Rolls Royce Montecarlo beat Power Infraestructure 11-9 and captured the 15-goal International Polo Cup, following the final that took place on ground 1, at St. Tropez Polo Club. It was a fantastic final day of a very well organised tournament, and that was praised by all the players for both the level of play and the brand new infraestructure (new fields and stables, among others).
The championship game featured a large number of people on field 1. It was a very thrilling and balanced contest, with Montecarlo always in the lead. However, Power Infraestructure was always very close, and Montecarlo could only extend their advantage to three goals in the last chukker.
The third place went to F Polo Team, who beat Ghantoot 9-8.
Rommy Gianni was named MVP Amateur, and Leyenda, ridden by Bautista Ortiz de Urbina and owned by Albert Bercht, took BPP honors.
INTERNATIONAL POLO CUP – 10 GOALS
Meanwhile, Power Infraestructure won the 10-goal competition. Following the 15-goal final, they beat Sezz St. Tropez by a narrow 6,5 – 6.
As a detail, it was the second final that Marcelo Amadeo y Videla, Bautista Ortiz de Urbina and Miguel Mendoza played in the day, as they also were in the 15-goal final, making a total of nine chukkers played.
Costa Rica took the third place, after their 8,5 – 5 win over Camper & NIcholsons.
Shahe Kalaidjian was MVP Amateur, and the BPP award went to Open Chispera, played by Justin Gaunt and owned by F. Polo Team.
TEAMS INTERNATIONAL POLO CUP – 10 GOALS
Power Infraestructure: Magali Laget -1, Pipi Griguoli 4, Ignacio Kennedy 3, Justin Gaunt 4. Total: 10
Costa Rica: Antonio Gomez 0, Felipe Gomez 1, Iván Maldonado 4, Marcos Mocoroa 4. Total: 9
Sezz/St. Tropez: Corinne Schuler 0, Shahé Kalaidjian 0, Clément Delfosse 4, Marcelo Amadeo y Videla 5. Total: 9
Camper & Nicholsons: David Amar 1, Gualtiero Giori 1, Segundo Stanga 3, Pierre-Henri N´Goumou 5. Total: 10
Rommy Gianni
It’s been a hard and very competitive tournament, with very good teams. It’s always a big satisfaction to win in St. Tropez.
The idea of a Montecarlo Polo Team was conceived five years ago. It’s a long time I am a Monaco resident, and I thought it could be good to have a team representing Montecarlo. Our aim is playing worldwide with this team.
Darío Musso
Well, I am one of the most experienced players of St. Tropez. But it’s great, the tournament is very well organised, it’s more and more competitive each year, and the fields were better than every.
I’ve played eight finals and won five, that’s a good record. But it’s because I play with Rommy, we’ve known each other for so many years, and we’ve been lucky enough to put up very good lineups and have very good team mates as well.
Sebastián Harriott
I came here in the 90’s, and there was only one field; I was very impressed this year – I’ve found a fantastic place, with lots of stables, houses for horses and grooms, it’s all very good. The level of play is really good, very competitive 15-goal. And now they’re organising a 18-goal tournament in August. There’s a chance that the Pieres are coming, which will be a great opportunity to make this club more prestigious.
Marcelo Amadeo y Videla, Miguel Mendoza
Marcelo: This is Miguel’s third year in St. Tropez; we lost the sems last year, but today we worked OK and everything went great.
Miguel: To play two finals in one day, you need to be stronger on the mental side than on the physical side; maybe you feel tired by the last chukker, but the fact is with all the adrenaline going on, you almost feel nothing. However, it helped a lot the fact that we’ve been playing together for a long time.
Marcelo: It’s possible to play in Europe, but you need to be well organised; do things in due time and get a good support.
Miguel: I am from Venezuela; I used to play baseball as a kid, and then I went to the University in the United States. Then, I went to Argentina five years ago, and polo came at a time when I needed to fullfill my need of competition. I have to say that polo gave me the need of competition back.
Justin Gaunt
I am the director of St. Tropez Polo Club, a place that will be among the best five worldwide. We’ve done a great job this year, we’ve built many new fields, stables, houses for players and grooms. I started with polo in Argentina when I was 17 years old, in the days of the greats – Carlos Gracida, Gonzalo Pieres. Those were the days when everybody were friends, went to parties, and enjoyed polo on and off the field. Unfortunately, polo has become more professional and that does not happen anymore. But if we can bring all that back to St. Tropez, we can do it anywhere else.
15 goal finals
10 goal finals
Awards Presentation
http://www.pololine.com/?lang=1&sec=3¬e=6949&pag=0&anoB=2015