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Siam Polo Newsletter |
July 2006 |
Volume III - Issue 1. |
SIAM POLO NEWS
Sponsored by KING POWER
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| SPIRIT OF COMPETITION "You are my adversary, but you are not my enemy. For your resistance gives me strength. Your will gives me courage. Your spirit ennobles me. And though I aim to defeat you, should I succeed, I will not humiliate you. Instead, I will honor you. For without you, I am a lesser man." |
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| ELEPHANT POLO in
Northern Thailand -- September 2006 This year the elephant polo will be held up in Chiang Rai overlooking the Golden Triangle from 4-10 September 2006. More information on -- www.anantara.com |
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| THAI POLO SUMMER SEASON
in England Thailand polo has a busy summer season planned for England. 27May - Royal Berkshire (12goal) 17Jun - Charity Cup (12goal) - Ham Polo Club - Prince William, Vichai, Top, Cambiaso. mid-Jun - Royal Windsor Cup (15goal) - Guards Polo - Top, Ton, 2 DiPaolo brothers end-Jun - Cup (18goal) - Gustavo, 2 DiPaolo broters, Top mid-Jul - Cowdray Park (15goal) - Top, Ton, 2 DiPaolo brothers Aug - Royal Berkshire (12goal) - Santos, Lucas, Top, Ton Nov2007 - SEA Games in Thailand (Thai, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines) More information - email Cabeza |
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END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT On the weekend of 19-21 May, the Siam Polo Park will host an "End of Season Tournament." Everyone is welcome to come and attend this exciting event. Please contact the club if you need details or wish to find out more information. |
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THAI-SINGAPORE FRIENDLY MATCH in Singapore Khun Vichai was invited by Singapore Polo Club to bring a Men's and Lady's Thailand polo to Singapore for a friendly match in May. Singapore Polo Club is one of the oldest clubs in Southeast Asia and they have been great supporters of Thailand Polo by sending their Singapore Team up to the King's Cup every year and to the King's Cup Elephant Polo. |
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| THE BIG CUP Churo's horse jumped over the hole. Robin's horse jumped into the hole. Robin crawled out of the hole, and Khun Un watched the whole thing. Khun Un was so impressed with Robin's performance that he now calls her "The Terminator." Thanapon Tantayanurak is President of Big International which is a consulting and management company, and The Big Cup is one of the new polo tournaments in the Kingdom. On Saturday, 22 April, the BIG team, with Khun Un, Churo and Suzy, went up against the Siam Polo team of Marco, Frances and Novell. Robin "The Terminator" was umpiring and resting her elbow. Khun Un was very impressed with his team as they surged into an early lead with a score of 5-3 after the third chukka, but the final chukka proved deadly for them, as Siam Polo converted every opportunity and finished ahead 6-5. Khun Un scored two goals and was pleased with his performance. He says, "We will be back..." and, hopefully, he will have "The Terminator" on his team. |
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 SONGKRAN CUP
at SPPSiam Polo Park hosted a private version of the Songkran Cup this year. It was a fun event with spirited play between the teams of Argentina (Marco, Churo, Susy) and Siam Polo Park (William, Tom, Robin). Marco was determined not to lose this cup, because he had already received the dreaded ice water from two previous loses during the King Power Gold Cup. The Siam team came on very strong in the final chukka and allowed Marco the honor of being the first player in the history of Thailand polo to receive the "Triple Crown" of Songkran Cups. William's comment, was that he was "simply thrilled not to have received this cup." |
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 KING POWER KEEPS GOLD
CUPIt was a brilliant battle between the three teams of King Power, VRSC and Siam Polo at VR Sports Club this past weekend. The Gold Cup is Thailand's end-of-season friendly polo tournament between all experienced and new players at VR Polo and Siam Polo clubs. One of the favorite teams for this year was the VRSC team led by team captain Eric Butter and powerhouses William and Marco and top gun No out front, but in the first game, the powerful underdogs from Siam Polo Park pulled the rug out from under their feet, and left them stumbling with a 4-1 defeat on the first day. The King Power Team completed the task, when they further hammered the VRSC team 9-0. When Siam Polo went up against King Power, they were tied 2-2 at the half, then the King Power pulled ahead to end up at 6-2. In the amateur division, VRSC and Siam Polo ended the first day with a 3-3 tie. In the second day, Cabeza and Marco battled hard with the two amateur teams, because they knew well that the penalty of loss is the dreaded Songkran "agua-con-helio" (a huge tub full of ice water) for the losing team. The amateur VR team just squeaked past the Siam Polo team in the final chukka. In the Fast Division, the Siam Polo Team completed their victory against VRSC, but then were soundly beaten by King Power. Gaucho Feder is leaving for Argentina next week, so he was given a haircut by all his gaucho friends. It was an exciting and fun tournament with two evenings of Argentine Asado and dancing. (photos by Khun Chatchaya) |
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| FEEL THE POWER --
King Power Gold Cup is the hottest polo action in Thailand -- the fastest gauchos, the best
horses, the top players in Thailand -- this is the cup to watch. We are
waiting for confirmation from Khun Vichai, but if received, we will have 3
teams -- KING POWER, VR SPORTS CLUB, SIAM POLO PARK in a full-on two day
tournament this Saturday and Sunday. BUT... there is a catch... and a new
little something to spice up the polo action at the Gold Cup this year... We
are near to the Songkran Holiday, so this year, the losing team will receive
the bucket of ice water from the other two teams. The idea is to win, but
more important, not to be the last team. Asi es la cosa dijo Barbosa... Stay
tuned, and we will let you know as soon as the tournament is confirmed... Tu
tiennes que tomar concencia !!! Teams KP - Vichai, Tal, Top, Gustavo. VRSC - Marco, William, Eric, No. SPP - Un, Feder, Guapo, Tom. Amateur Teams VRSC - Cabeza, Robin, Susy, Ploy. SPP - Marco, Jaime, Tumb, Frances. |
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  "EN
LA SOMBRA DEL TALA" -- Defina has been reporting exciting progress on
the Don Pepe Polo Farm. Don
Pepe is the gaucho who first brought polo to the Village of Villa Dolores,
Argentina, and this is where a long line of gauchos have come from to
introduce the sport of polo in Thailand. Gustavo Yanez and his brothers have
been working on many improvements to the Don Pepe Polo Farm in memory of
their father. They now have 12 stables with the roof and 21 stables without
the roof. There is also a kitchen with a wall. This is a picture taken by Delfina of the Tala tree on the farm
where Don Pepe used to stand and watch the grooms school the polo horses.
Everyone is welcome to the farm to have their photo taken by the tree and to
buy polo horses or to drink mate. |
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  ELECTION CUP
DRAW --
Khun Daeng was the sponsor, time keeper, umpire, manager and chief spectator of the Election Cup on April Fool's Day, and he
couldn't have asked for a closer game as the ACT Team took to the field in
their bright new blue and white jerseys against
Siam Polo Park Team. The tournament was
held in the morning, so that all of the grooms could return to Muktahan and participate in the upcoming
snap election,
but that did nothing to alleviate the tension on the field. The ACT Team
consisted of Khun Susy and
Khun Robin with heavyweights William and Marco at back. The Siam Polo Park
Team fielded young Indonesian Novel up front with Churo, Tom and Feder all
somewhere in the back. The Siam Team was not to be intimidated by the bright
new ACT jerseys, as they charged off the mark on a pass from Feder and put the first goal up
on the board. It was a long four chukkas, with the Marco and William passing
proving very effective in moving the ball up field. Churo executed some very
good backhands and Feder had a few very good runs down the field. By the end
of the third chukka, the Siam team was up by two goals and had led for the
entire game. It was the final chukka, where the Siam defensive cracks
allowed the ACT team to creep up and equalize in the very final seconds of
the game. It was a very fast game with good open passes and hard
play. Khun Daeng was very impressed with the results of his first Election
Cup, and no doubt, these two teams will be back again to settle the score.
(photos by Khun Pui) |
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  THE
BUTTER CUP is not just a pretty yellow flower, it is also one of
Thailand's most colorful polo tournaments sponsored by one of the most
famous polo players in the Kingdom -- Mr. Eric Butter. It was Eric Butter
who pioneered the concept of shaving one's armpits for a smoother stroke on
the polo field. He calls this the "sanfter schlag." He swore Jamie Woodward
and Peter Davies to secrecy after revealing this intrepid new technique,
but some secrets are just too good to keep. The Butter Cup was indeed full
of colorful people this year. The Yellow team was captained by Mr. Eric
Butter himself, with Tom, Susy, Pepin and Gallego. The
Siam polo team was co-captained by Khun Un and Robin with William, Frances
and a brace of Indonesians. The competition was fierce. Yellow
surged into the lead in the first two chukkas 5-0. It was the third chukka,
where the Siam team began to capitalize on Gallego's unique ability to cross
the line of the ball.
The
3 penalty goals brought the Siam team up to 5-3 by the end of the chukka.
The fourth and final chukka saw the Siam team closing the gap to only
one goal, until Eric Butter charged down the
field and split the goal posts like a knife through butter leaving the final score at 7-5 for the Butter yellow
team. It was a splendid victory and great fun followed by an Argentine Asado
sponsored by Khun Susy. There are rumours that the King Power Gold Cup is
comin g soon. The King Power Polo Team was playing in Dubai this past
weekend, so this left the Terramoto Santos Anca and Guapo Federico on hand
to present the Butter Cup to the yellow team. Thank you to Marco, Feder and
Churo for hard work and good officiating. |
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 INDONESIA
CUP IS COMING....The Indonesians have made an explosive entrance into the polo world this past year since Khun Bowo first brought them to Siam Polo Park. They defeated Malaysia in a very exciting game to capture a solid third place victory in the 2006 King's Cup, and they have been working hard every week training at Siam Polo Park. On 18 March, they were even invited to play two chukkas at the Mystery Polo field (2.5 kilometers East of Siam Polo Park). Khun Bowo is now working on several activities to mount his team, and he is looking forward to sponsoring an Indonesia Cup at Siam Polo Park later this season. We are all looking forward to face off against this intrepid new team and find out what they have learned. |
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  LAUGHING WATERS CUP
- The storm clouds were building overhead as the two teams of Laughing
Waters and Siam Polo took to the field at Siam Polo Park on 19 Mar 2006. The
Laughing Waters team Captain by Khun Suzy had recruited some of the great
polo legends, such as Jamie Woodward and Marco Polo, to their ranks. The Siam
Polo team was in the able hands of Khun Robin and Khun William "the
Conqueror." The spice came from the Indonesians, Innen and Pipen and Reffi,
who took turns filling in positions on both teams, also young Sean was on
hand to add his newly acquired skill to the Laughing Waters team. It didn't
matter that there were lightning strikes all around the field; it didn't
matter that the second chukka was played in heavy rain. The teams soldiered
on. By the end of the third chukka, Laughing Waters had pulled ahead from a
tie to leave the score at 5-3. The Siam team then came back
and brought the game even in a tumultuous fourth chukka, but the Laughing
Waters had the water to their advantage and put in two determined goals to
claim the "Laughing Waters Cup" victory at Siam Polo Park. The next polo
tournament will be this coming weekend at Siam Polo Park -- The "Butter Cup"
-- sponsored by the famous Thai-English-German-Argentinean polo player Eric
Butter. |
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 DANIEL
YANEZ - El veterinario at VR polo club was recently up at Khao Yai to
check on one of the new arrivals, aptly named "KhaoYai," to the polo family in Thailand. |
 TERRAMOTO NEWS - Terramoto's
team lost to King Power 13-4 on Saturday and then 12-3 on Sunday (on 11-12
March). Terramoto, and one of his teammates, have now decided to quit polo
and change their careers to fly fishing. Pictured here are Khun Vichai and
La Topadora before they convinced Terramoto to take up fly fishing. |
 POLO GEAR - Khun Bib was one of
the early Thai polo players in Thailand. He has recently passed away. His
wife, Khun Nong, would like to give his polo equipment to someone who is
enthusiastic about polo. Friends of Khun Bib's have decided that the best
person to receive Khun Bib's polo gear would be Khun Tsu - the stable
manager at VR polo club. He is a young Thai polo player, and he may be
playing for Thailand in the 2007 SEA games in Nov-Dec 2007. |
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KING'S CUP 2006 RESULTS THAILAND KING'S CUP INTERNATIONAL POLO TOURNAMENT 2006 was a success with 6 teams competing from across Asia at SPP (Siam Polo Park) and at VRSC (VR Polo Field). This was a great sampling of what is in store for the SEA GAMES in 2007. Surprise entry from Indonesia, where polo is in its very beginning stages, saw the Indonesians finish in a very exciting 3rd place - sangngat bagoos (very good). Monday 06 Feb - JORDAN defeated Malaysia 6 - 2.5. Very exciting interchange between Marcos (Argentina) and Hassan (Pakistan) working very well together for Jordan with good passes up field to Prince Rashid who moved the ball well. The Malaysian missed two good opportunities and were not able to come back. The polo Angels were on hand and a delicious asado followed the game. Tuesday 07 Feb - MALAYSIA defeated Singapore 8.5 - 7. There was no way that Malaysia was going to lose this game! They came out hard and played hard the entire game with Juan Manuel Roman and Edham playing tremendous shots and hard ride offs. The Singapore team had a strong fielding of Eduardo Anco (Terramoto's brother), Rickard and Sattar Khan with Aron up front, but they just couldn't move past the Malaysians. The Umpires called a good game and the penalties for both sides were a factor in the final score. Wednesday 08 Feb - JORDAN defeated Singapore 7 - 4.5. Jordan will advance to the finals on Sunday 12 Feb at VR Polo. They were very serious about winning today and with excellent play from all members of the team, were able to secure a victory over Singapore. Rickard from the Singapore team said it was an excellent game, beautiful field, very well organized, good umpiring, and his team enjoyed it very much. INDONESIA defeated Argentina 9.5 - 5. The upset of the century as the young Indonesian team completely routed the Argentineans with excellent play by Pepin, Innen, Augus and the croud-pleasing debut of the new Indonesian brothers Santos Terramoto Anca and his brother Eduardo - who are both now very proud to be Indonesians. Eric Butter led his Argentine team on several brilliant charges in the final chukkas, and the guapo Federico also played with great flair. SangNgat Bagoos! Beautiful pictures taken by Khun Hugh can be seen here -- http://www.pbase.com/hughden/polo Thursday 09 Feb - THAILAND defeated Indonesia 9 - 5. Thailand hit the Indonesians hard as they came off their victory against Indonesia with fantastic play from Marcos Di Paolo and Gustavo passing up to Khun Top and Khun Vichai. Friday 10 Feb - THAILAND defeated Argentina 9 - 4.5. The game was tied in the third chukka, but then Marcos turned on the steam and the Thailand team buried the Argentineans. Very fine play by the famous Argentinean player Eric Butter with Feder providing strong stick and ball skills. Que pasa con equipo Argentina? Saturday 11 Feb - INDONESIA defeated Malaysia 12 - 5. The Terramoto Santos Anca scored 5 goals in the first chukka with fine support from his Indonesian brother. Reffi and Angus also took to the field supporting Pepin and Innen. The Malaysians played very hard, but they were "out-horsepowered" by the Indonesians. Edham Shaharuddin played exceptionally well with fantastic duels and passing up to Juan Manuel Roman, and Quizer Ambak and Rizal Ramli had some very good runs on goal. Sunday 12 Feb - THAILAND defeated Jordan 10 - 7. This was the first King's Cup final on the new VR Polo field. Khun Vichai was poised at the sideline. The storm clouds were building on the horizon and the fans were on both sides of the polo field. Marcos Villanueva and Hissam Ali Hyder charmed everyone with "el transito" as they bullied their way down the field with fantastic interchange and passing to try to get through the "wall-in-the-kitchen" of Gustavo Yanez and Marcos Di Paolo. Prince Rashid and Hani Habbas did a fantastic job for Jordan positioned at number 4 and number 1, but swift transitions and the powerful charges of the Thailand defense with Marcos and Gustavo passing up to Ton and Top put a lot of pressure on the Jordan team. The fans were on the edge of their seats going into the 6th chukka, as the rain started to fall and Prince Rashid rode to the side of the field to throw off his goggles, the teams launched into their final battle. It was a beautiful game to watch, and at the final bell, Thailand had held onto their lead to claim their 4th consecutive King's Cup victory. |
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 POLO
ANGELSIn preparation for King's Cup 2006, there was a Polo Press Launch at the J.W.Marriott Hotel in Bangkok. The exciting highlight of this event was the presentation of this years Polo Angels. Polo Angels are selected as enthusiastic polo ambassadors to promote the sport of polo in Thailand. They are present at the opening game and then again at the finals for the King's Cup. The competition is always fierce on and off the field as the angels will be battling for the title and prize for Polo Angel 2006. |
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  INDONESIA
TEAMPolo is very new in Indonesia, but this has not stopped the intrepid Indonesian Polo Team from entering this year's King's Cup. Bowo has brought his team up to Siam Polo Park several times over the past months for lessons from Marco and Feder. Innen, Pepen, Agus, Reffi have been riding hard and working on stick skills and game tactics in preparation for this year's event. The 4 Indonesians are all new players, but they will not be alone on the field, because the fearless Terramoto Santos Anca and his brother Eduardo have been recruited to join the team. These two will be one of the hottest combinations to watch in action this year, and since the Indonesians speak Indonesian and the Argentineans speak Spanish, we will be sure to see some fantastic interaction on the field -- SangNgat Bagoos! |
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 VILLA
DOLORES CHALLENGE CUPThis is sure to go down in history as one of the fast and furious encounters on the polo fields of Asia. The gauchos from VR Polo Club, who hail from the famous polo village of Villa Dolores, have put forth a challenge -- they wish to take on the gauchos from Siam Polo Park and any help they wish to enlist in a polo match. This will be the first Villa Dolores Cup to be played in Asia -- and the losers have to pay the night for the winners (sin capocha). This polo match will take place after the King's Cup -- en cualquier momento de aqui en adelante. We will keep you posted on the status of the teams. |
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 ICELAND
CUPIt is not very difficult to find a reason for a polo tournament, so on 10 January 2006 when 10 beautiful ladies from Iceland turned up at the polo club, it seemed like a fine opportunity to organize the Islands Birka (Iceland Cup). We can't remember who won or lost, but we do remember that Cabeza stopped his horse and let Jaime foul him in slow motion in front of all the fans. Iceland is famous for its volcanoes, glaciers, and sturdy ponies. Icelandic ponies are unique in the world, because they can move with 5 different gaits - Fet (walk), Brokk (trot), Stökk (gallop), Tölt (4 beat), Skeiđ (pace). They do not play any polo in Iceland, but there is one gaucho at the club who is an expert at "stick & ball" and who seems quite keen to learn more about Icelandic ponies. |
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 KANGAROO KUPThursday 05 January 2006 brought a lot of excitement to Siam Polo Park. This was the day of the Kangaroo Kup (Sponsored by Khun Susy and ACT Leather). The Siam Polo team exploded into action with Khun Susy getting a goal and the gauchos Tom and Marco following, putting them firmly into the lead 5-1 by the end of the second chukka. The Kuppa team, however, was not going to take this sitting down, and finally found their stride in the third chukka with William, Robin and the famous Thai polo player Eric Butter capitalizing on every opportunity they could. By the final bell, it was a dead tie at 6-6. You could tell that everyone had been watching the 2005 Palermo Open, because the games were very similar. However, we did not go into golden goal extra time, and all were satisfied to share the glory and claim the Kangaroo trophies and Champagne provided by Khun Susy. Our guests were Khun Martin from Pattaya Mail TV and a very attractive bevy of ladies from Sophon Cable TV that were organized by Khun Pui. They came to learn about polo and promote the sport in preparation for the King's Cup Tournament coming in February. |
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 NEW YEAR PARTY AT VR POLO CLUBThere was a tremendous polo party at VR Polo field this past New Year's Eve. VR polo team (Vichai, Top, Tol, Cabeza) defeated the SPP polo team (Marco, Tom, Eric, Daniel) 6-3. This was followed by an elephant display on the field with elephants playing football, tug-of-war against Gauchos and Khun Sanya, and then a huge feast in front of the clubhouse with singing and dancing until the early hours of the morning. This was the first New Years Celebration at the new VR polo club which will host the upcoming KING'S CUP this 6-12 February 2006. |
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 THE
NEW OFFICECabeza Grande has a new office. Siam Polo News was invited to visit the new office at the VR Polo Field. We saw polo professionals sitting in front of the desk, and we saw Cabeza Grande sitting behind the desk. He was looking very official in this position. We also noticed cookies, Pringles and yerba mate sitting in the important position on the desk. Cabeza now has a pair of glasses that he wears when he is behind the desk, because this makes him look more professional behind the desk. He also has a computer, printer, some pens, a stapler and a hole puncher on the desk. There are many polo sticks hanging on the wall of the office, but not yet any polo pictures on the wall. The floor is very clean, and there is a bathroom behind the desk. If you want to discuss polo, you are welcome to visit Cabeza in the new office. |
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  CHRISTMAS
CUPSThere is a lot of Christmas polo this year. Siam Polo Park held a Christmas Cup tournament sponsored by Kuppa on Saturday 24 December. It was a 4-4 tie between the Kuppa team and the Siam Polo team. Mimi and her horse were getting several goals for the Siam team, and Robin came on strong in the final chukka with assistance from Churo to bring the Kuppa team even with the Siam team. On Thursday 29 December, there was a fast and furious VR Christmas Cup played between 3 teams at VR Polo club. The VR TEAM (Ploy, Noo, Un, Cabeza Grande) showed a very strong performance with Khun Ploy marking her man well and Khun Noo hitting very good nearside shots. The THAI NATIONAL TEAM (Top, Tol, Tsu, Tumb) is the team that everyone was worried about. Top and Tol are a very dangerous combination with Tol leading down field and blocking for "Cambiaso" Top who recently hit a 60 yard goal after 5 taps in the air during a practice. The SPP TEAM (Robin, Suzy, Tom, Marco) was on good form with Suzy hitting a great neck shot and Robin coming on strong in her usual 3rd and 4th chukka as the tournament was finished under the lights. Fortunately for everyone, the TNT had been worn out by a week's worth of exams, but the next time we may not be so lucky -- as the THAI NATIONAL TEAM is training hard with La Topadora (when he is not in the new office) for the Southeast Asian Games in 2007. |
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 SIAM
POLO NEWS FLASH |
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 CONSTITUTION
CUPThe Constitution Cup honors the day when the King of Thailand gave the duty and responsibility of running the country to the people. The weekend of 10 & 11 December saw a lot of excitement at VR Polo, and here is the tournament report by Khun Wood -- "The tournament consisted of 6 chukkas with 3 teams competing: King Power(-4), Siam Polo Park(-4), VRSC(0). The first two chukkas King Power-Siam Polo Park (3-2). The third and fourth chukka were VRSC-King Power (4-3). The fifth and sixth chukka VRSC-Siam Polo Park (4-3). Consequently, the winner of the Constitution Cup as on Saturday 10th December 2005, which attained the highest score, was VRSC. Sunday 11th December : Friendly Match “HAM - King Power.” At first, the polo atmosphere started off between two teams that were not correlated with the Friendly Match. Finally, entering the Friendly Match among HAM and King Power, in which the tournament comprises of 5 chukkas and the members of each team are as follows: King Power(handicap4): Vichai Raksriaksorn0, Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn0, Eric Butter1, Apichet Raksriaksorn0, Gustavo Yanez3. HAM(handicap6): Nicholas Colquhoun Denvers1, Peter Mccormack1, William Roberts2, Nicholas Pieroni2. King Power-HAM (9-5)." |
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 NIGHT
POLO ARRIVES IN ASIAThe first Night Polo match ever to be played in Thailand was held on 22 November 2005 at the V.R. Sports Club polo field near Suvarnabhumi Airport. This was just a test game to see if polo could be played "under the lights." There were still some shadows on the grass, so adjustments will be made to increase the amount of light. It is believed that the first night polo field was in USA, and there is also a night polo field in Arabia located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and also in the Sultanate of Brunei. The advantage to playing polo at night in Thailand is that it is much cooler for the players and the horses. However, it has been discovered that there are also more mosquitoes at night... |
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 BEGINNERS "TANGO CUP"Beginners "Tango Cup" at Siam Polo Park was a tremendous success on the weekend of 19-20 November. William Roberts led his team to a thrilling start, then executed a unique dismounting procedure over the head of his horse leaving Khun Marco to take his place. Khun Feder then tried to remove Khun Robin's arm with his backhand. The vet diagnosed a hematoma, so Robin was retired and Khun Tom took her place. This gave the Siam Polo Team a lot to think about. Khun Susy performed flawlessly covering Feder, so he was unable to move the ball up field. Khun Mimi was  striking the ball very well and
Jaime was giving everyone trouble. Day Two of the competition, saw Khun Ploy
performing very well in the number one spot. Khun Churo replaced Jaime who
was taken off the line by a young lady visiting from Spain the night before. Khun Un and Churo were trying to help Feder, but Susy was just too much for
them. Marco's strong hits, Khun Ploy getting a great goal and Robin's
superior Kuppa Coaching Tactics gave the Kuppa team the edge with Kuppa
winning the tournament 5-3 at the final bell on Sunday afternoon. Great
thanks to Khun Wood (General Manager), Khun Daeng (Operation Manager), Ms. Boong (Special Project Section Head) and Ms. Took (Coordinator) for this
exciting event. Thank you also to Boong and Aew for a very exciting Tango
Demonstration display, but the most exciting Tango demonstration was given
by Khun Susy who has now mastered the "Corte!" |
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| Kuppa Polo Team - WINNERS! Jertjun Lourvanij (Khun Robin), Supanee Lourvanij (Khun Susy), Nattanart Bhinsaeng (Khun Ploy), William Roberts, Secret Weapons: Tom Claytor & Marco Focaccia | Siam Polo Team Usayos Vongsuksiri (Khun Mimi), Jaime Miranda (Gallego), Thanapon Tantayanurak (Khun Un), Federico "Ten Goal" Rosales, Armada Secreta: Ramiro Pellegrini (Churo) |
 THAI GAUCHOThailand's newest gaucho is not from Argentina. He is Thai. Thanasorn Tangcharoensathien is 19 years old and is in his second year studying business at Bangkok University International College. His nickname off the field is "Tumb," but on the field, he is known as "Camperito." Tumb became interested in polo after his friend Khun Top brought him to see a game last year. Top is also known as "Cambiaso" and is one of Thailand's rising stars. Now Tumb is at the VR sports club all the time learning as much as he can about the game. He comes to the field on Friday after school and camps in the gaucho quarters for the weekend. He wakes up at 6:30 and starts working - saddle and exercise the horses, stick and ball, grooming and learning about horse veterinary care with Khun Daniel. "Top has taught me to stand up in the saddle and Gustavo has been teaching me about the stick, but I would like to say that everybody teaches me." Tumb is an avid sportsman. He loves football, basketball, swimming and tennis, but polo is the most difficult sport he has ever played. The hardest part for Tumb is "how to know the game," so on the field, he learns by following his teammates and by listening to Top and Gustavo. Tumb's favorite proverb is "Tam Wanee Dee Teesoot" (do good do now) and Tumb's dream is to play for Thailand in the S.E.A. games in 2007. Tumb does not have a girlfriend, and he says that this helps him to concentrate on his polo. |
 GUSTAVO
BIRTHDAYThe birthday is always a good reason for an Argentine Asado, and on 12 November 2005, the Cabeza Grande turned 35 at the V.R. Sports Club. We celebrated with a good day of polo to get the Cabeza hot, then Khun Top led the cooling down ceremony, as the gauchos held the Cabeza down and an entire chest of ice water was poured onto him. This was very satisfying, because Cabeza has never had the honor of receiving the Songkran Cup, and he was able to feel what it is like. Delicious Asado, and then we all pitched in to help Cabeza drink his birthday bottle of Blue Label from Khun Un. Khun Marco, Carolina, Robin, Susy, Jaime, Inna, Feder joined from Siam Polo Park. |
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 MYSTERY
POLO FIELDThere is a new polo field in Thailand, and no one knows anything about it. The only person who seemed to know something was a member of one of the elephant polo teams during the recent King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament (just after finishing his 6th glass of Chivas). However, the following morning he had forgotten everything and insisted that it was all a tall tale. Sometimes, the mystery is more exciting than the truth, and armed with the wisdom "in vino veritas," we went to investigate if there was any truth in the 6 Chivas drinks. It is not easy to hide a polo field, and we are pleased to report that there now appear to be 3 polo fields in the Kingdom, and that with less than 20 polo players, Thailand may well now be the highest per capita "polo-field-per-player" country in the world. Mystery Location. |
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 Khao
Yai - During the off season (Jun-Sep), the horses move up north to Khao
Yai, and if you thought that Shangri La was in Tibet, than you haven't seen
Khun Vichai's summer farm. It is in a beautiful hidden valley surrounded by
mountains. Churo and Tsu are busy taking care of the horses for next season. |
SUMMER POLO |
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 POLO VISION"What you want to do, do it today! Don't wait for tomorrow." Khun Vichai embraces this philosophy for his polo as well as his work style. The new King Power Polo Field is the second polo field in Thailand, and the plan is to build two more fields in Chiang Mai and Khao Yai. "We want to have polo at the Thailand S.E.A. Games in 2007, so we need at least two polo fields." Khun Vichai has been putting considerable effort into introducing the game to Thai people. "Right now, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines have polo teams with all national players (possibly also Hong Kong and Indonesia), but Malaysia and Singapore have been playing polo for over hundred years. Polo in Thailand has only been revived over the past seven years, so we have to work harder. The more fields we have, the more choice, and we can get more Thai players." Already, Thai people are starting to understand the game more; they are less shy, and they understand it is not dangerous. "The key," says Vichai, "is to have good horses and to take care." Khun Vichai now has over 80 horses imported from Argentina. These horses are specially bred and trained for the polo. This year there were 2 beginners tournaments, and everybody has been very surprised that over 9 Thai women have taken up the game. The King Power Polo Field is only 25 minutes from central Bangkok (Sukhumvit) and only 15 minutes from the new Bangkok Airport. This summer a group of Thai players will play in England then spend two months playing in Argentina before returning to Thailand for the opening of next season in November. Vichai also plans to host a Cartier Cup at his new field for the next three years - possibly 12 goals or higher. We asked Khun Vichai about his win at Songkran Cup this year, and he said, "it was a good game and just for fun, but it is a cup that you don't want to lose!" |
THE FIRST GAUCHO IN THAILAND |
 POWER
TAKES THE GOLD...The King Power Gold Cup was an outstanding success this year, and there was also a King Power Junior Gold Cup for the beginning polo players in Thailand. Ali from Dubai joined Khun Vichai's team in a surprise shuffle to lead the King Power team to victory. Of course, Cabeza Grande was there too, and Khun Top was on fine form to put the ball in the goal. The runners-up were Dubai, with very strong performances by Najib and Jamie Woodward. Pepperoni and Bumbo shut the back door for Dubai, and the Pacific Way team could not make a dent. Junior Gold Cup action saw a surprise victory for new-comer polo team Kuppa. Jaime provided much amusement teaming up against Khun An from BIG polo team. It was a fun game to watch and everyone played well. |
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| NEW CLUB HOUSE The real excitement at the Gold Cup this year was the new clubhouse. Khun Vichai has been working very hard along with the staff at King Power to finish the new polo grounds and clubhouse at the King Power Sports Club. The clubhouse is amazing, and the exciting addition to this tournament was to wander through the rooms of the new clubhouse and look out on the polo field. There is even a "control tower" which looks out over the field. |
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 THE
"GOLD CUP" IS BACKIt has been a long time since we have seen this cup - sometimes rained out and sometimes un equipo tienne miedo. The last team that won was Khun Aktanai's team several years ago, but the cup is back! This is Thailand's friendly cup. It started out with just members and no professionals, but as Thai polo players like Khun Top and Khun Robin and Khun Suzy have been improving, the competition has become more fierce, so now the gauchos have to play. This year, there will be three men's teams and two beginner teams. We are seeing the return of a lot of old polo faces for this cup. Jamie Woodward will be playing with Pepperoni alongside Pascual and Najib for Dubai. Cabeza Grande and Ali will be supporting Khun Vichai and Khun Top for King Power and the famous Thai polo player Eric Butter will be taking to the field with Khun Aktanai, Khun Tom and Khun Marco for the Pacific Way team. The tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday 23-24 April 2005, and you will see a host of Siamese lady polo players like Mimi, Ploy and many more! |
 MERCEDES CUPThis coming Saturday 26 February 3:00PM at Siam Polo Park, we will see an exciting match for the Mercedes Cup. The two teams will consist of Khun Vichai and "Cambiaso" Top with the Cabeza Grande brothers, La Topadora and his brother Sergio straight in from Villa Delores. The other team will have Mr. Link and Mr. Omsin with the one and only Bach-A-Mann and a fourth secret weapon to be kept secret. This is not all. There will also be a very entertaining ladies exhibition match with two teams of Siamese polo ladies in the very capable hands of the Nicolas Pepperoni Pieroni and Marco Focaccia. Never in the history of ladies polo in Siam has any ladies team ever won a match. Every match has always ended in a tie, so we will see if one of these teams will actually win this match, or if it will be yet another tie. The excitement and tension is unbearable! The proceeds of this tournament will benefit the educational project of H.R.H. The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Guests are welcome to join the Buffet Lunch in the Air Conditioned Tent at 12:00 noon. There will be music by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and a Mercedes-Benz car show. The opening speech will be delivered by Air Vice Marshal Kamthon Sindhvananda at 3:00PM followed by Ladies Polo and then the Main Event. There will be exciting commentation by Siam Polo General Manager Khun Niphon and another mystery commentator. This will be the game of the year with Cabeza Grande Brothers up against the Bach-A-Mann. Fireworks in the evening after polo. Don't miss it! If you have any questions, call the Mercedes Polo Cup hotline -- 026503055. |
 KING POWER VETDaniel Yanez is now in Thailand. He is the younger brother of La Topadora Cabeza Grande Gustavo Yanez, and he is here to take command of the veterinary care of the horses at the King Power Polo Field. Daniel is 27 years old and he has recently completed is 7 year Veterinary degree in Argentina. Daniel likes the "art of taking care" and this is what took him into Vet Medicine. He is also a polo player with a 0 goal handicap, and he thinks that polo is the perfect combination between human and horse. Daniel's favorite refran is "En el punto mas oscuro de la noche es cuando empieza a amanecer" (in the darkest point of the night is where the sun will begin to rise). It means that when things are at their worst, then they can only get better. Daniel's objective in life is to learn as much as he can about the Veterinary care of horses. He wants to do this for himself, but realizes that this will also help him in his work. He thinks Thailand has a very interesting culture, and he thinks that King Power has a very good cancha. Daniel's greatest inspiration to be a vet was his father, Pepe, and his father was also his favorite polo player. |
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KING'S CUP 2005 |
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 NEW MEMBERSean Longstreath is 9 years old. He came to the polo club last year and met Federico Bachmann. When he told Federico that he wanted to play polo, Federico called to the grooms, "Bring Golandrina." Sean is a student at St. Andrews School in Rayong, and he speaks Thai, Lao, and English. He is now taking lessons at the club every week. He thinks that polo is a lot like soccer, but the field is bigger and there is no goalie. So far, Sean has learned to stand up in the saddle and to use his body to guide the horse. Sean's father loves to come to support his son. |
 BACHMANN
IN EUROPEFederico Bachmann spent the summer playing in Switzerland and France. He was playing for Philip Maeder at the Zurich Polo Park. His highpoint was the 14 goal ATAG Polo Open where his team "Lavazza" did much better than expected. All of the other teams had 3 professionals, but Lavazza had 2 professionals with 2 sponsors. The trick was to keep possession of the ball. When you are 2 against 3, moving in diagonals is essential. Go away from the opposition, and go where they won't take it from you. Federico says this is called El Trensito (the little train) where you play very close to each other. You can't just hit the long shot, because you will lose the ball, so when you hit, it has to be a goal or out!" Federico says that playing in Europe is more competitive. They are very organized and getting better horses all the time. He chose Pablo Jauretche (7 goals) to play with him, because of good communications. "We have good chemistry. He can listen and advise me, and we are both 'workers on the field' - not stars. This is important." The experience in Europe taught Federico the importance of discipline - "follow the line," he says. Europeans are interested in position and strategy, and they valued Federico's tactics of "teaching on the field." Federico likes to teach "what to do" rather than to explain later "what you did wrong." Many players get "lost on the field," so they really appreciate it if you can help "show them the way." It's is like guiding a blind man before he hits the wall, rather than tell him later why he hit the wall. You get more confidence and you learn faster. Federico thinks the top polo countries in Europe now are Spain (serious and fun), England (serious), Switzerland (wants to learn), France and Italy. Federico feels that going from one extreme in Thailand to the other in Europe has made him appreciate the importance of freedom and to understand that you don't need that much in life to be happy. Email the Bach-A-Mann |
 TRABAJANDO GAUCHOThe work of the gaucho can be very difficult at times. Here, our very own Pepperoni has just completed an instruction session of stick and ball with Khun Mimi. Mimi is one of the most experienced lady polo players in Thailand. She has been playing polo for many years, and now since she is working at King Power, we see her even more often at the polo field. Pepperoni has been coaching her on her swing and riding position. Pepperoni's father is an avid reader of Siam Polo News. |
 POLO ENTHUSIASMKhun Pak is on a month's vacation from high school in Australia. Her mother, Robin, loves polo, and now Khun Pak is very interested to learn too. Feder has been giving her lessons and teaching her some of the finer points of the game. He thinks she is coming along well. Khun Pak does not have much experience, but it is easy to see that she is a natural. She is very comfortable on the horse, and she is learning very fast. She hopes that she will be able get her own horse to play polo with some day. |
 HISTORICAL
JOURNEY TO TAKPrajow Taksin is a very famous King in Thailand who lived about 9 generations ago before the Rama Kings took power in Siam. He is very famous for leading his army from Chantaburi to defend Siam against the Burmese. He told his men "Toop Mau Kow" (Break Your Rice Bowl) after their last meal before attacking the Burmese. This was to inspire his men to victory, because their next meal would have to be eaten out of their enemy's rice bowl. There was no coming back. Victory or death. He was successful. Prajow Taksin was also a great horseman, and if you venture to the north of Thailand, there is a town called Tak which was Prajow Taksin's birthplace. In this town, you can find a temple to the spirit of King Taksin, and for polo players, this temple has special significance, because it is surrounded by statues of horses - wood, iron and stone. It is a temple to King Taksin's spirit, and therefore you only wai once. (In a normal Thai Temple, you wai three times - to the Buddha, the Book, the Teacher). |
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HRH
PRINCE OF WALES CHARITY TROPHY -- HAM POLO CLUB |
| POLO HISTORY Recently, we were able to see our very own "Peperoni" playing with his uncle Canchi from Argentina. These two come from a very long line of polo players in Argentina. Canchi is president of the Rio Cuarto Polo Club and has been playing polo for 25 years. His passion for polo came from his father and his grandfather. His grandfather, Manuel Andrada El Paisano, was a 9 goal player who was on the world champion Argentina polo team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and who also won the Argentine Open six times. Canchi's father was a polo coach in Spain, Columbia, England and Brasil. Canchi feels the most important tactic in polo is to play as a team. It is the heart and head of the other players that gives the spirit to the game. Read more about Nicolas Pieroni en Tailandia. |
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| Siam Polo Action... |
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 We
finally managed to track Jamie Woodward down with his family after the game.
Jamie started polo at age 10 in England with the Pony Club. He was a Captain
in the Blues & Royals British Cavalry Regiment for 8 years playing at Guards
Polo Club in Windsor. His greatest polo moment was scoring the winning goal
as the final bell rang in the semi-finals of the Harrison Cup (15 goal) at
Cowdray Park against Los Locos. His greatest mentor of the game was Memo
Gracida. "He taught me to watch the game and to slow down so as to play calm
and organized." Jamie met his lovely wife Pum (a famous actress in
Thailand) at a Christmas eve party in Bangkok. Now, he has two children,
Jilly who rides and wants to fly, and young Tom who will certainly play
polo. Jamie's favorite shot is "under the neck." Favorite quote: "Action
this day" (Winston Churchill). "Polo has taught me how to have fun and
compete; winning is important." Jamie is with UBS investment banking firm in
Bankok, and his advice for polo: "slow down in front of goal," and "in
attack, try to go inside the defender (go to his right), because it
neutralizes the opposition!" (Khun Top does this well). His favorite polo
quote comes from the former 10 goal Argentinian, Gonzolo Pieres, "No one
ever gets out of polo." |
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CONTACTS AT SIAM POLO PARK Polo Manager: Marco Focaccia -- mobile: 09-2235677. Club Manager: Khun Daeng -- mobile: 01-8136673. Post Address: Siam Polo Park, 100 M.9, T.Pong, A.Banglamung, Chonburi 20150. Fax: 66+38734940. Map to Siam Polo Park Hotels near Siam Polo Park Aerial photo of Siam Polo Park
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Webpage designed by Tom Claytor
www.claytor.com
POLO ANGEL 2006
CARTIER INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
POLO IN SINGAPORE
ELEPHANT
POLO 2005 - Last Year Khun Aktanai, the Chairman of Siam Polo Park, led Thailand's Mobile Easy Elephant
Polo team to victory in the 2004 King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament. It was
a very exciting moment in Thai polo history, because this was the first time
that Thailand had won the King's Cup in Elephant Polo. This year, Khun
Aktanai is back leading Thailand's American Express team onto the field.
KING POWER CAPTURES EKARAT PROPERTY CUP
THAILAND WINS 2004 KING'S CUP ELEPHANT POLO TOURNAMENT
London. After the charity lunch, an
exciting exhibition match took place with Khun Top scoring
the first goal to great cheers of delight from the Thai supporters on the
sidelines. The final score after the 4 chukkas was 5 ˝ to 5, with King Power
claiming the 1/2 goal advantage on handicap. Cambiaso showed great skill on one of his successful drives going the whole length
of the field tapping the ball and scoring for King Power. Castagnola scored three goals
for Ham and the other goals came from Chris Mathias and Ali Albwardy. It was
an exciting afternoon of polo with proceeds going to a good cause. H.E. The Thai
Ambassador Presented the prizes to the two teams including the new Dara-designed
burgundy umbrella complete with a polo stick handle.
