, followed by teammate Willie Hartnett, as Goose Creek’s Martin Zegers and Maureen Brennan defend 4 Mike Azzaro enjoys victory and salutes the crowd

BPP horse Averstruz – a name translating as ‘ostrich’ but who looked like a swan decked out in the Lexus Best Playing Pony blanket.

After a slightly lacklustre Triple Crown of Polo campaign, the USPA Silver Cup gave Goose Creek their chance to shine. Chile’s Martin Zegers was joined by younger brother Cote for the 19-goal line-up and the fraternal element paid off when, spearheaded by Snow, they reached the finals with an unbeaten record. Two ‘member’ teams of the NAPL – Skeeterville and Bendabout – had come to Aiken from Wyoming to contest the tournament. But the second contender for the final was an ‘Aiken team’ with local colour in Crown victory, thought his Aiken season was over, but then got a call asking if he’d like to team up and join the impromptu team. He said yes and returned to the barn to get the ‘pulled’ shoes put back on his horses in time for his opening game.

Goose Creek, who had planned their Silver Cup assault over the long term, were given a run for their money by their impromptu opposition, but they pulled ahead in the last two chukkas to win 11-8. Snow’s prized mare Hale Bopp played her part in the victory and earned Best Playing Pony honours for a professional, with Snow also taking the NAPL’s best string award. Goose Creek had narrowly missed out on the USPA Gold Cup in Aiken the previous year, so this year’s Silver Cup win was compensation. ‘The USPA Silver Cup is such an historic tournament,’ Brennan told the Aiken Standard. ‘And the trophy itself is so cool with all of the names written out and my thought was where’s my name going to go?’

The higher-goal end of the fall polo season in Aiken looks strong for 2008. Tournaments and clubs are combining to produce a 20-goal season, kicking off with the New Bridge 20-goal Challenge Cup, followed by the third leg of the ESPNtelevised Triple Crown of Polo Championship series (also at New Bridge), and culminating with the USPA Silver Cup hosted by 302 Polo – which has been awarded the trophy through 2008. Amidst these is the increasingly popular Aiken Polo Pony Sale, held annually each fall, as well as a plethora of low and medium goal polo provided by Aiken Polo Club and Edisto Polo Club.

its camouflage-decked supporters. Winfield/ Camo was a last-minute entry that filled the slot left by Pony Express. It featured 302 Polo’s Co-operative Manager Tom Uskup whose wife Barbara had her own team in the tournament – a unique and appreciated 50th birthday present. Tom was joined by Aiken residents Frankie Bilbao and Willie Hartnett and Tommy Biddle Jr, who, after the Triple

The world’s most populous nation is enjoying a rebirth of polo. Ming Liu reports from Shanghai on the country’s first international tournament

It’s rare to see a polo tournament bring together both past and future, East and West. Last October, however, the sport experienced a rebirth and established its latest frontier: the Royal Salute Polo Gold Cup, held at a new polo club near Shanghai. Hailed as the event that would ‘return the sport of kings to its country of origin’, China’s first international tournament was a truly global effort.

Both FIP and the China National Sports Council blessed the event, and a roster of professional and amateur players flew in from Argentina, Thailand, Australia, England, Scotland, New Zealand and, of course, China. Over 8,000 guests and 100 media representatives attended the three-day match at the Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club, generating such a media buzz that a fiveminute segment aired on China’s national television station. During the week of the tournament it was said to have been one of the most popular searches on Google China.

Although polo may seem foreign to today’s Chinese, the sport was in fact played in the country 2,500 years ago – most likely in the northern steppe areas, where abundant pastures make for good horse breeding. Indeed, some argue that China is polo’s birthplace. Whatever the truth of this claim, historical evidence shows that an early form of polo was played in China around 600 BC, introduced to the Tang Dynasty by the Persians. The sport then flourished into the Han Dynasty, where it was played by emperors, officials, generals and other men and women of the royal court.

Polo’s origins and royal heritage were on display at the Gold Cup. The event’s aim, after all, was to showcase not only the sport, but also the world of polo. The 13th Duke of Argyll Torquhil Ian Campbell presented the winning trophy and, with proper fanfare, entered the field in a 19th century horsedrawn carriage. FIP President Patrick Guerrand-Hermès and ambassador Peter Yunghanns also presented several awards.

A range of social activities entertained spectators and budding polo enthusiasts,

1 Opening ceremony 2 Polo action against the backdrop of China’s industrial cranes 3 The Duke of Argyll, Torquhil Ian Campbell 4 Betweenmatch entertainment: the Ministick Longest Hit Challenge 5 FIP President Patrick GuerrandHermès presented an award to the Chinese ‘ambassador’ players: (from left) Larry Lin, Michael Wang, Brian Xu, Tony Wang

from contests for the most elegant hat, bestdressed couple and the event’s Polo Prince and Princess (for those under age 12), to the Longest Hit Challenge with a mini-stick and the Ferrari vs Horse Race.

A spectacular opening ceremony combined Scottish bagpipers and marching band with a colourful dragon and lion dance. Chinese officials and businessmen, and the consuls and consul-generals of several countries, enjoyed fireworks and light gambling at a black-tie gala dinner held at the club’s marina. The match commentary was bilingual, with the Chinese translations slightly more ‘educational’ for the benefit of the majority of the crowd, who were seeing their first ever polo match.

Four teams of 11 or 12 goals competed for the inaugural trophy: Royal Scotland, Thai Polo Club, Windsor Lions and Yalouk Australia, who eventually beat Royal Scotland 7-5½ in an exciting and crowd-packed final. Four chukkas were played in each match and all the horses came from Australia. Professional players included Malcolm Borwick, Brieuc Riguax and former England captain Andrew Hine, who scored the historic event’s first goal. The amateur players were equally well known, like New Zealander Greg Keyte and James Manclark, co-founder of the World Elephant Polo Association.

But it was the seven ‘ambassador’ players that generated the most interest. Although new to the game – some had played fewer than 10 times before competition day – these Chinese players were hand-picked by the polo club’s president Steve Wyatt for their dedication and enthusiasm. The hope is that they will raise polo’s profile throughout China.

The signs are certrainly promising. The rising affluence of the Chinese, interest in luxury brands and the polo lifestyle, together with the sport’s own attractions, make China and polo a promising fit. This year’s Gold Cup sponsors included several global, high-end

brands like Jaguar, Hermès and Citibank, and there were rumours that Cartier may sponsor next year’s tournament. It’s precisely the kind of international cachet the sport needs in order to properly develop in China, where pockets of polo can already be found. ‘Polo is being played here and there, around Beijing for example,’ said ambassador Tony Wang, scorer of the Gold Cup’s first Chinese goal for his winning Yaloak Australia team. ‘Butit has yet to be built up and supported at an international level like this.’

FIP’s President Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, who presented a special award to the ambassador players, confirmed that nine new polo clubs are already being built around the country. ‘We never thought this would happen some years ago,’ he told Hurlingham. ‘But things are moving so fast, and it feels like [polo] will really be a sport in China.’ Other members of the global polo community also see the country’s potential. Equestrian development company Gracida International Polo, headed by CEO Michael Brown and Carlos Gracida, have already Polo’s origins and royal heritage were on planned two polo events in China this year. display at the Gold Cup. The event’s aim, This bodes well for after all, was to showcase not only the the sport in general. What with the 2008 Beijing sport, but also the world of polo Olympics and polo being played for the first time at the 2007 South East Asian Games last December, there are evidently high hopes for polo in the 2016 Olympic Games. With more polo tournaments staged in China, and ones that bring internationallyknown professionals together with Chinese players, this should help attract more global attention. ‘Polo has to be one of the most exciting sports worldwide,’ says an enthusiastic Michael Brown. ‘I think it’s lack of exposure, or maybe it’s such a niche market, but these events can only help bring the sport to the forefront.’

1 Action in the final between Chile and Peru 2 Players leaving the field at the San Christobal Club before an Andes backdrop 3 Final awards ceremony with the victorious Chile team in red The last geographical zone play-offs for the 2008 World Cup of the Federation of International Polo (FIP) were completed in November, and for the first time there was no team from the world’s greatest polo-playing nation, Argentina.

In the South America zone eliminations, Chile defeated Peru to earn a place in the final stage of the World Cup to be held in Mexico in April and May this year. The other seven teams for this final stage, from a total of 21 competing worldwide, are England, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Brazil (with a bye as reigning champions) and Mexico (automatic qualifiers as host nation).

An Argentina team had competed in all seven of FIP’s previous 10 to 14-goal World Championships and won three, but they were knocked out by Chile before the final stage of the 2004 event. This year the Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) declined to enter an Argentina team, having disagreed with the way the international federation was organising the championships [see page 20].

The South America play-offs began on the 9th of November in Lima with a sub-zone competition between Peru, Colombia and Ecuador in Lima. The three-day event was hosted by the Federacion Deportiva Peruana de Polo under its president, Carlos F Rizo Patron, with Jose Klabin of Brazil as FIP’s tournament director. Matches were played at the Lima Polo Club and local players loaned ponies for a pool of 72 from which the teams drew their mounts by lot.

Peru and Colombia fielded 13-goal teams; Ecuador, one of the smallest FIP countries in number of players, could only manage a 10goal side. The home team beat Ecuador 12 to 10½ in the first match and Ecuador downed Colombia 10½ to 9 in the second. The final day saw Peru and Colombia equal in goals scored, but the hosts had substituted one of their 2-goal players with a 1-goaler, so received half a goal on handicap. The match ended Peru 8½, Colombia 8, giving Peru victory in the sub-zone play-offs.

Peru’s Jose Mulanovich, the only 5-goaler amongst the competitors, was named Most Valuable Player. The Best Playing Pony prize was awarded to Pachon, loaned by Juan Xavier Roca and played by Luis Fandino of

Colombia. All the prizes were crafted from Peruvian silver.

The Peru team then flew on to Santiago to meet Chile in the last of the South America zone play-offs beginning on 19 November and hosted at the Club de Polo y Equitacion San Christobal by the Federación Chilena de Polo under its president, Mario Pablo Siliva S.

San Christobal, a big sports club with tennis, golf and equestrianism as well as polo, is considered one of Latin America’s most beautiful. It is situated near the River Mapocho just 20 minutes drive from the Palacio de La Moneda, a former presidential palace, in downtown Santiago. The Cerro Manquehue and Cordillera de los Andes mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the club’s five polo grounds.

Chilean players generously loaned ponies for the tournament and organisers divided them into two pools for the teams, with a third in reserve in case of injury or illness. The FIP pony pool system places emphasis on the individual competitors’ playing abilities, none of whom have the advantage of playing on their own horses, as in most other polo. This time organisers took the system one stage further. In the first match, Peru played the ‘A’ pool string and Chile the ‘B’ group. Then in the second match the two teams swapped strings, creating the most level playing field imaginable, as far as pony power goes.

Both Chile and Peru fielded 14-goal teams, but the home side were favourites to win. Chile, with more than 600 players, is second in size only to Argentina in South America and has a wide choice for FIP team selection; Peru has fewer than 100 players. As it turned out, however, Peru proved to be no pushover.

In the first match, Peru held the lead for the first three of six chukkas, but Chile rallied in the second half and pulled ahead to win 14-9. The second match first looked as if it would go Peru’s way. After a tied first chukka, Peru dominated the game, leading 8-4 by half-time. Only in the last period did Chile come from behind to win the match 13-12 and secure a place in the final stage of the World Cup in Mexico.

Chile’s No 1, 3-goaler Juan Eduardo Labbe, at 19 the youngest of the competitors, was named Most Valuable Player. The Best Playing Pony award went to Facundo, a Chilean horse of mixed blood loaned by Humberto Ortuzar and Francisco Chadwick; Facundo was played by Peru’s Iago Masias in the first match and Chile’s Matias Vial in the second. A special award for Fair Play went to Peru’s No 1, 2-goaler Rodrigo Pena.

This is the fourth time Chile has advanced to the final stage of the FIP World Cup. When Chile hosted the championships in 1992, the Chileans came second, defeated by Argentina. They then came third in the most recent World Cup at Chantilly in 2004. Judging by their current form, they look likely to be a force to be reckoned with in Mexico City come April.

Arrive in Buenos Aires with hailstones hitting the plane as we land. The tarmac is wet and skiddy. I know there will be no polo today. Rob Cudmore is also on the flight and we wait for our bags to come off the conveyor belt. Rob’s comes off first and I notice a massive padlock on the zip. ‘I always lock my cases now after they ripped open my bag and stole my iPod and God knows what else a few years ago,’ he says as I try to control a sudden surge of anxiety. My three very large, very unlocked bags are yet to appear and contain, amongst other things, an iPod and a camera. I try to imagine that there simply isn’t enough time for someone to rifle through my belongings between plane and terminal, while glaring accusingly at a man who is innocently singing along to his headphones. Thankfully, all is well. The bags arrive untouched and I head out into the torrential rain, wondering why I had left the beautiful autumnal shades of England behind.

I soon understand why. Even in the rain, which is like a monsoon, there is something magical about Argentina. Maybe it’s the huge sky that envelopes you or simply that the place and people are always so welcoming. It’s like coming home.

The fire is blazing in the house we rent in Murray, a few kilometres from Pilar, and we sit down to the first of many ‘milanese’ and catch up on polo gossip. Ellerstina have won the Tortugas and Hurlingham Opens and are now on track to win the Triple Crown. Bauti Heguy has opened a new restaurant along the main drag towards Pilar Chico, Adolfo has an injured riding muscle and, unsurprisingly, good horses are in short supply and prices are at an all-time high.

Dressed for the Antarctic, we head to the stables. It’s unseasonably cold and I berate myself for leaving the sleeves to my jacket behind. We rally-drive our way through the mud to the stables and grudgingly get onto our horses in the wet and wind. Round and round the outside of the field we go, chatting and listening to the screeching teros.

Still freezing cold, but need to ride as our first game in the Silver Cup is in two days and I haven’t sat on a horse for six weeks. Lunch at Bauti’s new restaurant, Mal de Amores, is good if not predictable. Steak and salad. Home for a siesta and chat with Nina Clarkin who is staying up the road.

In the evening we go to Ellerstina for the annual ‘remate’. Everyone is complaining of the cold and we huddle inside the tent for red wine and… steak. We watch in amazement as prices reach over $100,000 for mares, stallions and embryos. The total of the sale was over $2 million – key bidders included American patron Tom Barrack and Colombia’s Camilo Bautista.

The cold weather is gone and we are finally able to have a practice at Yacare, the MacDonough’s ground near Centauros. It is fast, furious and a lot of fun. Off to Zapalla to collect my son Harry’s sticks. He has been asked to be ‘super sub’ for Frank Dubarry, the Technomarine patron, in the subsidiary semifinal of the Gold Cup at Ellerstina. Frank has an injury and doesn’t think he will be able to play. We spend hours racing around trying to

locate Harry’s whites, boots and helmet but in the end it is all in vain. Monsieur Dubarry made a rapid recovery and not only managed to play the entire game, but also scored seven goals! Sadly, our first game that afternoon in the Silver Cup did not go quite so well. I didn’t score a single goal, let alone seven. We got a bit of a pasting to be honest. Our horses were heavy, Bauti (Sorzana) had a nasty fall and the patron insisted on calling me Christina throughout the game.

As anticipated, I am stiff as a board and walking like John Wayne. Thank God we are not playing today. Off to Palermo to watch La Dolfina Jaeger-LeCoultre v Alegria Park Hyatt. It was never going to be a close game but the Alegria boys play exceptionally well, particularly Pancho Bensadon. It is very hot and we are roasting in the stands. Palermo has changed, with extended concrete flooring, some bizarre new equine sculptures and a larger bar area under the stands. The second game is closer, between El Paraiso and Chapa I (who ended up winning). Drinks at the Chandon bar – the other ones are too busy and frenetic these days.

Despite some rain last night, we finally manage to play at Don Urbano, the fields we

22nd November: a five-goal win in the Silver Cup 17th November: the new equine sculptures inside Palermo

1st December: trying to learn the tango

1st December: dinner at La Brigada with Vanessa, Gini, the owner and George

rent from Alfonso Pieres. No time for lunch, so grab pizza and some Freddo ice cream under the stands at Palermo and watch Ellerstina v Santa Maria, which Ellerstina win. Second game is Indios Chapaleufu II v La Aguada. Lucas Criado comes off within the first few minutes and is replaced by Mariano Gonzalez. A noisy game with too many fouls, although the exciting last two chukkas result in Chapa II winning 15-14 in extra time. Poor La Aguada – they had been in the lead the whole time. Head off to one of the parilla restaurants behind Palermo for… a steak.

Enrol in Oriol College, the language school in Pilar. Practice at Don Urbano and manage to pull a riding muscle. Dehydrated, hot and bothered – not a good combination. Watch the final of the Gold Cup at Ellerstina – Las Monjitas v Sao Jose Polo Club. Las Monjitas win with Eduardo Novillo Astrada, Alejandro Diaz Alberdi, Juan Gris Zavaleta and the patron Camilo Bautista. Sao Jose is spearheaded by Brazilian 7-goaler Rodrigo Andrade but can’t quite pull it off. Dinner in the evening with Jose and Elina Donoso at their very cool new house in Centauros.

Play our second game against La Varzea –Portugal on ground no 1 at Ellerstina and win by five goals!

Go with Richard Le Poer and James Beim to our first Spanish lesson at Oriol College! Two hours of trying to concentrate is too much for all of us. Dinner at the Caballeria in Pilar Village and then to the cinema to watch El Sospechoso – brilliant.

Third game in the Silver Cup against Endeavour, and we beat them by five goals which means we are now in the subsidiary quarter-finals. Sushi Club for dinner.

Drove to the airport to collect George, Vanessa Taylor and Gini Hoare. Drag them off to a party in the evening given by Jerome Wirth and Malcolm Borwick in Tortugas. Strawberry daiquiris and dancing till dawn. (The weekend seems to have been completely forgotten – perhaps as a result of Malcolm’s daiquiris.)

4th December: the world’s best polo players at Cambiaso’s Ideas del Sur charity event

30th November: with Vanessa and Gini at the wedding

30th November: with Teresa Beresford in Plaza Dorrego, San Telmo 8th December: Matias MacDonough at the start of the final

8th December: football legend Diego Maradona was in the Cambiaso camp for the final

Subsidiary quarter-finals of the Silver Cup against Villa Reale which we lose by a goal.

Drive into BA with Gini and Nessie. To Chala for lunch with Ale Sly. She makes the most amazing cowhide bags, belts and llama shawls. Shopping in Recoleta at Arandu, Ralph Lauren, Etiqueta Negra and Rapsodia in the afternoon and then off to the opening of the new La Dolfina shop opposite the Faena. Photographers only interested in Maria Cambiaso.

To La Dolfina for a Jaeger-LeCoultre press conference. Adolfo and co definitely more comfortable on top of a horse than dealing with questions and answers in the boiling heat. Lovely dinner under the trees with Florencia and Paul Pieres.

Off to BA for Sole and Quique Avendano’s wedding at Del Pilar church followed by reception at L’Assosiation. Stayed at the Four Seasons and headed off next morning for antique shopping and a look around the markets in Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo. San Telmo is the bohemian quarter of BA, famous not only for its multitude of antique shops and impromptu tango shows but also for street fighting in the early 19th century. Wearily, then, back to Palermo for semi-finals between La Dolfina and Chapa I. La Dolfina have a decisive win. Dinner back in San Telmo at La Brigada, a charming parilla restaurant full of local football memorabilia, followed by some dire efforts at learning tango.

Semi-finals between Ellerstina and Chapa II. A nightmare resulting with Matias being injured and out of the game for the last two chukkas. Too many technicals and yellow cards – a messy game but ends in a wellearned win for Ellerstina.

Off to the Duhau Palace Park Hyatt in BA for the Jaeger-LeCoultre party, where US $72,250 dollars are raised for the Ideas del Sur Foundation, a Cambiaso-supported charity which provides food, medical supplies and social support to deprived and disabled youth in Argentina and Bolivia. A large proportion came from the watchmakers themselves as they pledged $50 (US) for every handicap goal of everyone in attendance. With the world’s best polo players all in attendance, including Aldolfo Cambiaso, Facundo Pieres, Augustin Merlos, Lolo Castagnola (and myself of course), the total amounted to 494 handicaps, which converted to an impressive $24,700 (US).

Drive to Canuelas to choose my horse from La Dolfina. (I did some impulse bidding at a charity auction at Ham last May to play six chukkas at La Dolfina and take one pony home with me.) Am marginally disappointed with the first three, promptly hop off the fourth, but just as I am giving up all hope, the fifth comes up trumps – a dark bay 9-yearold mare called Chapita who stops, turns and runs – what more could I ask for?

Apart from somehow managing to lose two valuable tickets, I arrive at Palermo on time for the eagerly awaited La Dolfina v Ellerstina final. It is my first final and the only thing to dampen my fervour is the seven minutes of rain in the first chukka. What a game. The two

teams again, a mirror image of 2005, in a bid to seal the Triple Crown. Although La Dolfina lead marginally throughout, it never feels like they have it in the bag. In the seventh and eighth chukkas when they’re tied, it seems even less certain. The only distraction is the sighting of Diego Maradona in the Cambiaso camp. We are literally on the edges of our seats until Lucas Monteverde’s golden goal in the extra chukka ends Ellerstina’s dream. The loss is perhaps more profound for the MacDonough brothers, this being their last year playing together in the Open, as Matias leaves to make way for Juan Martin Nero. For me, it’s a bittersweet ending. I am happy for my sponsors Jaeger-LeCoultre, I am desperately sad for my Ellerstina friends. Later, back in Centauros, we drown our sorrows at Matias’s house.

After four weeks, it’s time to go home. Christmas beckons. I drag my feet to Ezeiza airport having hung up my polo sticks, kissed my horses and friends goodbye and eaten my final mouthful of steak. The plane is full of familiar faces, and even though we have 7,000 miles to travel, the world suddenly seems very small indeed.

Porto Cervo was once the location for a James Bond movie and is now the perfect setting for polo. Clare Milford Haven is shaken and stirred

Sardinia is a bit like the Bahamas in the Mediterranean. Its white sandy beaches and clear blue sea have captured the hearts of the rich and famous and helped turn the Porto Cervo area into an elite playground known as Costa Smeralda.

Discovered in 1961 by the Aga Khan, the ‘emerald coast’ has had more than its fair share of influential people gracing its beaches and bars: European aristocracy, royalty, heads of state, supermodels and actors, all looking for a refuge in the sun without the unwelcome glare of publicity that one finds in St Tropez .

Between March and October, the island is heaving with sailing regattas, golf tournaments, luxury car rallies – and now, polo. Against a backdrop of rugged volcanic mountains, a former equestrian arena has been transformed into a polo field with enough stabling for 144 horses.

In the wake of the extraordinary success of the spring tournament, the Gold Cup returned in September in the form of the 12 to 14-goal Audi Summer Gold Cup, held at the Shergan Equestrian Centre in Bucchi Toltu, a few kilometres away from Porto Cervo. The event, like the Cortina Winter Polo on snow, is promoted by Maurizio Zuliani and Claudio Giorgiutti. It involves more than 160 horses and six teams, and includes players from Europe, Argentina, Brazil and the US. Matches were played in the late afternoons for an enthusiastic and glamorous audience that included several famous faces like motorcycling superstar Valentino Rossi.

The final more than lived up to the surroundings, with Arfango eventually defeating the highly competitive Cala di Volpe to add the summer trophy to their JaegerLeCoultre Spring Gold Cup. Young captain Alberto Moretti professed himself delighted with the victory, and pointed out that things had begun badly when teammate Nicolas Espain Gastaldi broke a forefinger in the first chukka. He nevertheless managed to play the full match. Moretti paid tribute to Cala di Volpe’s 9-goaler Carlos Gracida, who ‘managed the game with excellent direction’. Gracida returned the compliment: ‘Moretti’s team has a fantastic understanding of the game,’ he said. ‘Many of their plays turned into goals.’

Cala di Volpe, as the ‘host’ team, were well supported, although Thomas Barrack, their usual captain, was unfortunately unable to play because of a hand injury sustained in the St Tropez tournament. But he was upbeat, even in defeat. ‘It has been a wonderful final for us and we have been very happy to play it,’ he declared.

Maurizio Zuliani, President of the Organising Committee, announced that two events have already been confirmed for Sardinia in 2008. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup is scheduled for 24 April to 3 May and, with Cortina d’Ampezzo on snow and Monte Argentario, forms the Italian Polo Gold Cup Circuit. The summer tournament is scheduled for 6 to 13 July, and is part of the Polo Master Cup international circuit (which includes Jaipur and Dubai).

1 1 Shergan Equestrian Centre Shergan Equestrian Centre 2 2 Carlos Gracida and friend Carlos Gracida and friend 3 3 Valentino Rossi and Luca Valentino Rossi and Luca D’Orazio D’Orazio 4 4 Arfango in action Arfango in action 5 5 Enjoying the spectacle Enjoying the spectacle

Polo on Mexico’s magnificent Pacific coast is a uniquely enjoyable experience. As Melanie Vere Nicoll reports, the emphasis here is on fun

Throw together the victorious patron of the Pacific Coast Open with the victorious patron of the Bridgehampton Classic. Then add 10 more patrons from seven different countries, all of whom dabble in the high goal with alacrity. Then put them on a fine field with good club ponies and a lot of serious professionals. What do you get? Answer: the aptly-named Copa Tequila Partida and Copa Careyes tournaments.

Played over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday, this is 8 to12-goal polo at its best and, one would think, a cocktail for classic aggressive matches. In reality, though, when you mix these teams with Mexico’s magnificent Pacific coast and the magical atmosphere of Careyes, you get polo the way it used to be played. Fast, fun and friendly –with the emphasis on fun.

In Careyes the number one crime you can commit is to no-show a party. Since there is at least one big fiesta every night, with everyone included, this is an easy thing to do. But if you do, you risk being viewed as a lightweight on the fields the next day – and this has little to do with your mallet-swinging skills. There is a festive atmosphere in which the game’s outcome is truly secondary to the enjoyment of the participants and spectators. When my husband was offered a tequila shot at the start of his first match by the father of one of the opposition players, I realised this was to be a different sort of tournament to the ones played back home in England.

That said, as with all sports played by competitive sportsmen, once the tournament started it became. . . well, competitive! There were six teams, with players from all over the globe: Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, Germany, England, America, Russia and Italy. Mexico’s top player Carlos Gracida and 15-year-old Mariano Gracida played in their debut tournament as father and son. The youth and zeal of the Brazilian/Portuguese team captained by 8-goal player Olayo Novaes dominated the field, winning in the finals by three goals.

I know many of us greet the news from our polo-playing partners that we are going yet further afield, for yet another tournament, with a mixture of resignation and ennui.

Images of endless hours languishing by a picturesque field in a foreign land creep into the mind’s eye, with players eagerly checking mallets and boots in preparation for as many practice chukkas as can possibly be squeezed in before the real games begin.

I am delighted to report that Careyes breaks all the moulds. There are many unique diversions here beyond polo. If wildlife interests you there is plenty of it. Children are captivated by the daily repatriation of baby turtles into the ocean, and enthralled by the process that ends seven years later with the very same turtles returning to the very same beach to breed.

Another unforgettable experience is riding from the stables through the jungle and onto the incomparable Teopa Beach at sunset. A photograph doesn’t begin to do justice to the feeling of watching the sun drop below the horizon with a sudden green flash. Not surprisingly, New Year’s Eve is a moveable feast with even the most reluctant partygoers diving headlong into a smorgasbord of gatherings, each in a setting more breathtaking than the last. Monumental beach bonfires and cutting edge DJ’s alternating with 20-piece mariachi bands provided the perfect way to greet 2008.

Careyes is located south of Pueto Vallarta on the Mexican Pacific coast and the Careyes Polo Club is open from November to April. www.careyes.com In Careyes the number one crime you can commit is to noshow a party, which is an easy thing to do since there’s at least one big fiesta every night

1 Skirmish in front of bougainvillea-topped goal posts 2 Trophy for the Copa Tequila Partida 3 Giorgio Brignone, founder of the Careyes Polo Club 4 The parking lot 5 Newborn turtles soon to be released into the sea

Snow polo differs from field polo, explains Roderick Vere Nicoll, but that doesn’t make the game any less entertaining

By the time your driver has negotiated the 29th hairpin bend on the three-hour drive from Zurich to St Moritz your only remaining thought is that there had better be something special at the end of this journey. But as you finally descend into a spectacular valley nestled in the Swiss Alps it suddenly becomes well worth the effort.

St Moritz is a charming mixture of old and new. Glitzy turreted palaces turned grand hotels are majestically situated by the frozen lake and overlooked by elegant Swiss chalets that seem to have been there for centuries. There is more high-end shopping than on Bond Street and Madison Avenue combined, with what seems like every major luxury brand represented within a two-minute walk. People-watching is the name of the game.

When the 24th Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow begins, all eyes are on the frozen lake, where thoroughbreds run on a racetrack and polo is played. The field is somewhere between an outdoor and indoor pitch: 200 yards long by 100 yards wide (about threequarters the length of a normal outdoor field) and surrounded by boards that are three feet high. There are regular outdoor goals, a back line, a 30-yard line and a 60-yard line.

Hard-packed snow makes for fewer divots and is excellent footing for the horses. Ponies adapt well to playing at high altitudes although some allowances are made for the thinner air. There are four chukkas in a game and they are shortened to six-and-a-half minutes. If a horse seems tired the clock is stopped to facilitate a change. Other differences in snow polo are the bright orange ball – which is twice the size of an indoor one but plastic and a bit heavier – and the horses’ shoes, which have extra studs and a pad to prevent snow from collecting under the hooves. Also, while some players use normal mallets, others prefer George Wood graphite mallets, which have larger heads.

Each of the four teams plays three days on the trot. From a player’s standpoint snow polo is fun but difficult. The flight path of the ball is unpredictable and occasionally the best shot goes askew – or heads off at a right angle or wherever the wind dictates.

For spectators, snow polo is fun and interesting. The smaller field – and standing right up next to the boards – creates the feeling that you’re right on top of the action. There is a wonderfully festive atmosphere and Swiss patron Philipp Maeder of the Maybach team entered into the spirit of the tournament this year with a roaring cheer of ‘Maybach! Maybach!’ every time he rode past his supporters in the stands. They would

answer with a wave that would not have been out of place in Yankee Stadium. Julius Baer brought along 200 guests for a weekend of unrivalled hospitality and to watch Argentine Open winner and 10-goaler Lolo Castagnola make his snow debut alongside Chile’s finest player Jaime Huidobro and English amateurs George and Charlie Hanbury.

Over three days of competitive 22-goal polo, Cartier and Brioni emerged the two strongest teams. In the final, Brioni, captained by Guy Schwarzenbach, rode out with 8goaler John Paul Clarkin and veteran English indoor players Nacho Gonzales and Jonny Good. New Zealander Clarkin, also making his snow debut, was nominated Most Valuable Player having scored the finest goal of the tournament from beyond mid-field – an almost impossible feat given the unpredictability of snow polo.

The Cartier team was captained by a newlywed Jose Donoso, who was making his seventh appearance on the snow field. Jose was joined by Swiss patron Adriano Agosti and Argentinians Marcos Di Paola and Guillermo Terrera. The game was a crowdpleasing nail-biter with a final score of 8½-6. Brioni won for the second year running, and the stage is set for a thrilling return by these four teams at next year’s 25th Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow.

One piece of advice: if at the final a kind friend offers you a flight out of the valley from the small airport just past the lake… take it.

1 On-the-ball MVP John Paul Clarkin (in black, far right) followed by Marcos Di Paola of Cartier (centre) 2 The winners modelling the new Brioni polo collection 3 Maybach’s Philipp Maeder controls the ball in front of the stands

1 Sheik Shamin (left) chases down Claudio Manfrin 2 Intermission entertainment 3 CCSI take home the trophy (from left): umpire Graham Bray, USPA’s Ed Armstrong, Billy Sheldon, Shane Rice, Cary Burch, former Pacific Coast Governor Matt Richardson, CPC’s president Rodney Fragodt and umpire Steve Lane.

The skies above Los Angeles were finally clear of smoke from Southern California’s devastating chaparral fires, and thankfully in time for the US Polo Association’s (USPA) 2007 National Arena Championship, held in early November. The blazes, contained only a week before, had come no closer than 10 miles of the venue, California Polo Club (CPC), just a short drive from Hollywood, but some of the players from the San Diego area to the south had been involved in rescuing horses during massive evacuations.

Only four three-a-side teams competed in the national championship, with most of the players coming from Southern California. Nevetheless, the CPC pulled out all the stops to make it a weekend to remember. The two-day event included half-time exhibitions in the arena by Chilean gauchos and Andalusian horse breeders. With TV and film executives, pop stars and fashion designers among the spectators, there were echoes of the pre-war days when Hollywood greats like Darryl F Zanuck, Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy and other stars played the game just down the road.

The host club fielded its own team, California Polo Club, and Danny Brown entered a JV Ranch squad, named after his Colorado ranch. Tony Yahyai was nonplaying patron of the Club Polo Los Cabos team, representing his new residential club in the Mexican province of Baja, California. The clear favourites, however, were California Creative Solutions Inc (CCSI), Cary Burch’s team from Poway Valley Riders Association near San Diego. The Poway side, accustomed to playing together, were rated at 14 goals; the other three teams were rated 12.

CCSI won both their matches, 17-10 over JV Ranch and 17-8 over CPC, to win the championship. Shane Rice, who scored 10 goals in the team’s first match and nine in the second, was named Most Valuable Player and his mount Charter won Best Playing Pony. The Poway players got their names on the trophy and also came away with airline tickets to Buenos Aires to watch the Argentine Open – prizes donated by event sponsors LAN Airlines.

Club Polo Los Cabos suffered an unusual double blow in their first-day match against CPC. In the last chukka Ardeshir Radpour and his pony came down hard and the player was rushed to hospital with a serious concussion. Ernie Darquea substituted, but within minutes of the match restarting he too suffered a fall and was hospitalised with a concussion and broken ribs. The Los Cabos team finished the last minutes of the match with only two players in the arena. Fortunately, both injured players are on the mend.

The present USPA Arena Championship traces its ancestry back to the 1920s and the championships of the old Indoor Polo Association of America. In those days many of the top grass players also competed in the arena, including high-goalers like Stewart Iglehart, Michael Phipps and Winston Guest.

Edward Armstrong, the USPA director of tournaments, who was at CPC to present prizes, admitted that today’s national arena championships suffer from geography: teams are unwilling or unable to travel with their ponies long distances across the USA to play. So only teams from the immediate region of the venue usually compete, as was the case in California this year. The 2008 USPA Arena Championship will be held in September at Great Meadow Polo Club in The Plains, Virginia.

1 Amber Clutton-Brock (UK) 2 Talking tactics before the final: (from left) Amy Flowers (USA), Mumy Bellande (Argentina), Bryony Barraclough (UK), Brenda Myrjam de Boer (Holland) 3 The author in action

A refreshing polo holiday in the sun-kissed Argentina pampas was the perfect tonic after a frustratingly long wet English season.The venue was the peaceful oasis of Estancia Don Manuel, a place well known to me and owned by my good friend Emiliano Blanco. A mere 20 minutes from the airport and situated in Cañuelas, hometown of polo legends such as Cambiaso and La Martina, it was an ideal location with wonderful Bermuda grass fields and fantastic facilities. Already a guest estancia with plenty of experience of holding regular 8-10 goal tournaments, Emiliano he couldn’t have been more helpful. The idea of having his idyllic retreat overrun by squawking women for a week didn’t seem to faze him one bit. In fact, he encouraged us to make it a big event!

Having started as a small tournament between friends, the Don Manuel Ladies developed into a full-blown international event in the first year. Women’s polo tournaments are becoming ever more popular in Argentina, already running virtually back to back throughout the season, so we were lucky to find a window in the calendar.

We had great support from sponsors such as Pololine.com, huge crystal trophies and piles of prizes from Paseo Alcorta, Vique, Country Polo, Don Ramiro, and even a pink suede saddle from Miguel Acuna Saddlery. All we needed now were more ladies. Word spread fast and girls gathered from as far and wide as Holland, Spain, America, England and Argentina, with the latter providing surprisingly good support.

Lower handicapped players were privileged to play with some of the best women players, such as the highest rated lady player in the UK, Nina Clarkin (3 goals), as well as Argentina’s famous Mumy Bellande (now 2 but formerly their highest rated woman at 3). They were joined by several 1-goalers including the UK’s Lucy Taylor, Argentina’s Maru Gimenze, and USA’s Teresa King. These players were distributed evenly throughout

the teams. Other players were drawn out of a hat with the aim of keeping the teams even and, more importantly, keeping the polo flowing and fast.

Above all, it was meant to be fun, and a huge effort was made to make guests feel comfortable. There was plenty of time to choose from a wide selection of ponies in practices, and even a team practice after the teams were drawn. This helped everyone get to know each other.

The tournament turned out to be extremely competitive, with very tight games throughout. Paseo Alcorta met Country in the final, with the former running out unexpected winners 9-4 against the might of Mumy, who, with many years of experience, commented on the good organisation and how much she had enjoyed herself.

Although the week was geared towards the tournament, Argentina has so much to offer that it would have been criminal not to give the girls a guided tour. Any spare moment not playing polo or relaxing by the pool was spent routing through local gaucho shops for Argentine leather gems to kit out our unsuspecting ponies at home, eating out at delicious grills in BA, visiting a truly spectacular Tango show and, most amazing of all, watching the 40 goal, whose electric atmosphere possibly inspired a few new moves in the next game!

The amount of support and interest in the first year was an inspiration and shows how much women’s polo is growing worldwide. It was very special to be able to organise a tournament that, as well as being thoroughly enjoyable, also turned out to be one of the highest handicapped Ladies Tournaments of the Argentine season.

Anyone interested in joining us next November should get in touch with me at alicegipps@hotmail.com and visit www.estanciadonmanuel.com