Day One of the FIP XI World Championship Zone C playoffs got off to a flying start at The Polo Club du Domain du Chantilly.
Teams from England and Germany opened the Zone C playoffs for the FIP XI World Polo Championships on Ground 2.
The match, as expected, started at a great pace, with Satnam Dhillon and Will Lucas getting a strong hold on the game, but the young German players came out fighting, powered by impressive horsepower. The game was fast paced with the immaculate field helping them hit the ball hard and far. The British missed a series of attempts at goal, letting the German boys score, tying the game for most of the match. The final chukka saw the best defence plays seen during the match, from the experienced Will Lucas, culminating in a series of great goals leaving the final score as 7 – 3 ½
to England.
England (14): Henry Porter (2), Mark Baldwin (3), Satnam Dhillon (5) & Will Lucas (4)
Germany (12): Heinrich Dumrath (3), Max Bosch (3), Caesar Crasseman (3) & Caspar Crasseman (3)
In the second game, the French and Spaniards were evenly handicapped at 14 goals and it really showed on the field. Pierre N’Goumou led the French team with Patrick Paillol and Alexandre Sztarkman attacking and Julien Reynes in defence. Spain played traditional polo, with all players hitting the ball hard, especially Pelayo Berazardi. The game was tied for the majority of the match, but during the second half of the fourth chukka Mario Gomez ran the ball close to the boards and finally had his shot at goal. To his dismay it hit the post, leaving France to breath a sigh of relief. France ended the chukka, and match, with a storming final goal leaving the score 5 – 4.
Spain (14): Mario Gomez (4), Antonio Ayesa (3), Pelayo Berazardi (5) & Jose Trenor (2)
France (14): Julien Reynes (3), Patrick Paillol (5), Pierre N’Goumou (5) & Alexandre Sztarkman (1)
Moving forward the game schedule is as follows:
Sunday May 7th
Germany vs Spain – 1:30pm
France vs England – 3pm
