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SIAM POLO NEWS
THAILAND - SINGAPORE - INDONESIA - CHINA - KOREA -
PHILIPPINES
Sponsored by KING POWER
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  11-16
AUG 2010 -- THAILAND GOING TO SINGAPORE POLO CLUBThe full force of the King Power Polo Team will be on the field in Singapore this August. Khun Gung and Khun Daniel have announced that Nicole is in charge of all logistics and assembling the team. Khun Gung has also informed us that TPA will begin an aggressive schedule of international polo appearances for the Thai Polo team. We will bring you more updates from this event as we receive them. |
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7-8
AUG 2010 -- FRIENDLY MATCH IN KOREA Our friend J.B. Lee has invited Singapore and Shanghai and Thailand to join a friendship polo tournament at his new polo club. This will be a low goal event with 4 chukkas a day. There is already a team coming from Singapore. The tournament will be for beginners and with a maximum handicap of 2 goals per team. For more information, email korea@siampolonews.com |
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 20
JUL -- FELIZ DIA DEL AMIGOEver since the Cabeza Grande has his new BlueBerry, he has been able to inform us of strategic events from all points of the globe. He recently reminded us all that 20 July is the official "Day of the Amigo" in Argentina. This is the day when you wish all your Amigos the best and say hello to them. Cabeza informs us that he is "moviendo las vacas" in Villa Dolores and that all is well. He also sent us a photo of Santiago Yanez doing some stick and ball in the kitchen without the wall. |
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 JUL
2010 -- GUACHOS IN SWITZERLANDWe located the Bach-a-mann in Bern, Switzerland and found some other gauchos Manu and Agustin. The Bach-a-mann was teaching players in Bern for a month and then going to play a 15 goal tournament in St. Tropez, France. Manu is now the Cabeza Grande in St. Moritz, Switzerland. They have 6 horses there and not yet a field, but it is coming soon. It seems that it is difficult to get permission from the Swiss government to have official polo fields. The Bern field is separate from the clubhouse and the stables. Manu and his wife Caro are living in St. Moritz and he is giving lessons to some of the students at the nearby private school. The Bach-a-mann is very famous in Thailand for originating "La Signa del Gaucho" which is now recognized around the world and the official sign of La Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos. Bach-a-mann has recently accepted an appointment to the board of Directors at Argentina Polo. |
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POLO
IN PHILIPPINES -- INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE FIELD We had a chat with Charlie Field and will be sharing some of his background in polo shortly. The Philippine Polo Season is from November to March. In Nov & Dec, Charlie is on the farm with the best field. In Jan & Feb, there are 10-12 goal tournaments (with 2 teams) and 4 goal tournaments (with 4-6 teams). The Tournament season is from January to March. March is usually 4-6 low goal tournaments. More info coming soon. |
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AUG
2010 -- KOREA INVITES CHINA TO PLAY A FRIENDLY MATCH There may be only one Korean polo player, but this has not stopped JB Lee from inviting China polo players to come and play a friendly match at the Korea Polo Club in August 2010. Any Chinese players that wish to join this match -- www.koreapoloclub.com |
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 KOREA DEFEATS INTERNATIONAL TEAM IN OPENING TOURNAMENTThe opening weekend was a tremendous success for Korea Polo Club in Jeju, Korea. Surrounded by volcanoes this island paradise hosted the first ever polo game to be played in Korea in front of hundreds of VIPs and dignitaries. Mr. J.B. Lee was thrilled with the results of his hard work. Rain was falling on Friday and Saturday morning, but thanks to 30cm of North Korean sand and the hardiest grass (combination of Tifton and Perennial Rye that loves 15*-20*C) we have ever seen, the pitch was in perfect form for the opening game. H.E. Mr. Chua, The Singaporean Ambassador, was given the honor of getting the ball rolling as he threw it in, and the spectators were thrilled by some very high level polo. After Day one, the International team was leading by 1.5 goals. But on the second day, the Korean team was led by a ferocious charge by J.B. Lee scoring a hat-trick and taking the Koreans into the lead. It was a nail-biting finish, but our very own Campeon de La Vida -- Nicolas Pieroni -- helped carry the Korean team to victory. We will post photos soon. Congratulations to Korea Polo Club -- www.koreapoloclub.com -- and JB Lee for brininging polo to Korea. KOREAN TEAM: JB Lee, Alex de Lisle, Nicolas Pieroni, Rob Ballard. INTERNATIONAL TEAM: Marc Hogberg, Alex Vecinal, Mark Lillyman, Charlie Field. |
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 KOREAN
HORSE HISTORYUpon further inspection, we discovered that Korea is a country rich in horse history. The white horse in the Korean Polo Club logo comes from the ChunMa Tomb in KyungJu (town). "ChunMa" means "horse from heaven" and inside of the tomb was found the ancient image of the white horse. This tomb is either for King SoJi or King JoJung and was built after the time of unification. Ancient Korea used to be divided into 3 kingdoms, and the Kingdom of Shilla in the Southeast was the kingdom that united the 3 kingdoms which then lasted another 500 years. The tomb has 12 animals around it and is a large mound of earth in S.E. Korea. |
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23
MAY 2010 -- 15 AMBASSADORS AT NUSANTARA FOR ARGENTINE INDEPENDENCE DAY It may have been the largest assembly of Ambassadors for a polo match in the history of polo -- certainly polo in Asia. On 25 May 2010, Argentina celebrated it's 200th year of Independance. The Nusantara Polo Club celebrated with a grand exhibition match between the Indonesian National Team and an Argentina Team. There were 600 spectators on the side of the field, complete with a Tango show. The honored guest was the Argentina Ambassador, H.E. Javier Sanz de Urquiza, and there was a splendid Argentine Asado for all to enjoy. Khun Probowo took to the field to lead the Indonesian Team with 3 of the Indonesian National Team members. The Argentine Team was led by chief gaucho Nico Curto, and when the dust settled, it was Argentina that won the day 10-5 and lifted the Silver Cup -- which weighed 30 kilos!!!! Congratulations to Indonesia and Argentina for a splendid display of polo and a great celebration of Argentina's National Day. INDONESIA TEAM: Prabowo Subanto (-1) / Ac'ep Krisnanadar (o). Billy Barsel (1), Novel Momongan (2), Hary Syafar (1)/Agus Gombong (0). ARGENTINA TEAM: Lucio Benedit (2), Juan Benz (1), Mariano Curto (1), Nico Curto (4). |
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ELEPHANT POLO MOVING BACK TO HUA HIN Chris Stafford has confirmed that the next Elephant Polo Tournament in Thailand will be held in Hua Hin. This next tournament will be in September 2011, so plenty of time for everyone to practice. |
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 KING
POWER FLAG ON SUMMIT OF MOUNT EVERESTSiam Polo News has discovered that another high altitude polo stick test was recently conducted in Nepal. This time the team was exploring the effects that lack-of-oxygen has on polo players and the polo stick in particular. On the summit of Everest, there is 75% less oxygen then at sea level. This causes a deterioration of brain cells, and the polo player can completely forget his stick if he is not careful. The temperature ranges from -40*C to -100*C, depending on the wind, and this can have a very damaging effect on the player and the stick. Khun Top very kindly dispatched a King Power flag for the expedition to use to promote polo and Duty Free to all the Sherpas in the Khumbu Valley. The expedition also felt very badly about the 1/2 goal loss that King Power (captained by Gustavo Yanez) suffered against the Black Dog team for the last place position in the Gold Cup. The King Power flag proudly reached the top of Everest on 17 May 2010 at 10AM. This year, there were 6 deaths on Everest and 12 climbers lost most or all of their fingers to frostbite. The expedition determined that polo is not feasible anywhere above 26,000 feet due to the low levels of oxygen, and that the loss of fingers due to frostbite makes holding the polo stick extremely difficult. Siam Polo News apologizes for the lack of updates during the two month expedition. |
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 12-16
JUN 2010 -- CONSUL GENERAL CUP IN CHINASteve Wyatt has proudly shared with us that the famous 6-8 goal Consul General Cup is returning to Nine Dragons in China. This has become a very popular tournament for spectators and the high fashion ladies in Shanghai and is not to be missed. www.ndhpolo.com -- Many of China's up and coming players have made their way to Thailand to compete and their level of play is increasing rapidly -- especially with Brian Xu's recent victory in the King Power Gold Cup at VR Sports Club. UPDATE 19JUN2010 -- We hear that the German Team with gauchos Federico von Potobsky and Terramoto Talamoni have won the Consul General Cup 2010. It is a very interesting story, because the Terramoto Team defeated the German Team with Potobsky last year in the final seconds -- so the old adage holds true, "if you can't beat 'em, get them to join you." Congratulations to all teams. We have heard reports that the Nine Dragons Field is one of the best fields in the world. Well done to Nine Dragons Polo. RESULTS: Porsche and Jebsen Germany Team won the cup. Second place was Star River Italy and Third place was Hurun Report UK. Wayne Glennie was back on the field for Hurun. Our very own Cabeza Grande was on the field in China for the very first time supporting our good friend Brian Xu and his Noblesse Shanghai Team. Other teams were M-House Hong Kong and Sun Media China. The Cabeza is now back in Argentina with his BlackBerry. There is an increasing number of gauchos now fielding the BlackBerry -- including Lucas in Villa Dolores and Pepperoni in Korea. |
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9-12
APR 2010 -- SONGKRAN CUP AT VR The Songkran Cup is one of the oldest and most invigorating tournaments in Thailand -- for the winners anyway!! -- If you lose this one, your time has come to lie prostrate on the ground and receive several buckets of ice water. Indonesia was last years winner of the Songkran Cup. This year everyone is invited to send in their name and they will be put on a team. Khun Vichai has never ever received a bucket of water in the Songkran Cup, so this may be the year. If you want to join this very fun tournament (0-6 goals), then email Gustavo -- gustavo@argentinapolo.com -- This will be the last official tournament of the season. We have heard from Stijn and he says that he is coming and probably bringing many players from our friends the Singapore Polo Club. So far, we see that Martin Young, Gerry Gan, Graham and Anna Cox, Stijn, Eric, Vichai, Top, Tal, Noo, Ploy are coming. Khun Ploy loves the Songkran Cup, but not when she looses. UPDATES COMING SHORTLY. |
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31
MAR, 1, 3, 4 APR 2010 -- THE UNIVERSITY CUP For the first time, there will be a University Cup in Thailand. The University Cup is held to promote polo at the University Level and to invite international teams from around the world to compete in Thailand. This year, Khun Ploy has assembled and impressive team and we look forward to watching her compete. Apparently, the 4th is to be a combination Final and Birthday Cup. For more information on the University Cup -- email Gustavo@argentinapolo.com -- UPDATE: On 30th Malaysia beat Regents A 13-9.5 // On 31st Regents B beat Sweden 4-3 and Singapore beat Royal Holloway 5-4. // On 1st Thailand beat Sweden 4-3, Regents A beat Royal Holloway 5-3. Malaysia beat Singapore 7-6 in a very exciting game. // Thailand will be going to the finals. // This is the first time we have ever seen a University Level Polo Tournament in Thailand and it is very excitement to see this level of interest in polo -- especially in Southeast Asia. It is also bound to be excellent training for SEA Games 2011. 1) Regent's A - Rhys Cole 0, Ploy Bhinsaeng -2, Christian Badenhop 0, Matthias Muelbachel -2 2) Regent's B - George Shelton -1, Constatijn Huynen 1, Viktor Peterson -1, Nick Motz -2 3) Malaysia - Chevy Beh 4, Garvy Beh 2, Flea Vaughn -2, Lucie Cowan -2 4) Royal Holloway - Charlie Minns Shearer 1, Tom Lama Croft 1, Anoushka Siegler -1, Emma Louise Cowrick -2, (Grace Flower -2) 5) Singapore - Imran Jumabhoy 0, Marc Hoeberg 1, John Hardee 0, Waqas Khan 1 6) Sweden - Jonathan Willen -2, Emily Cheah -1, Olliver Warley -2, Fadzli Shah Anuar -2 7) Thailand - Top, Tal, Noo, Tumb |
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 22-28 MAR 2010 --
KING POWER AND AUDEMARS PIGUET IN FINAL AT KING'S CUP ELEPHANT POLOView King's Cup Elephant Polo Portraits -- www.jeremysamuelson.com/incoming/polo/ -- View ABC News Photos of "World's Most Amazing Sport" -- http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/slideshow/photos-elephant-polo-thailand-10231615 -- Elephant Polo returns to the far northern corner of Thailand once again along the Burmese border amidst lush tropical jungle. This year was a very exciting year with a final between King Power and Audemars Piguet. Gustavo Yanez was for the first time in his life playing polo on the back of an elephant. Khun Nat and Khun Tom stuck him at back, and he performed brilliantly. The King Power team coming off a very exciting victory over Mercedes the previous day, was finding it difficult to put the ball in the goal with Audemars Piguet. The Kalaan brothers were playing very well and won through to claim the trophy. Mercedes played a fantastic game for third place against SOCO. Ed Story was back in fine form. The Grand Mullis was seen on the field playing this year for Veuve Cliquot. Mullis brought his tractor to the elephant polo. He is building a polo field on his farm about 11 km from Chiangsaen and he says he is building a hotel there too. All of the veteran players were trying to get Mullis to host a dinner at his farm next year. Khun Nat was promoted to the position of "Polo Professional" on the elephant polo field by Gustavo after scored relentlessly against Mercedes. James Manclark was thrilled with his 8 goals against the Anantara team, but he would not let Sangay substitute in on the Spice Girls team when he was asked to replace Khun Robin -- even though he was wearing a wig and a pink helmet. The teams for this year were as follows -- www.anantaraelephantpolo.com Audemars Piguet - Peter Prentice (Captain), Angad Kalaan, Uday Kalaan, Oliviero Bottinelli (Team Owner/Manager). Kingpower Thailand - Tom Claytor, Top Raksriaksorn, Gustavo Yanez, Nattapong Patummalee. Mercedes Benz Germany - Oliver Winter (Captain), Niffy Winter, Hugo Goetz, Dirk Goetz. SOCO International - Ed Story (Team Manager / Owner), Jason Friedman, Khun Taweesak, Paul. Veuve Cliquot - Chris Stafford (Captain), Col Raj Kalaan, Robert Mullis, Bjorn Richardson. Price Waterhouse WEPA Legends - Paul Stitt (Team Owner), Kristjan Edwards (Captain), Stine Edwards, Tim Edwards. TAT Thailand - David Wildridge (Captain), William Wildridge, Simon American Express - Rikard Hogberg (Captain), Thomas Engstrom, James Manclark. IBM Spice Girls - Sam Prentice (Captain), Chakra, Geoffrey Dobbs, Khun Robin. |
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 18-20 MAR 2010 -- POLO ESCAPE WINS KING POWER GOLD CUP (6-10 goals)The Gold Cup is coming, and after the success of the Ambassador's Cup at VR, many players are returning. Already 6 ten goal teams have confirmed. King Power is sending a team. Brian Xu is bringing a team from China with Lucas Lujan. Polo Escape is sending a team. Two new teams will be competing in the 5 chukka tournament. Not only that, we have recently heard that the original Black Dog Team (with the original members) will be returning to the field under the command of Jamie Woodward. Many people are not aware that the Black Dog Team made a tour of the remote inner pampas regions of Argentina over the Austral Spring and won a Triple Corona Victory in tournaments at Paisano Polo, Concoran, and Villa Delores. The Black Dog Team has never suffered so many victories in the entire history of the team. The team has also announced the recent appointment of Thai Polo legend Peter Davies as special coach to the team during the playing of the Gold Cup.  BLACK
DOG BEATS KING POWER
IN A RUBBER HORSE MATCHBlack Dog had not won a single game in the entire King Power Gold Cup. Jamie Woodward calculated that the combined age of the team was 186 years. Peter Davies drove all the way out from Bangkok with his own Black Dog to coach the team (increasing the combined age of the team to 233 years). Every team had 2-3 professionals, but Black Dog did not have a single professional, so it was almost certain that Black Dog was going to receive the Caballo de Goma (Rubber Horse) when they rode onto the field for their final day of battle against King Power. Khun Top was absent from the King Power team, as he was on an extended vacation in UK. Peter Davies was called from his coaching position to take to the field for the opposing team. It was a brilliant battle between the original Black Dog team and the vibrant King Power team. It was obvious that Gustavo did not want to sign the Rubber Horse. The Black Dog 2.5 goal lead vanished and all seemed lost until the final seconds of the last chukka with a fine pass from William left the ball in front of goal and Black Dog claimed a historic victory by a half goal. The Rubber Horse is a new tradition in Thailand. It is presented to the LAST PLACE TEAM and signed by all the members of this team just to remind them that there is always room for improvement. The Rubber Horse will henceforth be kept in the Trophy Room and present at all future tournaments. Note: If a player's name starts to appear too frequently on the Rubber Horse, then he or she will be invited to sponsor an Expedition. UPDATES: DAY 1: Polo Escape defeated Axus 11-7. Meyado defeated King Power 8-5. Day 2: Will have Black Dog up against the full force of Brian Xu's Axus team -- Dzo Ba! at 5:30pm. Jamie thinks we should rename the team to "Old Dogs" -- but the team has recruited the coaching prowess of polo legend Peter Davies, so anything could happen. |
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NEW
POLO PLAYER COMING TO THAI POLO CLUB SOON We have recently observed that Santiago Bachmann and his lovely wife Paz are soon to be bringing a new polo player to the field at Thai Polo Club. Congratulations to them and we are sure this will be a high goal player. Expected arrival is late March. Chok dee. |
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 25-28
FEB -- MIGHTY MITAVITE WINS THE AMBASSADOR'S CUP 2010It was the largest tournament we have ever had in Thailand, with 8 teams comprised of players from 11 different countries spanning 6 continents. It was the first time we have ever had a visiting player from Korea or Russia on the field, and the tournament was a tremendous success. On Thursday and Friday nights, Maria Power, assisted by Valentina and Flaca, completely outdid herself, delivering a lovely Players Asado. Khun Top kicked in the full force of the Pullman Bar on the second Players Asado evening and by 1am J.B.Lee and 9 other players were on the tennis court playing soccer and inventing the rules as they went. On Saturday, there were several hundred polo fans turned out for a splendid day with 2 semi-final matches played on the SPP field and 2 on the VR field under the lights. After the polo, His Excellency Felipe Frydman and King Power hosted a delicious and very entertaining Asado dinner with Argentine Wine. The highlight of the evening was the Beverly Hills Polo Club Fashion show. There were splendidly attired long-legged models from Beverly Hills, but much humor was had when everyone discovered that the models were being escorted by Argentinean Gauchos. The ladies were very good humored and even helped guide the gauchos through some of the steps and hip movements. Following the fashion show, all the spectators were enthralled by the Tango Display from Argentinean and Brazilian dancers. Then the crouds roared when Felipe Frydman himself took to the floor and showed us all the moves he has been learning. Everyone was very impressed by Bakhtiar and John's hard playing for Coke Zero, but it was J.B.Lee from Korea who left everyone in the dust as he carried several balls downfield and through the goal. The Mitavite team was very strong from the first day, and a riveting performance from Mrs Pelligrini with an impressive first goal from Khun Vichai made for a very exciting final against SCB. The Spectators favorite team was the bright orange Beverly Hills Polo Club team with the charming and handsome Nicolas Pieroni and Santy Lujan teaming up with Chinese players Jeff Su and Jack Ji. Jeff drilled a near side shot through the goal and Jack had several impressive hits and goals. This team also suffered the most injuries with Jeff collecting 5 stitches in his cheek and Santy dislocating his Left Thumb. Everywhere you looked, there seemed to be Singapore Polo Club members on every team with Ang Bang Tong heading up the Thailand Tatler team and Lynly Fong, Sattar, Waqas and Marc manning the Green Machine AOT team, and John on Singha and another John on Coke Zero. It was no wonder that Singapore Polo Club General Manager, Torrey Dorsey and his lovely polo-loving girlfriend, Jessie, made the trip up to cheer for their members. Edouard made the trip from Indonesia to show us all what he has been learning from Nico Curto, and he played very well. Romance was blooming on the field as the Singha Captain Gusy Casabal presented fellow teammate Daniel Yanez with the beautiful Russian International player, Olga Grishina, from Moscow. Daniel wasted no time taking the ball from end to end at high speed. All eyes were on the Air Asia team, as they lost an early game, and ended up in a battle against their old arch rivals in the battle for 3rd place. Nat and Top were having some altercations trying to learn their positions, because this was the first time they had played together. In the end, the battle was fierce with Nat launching the ball up forward. Lucas Lujan then came on fire in the final chukka to score 5 goals and bring Tatler within 1/2 point from victory. The Singha team also fielded a colorful arsenal of characters from Singapore with Ronnie and Hector Rualo taking shifts on the team. It was a very enjoyable tournament, and the final positions were: 1. Mitavite, 2. SCB, 3. Air Asia, 4. Thailand Tatler, 5. Coke Zero & Beverly Hills, 6. AOT & Singha. Thank you all for your generous support and see you next year. |
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His Excellency The
Argentine Ambassador
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14 MAR 2010 -- JAMES ASHTON MEMORIAL CHUKKAS AT POLO ESCAPE
We would like to confirm details of “The James Aston Memorial Chukkas” a Celebration to be held in his memory. On Sunday, March 14th at Polo Escape, Pattaya. 15:00 pm Player registration, Team & Chukka assignment @ VIP Hospitality Tent. 15:45 pm All Players assembled on the field, Eulogies and 1 minute silence. 16:00 pm commencement of Chukkas. 
18:00 pm All players and Friends 2 the Sala for the Celebration. Format and details of play:
1. Total of 6 chukkas to be played.
2. Players will be assigned between 2 teams, James Ashton Memorial White &
James Ashton Memorial Black.
3. Umpiring by Mr. Tim Kyte.
4. Play format, Social Game, no score boardThere is no cost to participants, The event is sponsored by Polo Escape and Polo Escape Patrons. We look forward to welcoming you to this Celebration in James Ashton’s memory. |
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 JAMES
ASHTON - A DEAR FRIEND DEPARTEDOn Sunday, 14th February 2010, James Aston sustained serious injuries while playing a Rotary charity match in the 10 goal Adamas Trophy at Polo Escape for the Kuppa team. His horse came down at speed after clipping the other horse. He was rushed to hospital by the attending ambulance. Sadly he later died at the hospital. This is a great loss for all polo players, as James Ashton was a dear friend and a gentle, charismatic soul. Many of us had played with James in China, in Thailand, and in Australia. He was a person who gave of himself to help others. James was currently serving as the Interim President of F.I.P. (Federation of International Polo) and was a great force in uniting polo clubs in Asia and around the world. James was born in 1941 and was the owner of Millamolong Polo Club. The Ashton family is best remembered for their ambitious venture in 1930 to represent Australian Polo in England, and on a shoe-string budget, he came back victorious. 14 MAR 2010 -- JAMES ASHTON MEMORIAL CHUKKAS AT POLO ESCAPE James touched the lives of many people around the globe, in and outside the Polo world, of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. His enthusiasm for Polo, warmth towards other people and sheer friendliness was infectious and inspiring. As an interim President of FIP, James was keen to see the development of Polo in the FIP Zone D, especially in light of the forthcoming World Cup qualifying tournament in Malaysia. In addition, his main mission to Thailand was to bring together the three polo families in Thailand. We would like to commemorate James Ashton in a Memorial Chukkas to be played at Polo Escape on the 14th of March 2010. Although the definitive format of these chukkas is not yet confirmed, handicaps will not be of importance and players will have the opportunity to play at least one chukka. We would like you to confirm if you are going to participate in the James Ashton Memorial Chukkas on the 14th of March, 2010. Kindly respond no later than the 5th of March, 2010 to - marcofocaccia@hotmail.com and +66 892 235 677. Cordially, Suzy Lourvanij, Robin Lourvanij, Peter Yunghanns, Tim Keyte, Peter Schlegeter, Henry Brett, Paul Cheung, Giampaolo Guarnieri, Brian Xu. |
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 13-14 FEB 2010 --
LADIES TAKE TIGER CUP AT SPP6 Singaporean players are on the field at Siam Polo Park this weekend taking lessons and playing chukkas. Charlotte Marson, Graham Cox, Matthew Harris, Lynly Fong, Jonathan Gabler, and Anna Lowndes arrived on Wednesday and will be playing through until Tuesday next week. The visiting Singaporeans have  recently spent 10 days playing in Australia, then the ladies participated in
the Ladies Tournament at Polo Escape, and now they are about to compete in
the Tiger Cup at SPP. Many of the gauchos were very surprised at the level
of play shown by the ladies. Khun Lynly was on fire carrying balls down the
field and placing them in the goal on Friday. Charlotte was showing the
gauchos exactly how a ride-off should be performed, and Anna's command
performance gave her team a victory on Friday in a three team warm-up match.
There was a "Hornito Asado" on the side of the field after polo and the idea
was hatched that there should be a TIGER CUP at SPP this weekend. SPP
Manager Gustavo Yanez and SPP Supermanager Khun Dang are so nimble and
dexterous that the tournament was arranged during the asado and will be
played this weekend in honor of the Chinese Year of the Tiger. The results
of the Tiger Cup shocked all spectators as the Tiger Cup was played with an
all female team of Lynly, Charlotte, Anna (with the gaucho Che) against the
all male team of Graham, Matthew, Jonathan (with gaucho Ramiro). The
Singapore Ladies soundly defeated the Singapore Males by 1/2 goal after
having conceded a 1/2 goal handicap advantage to them. Needless to say, the
ladies were ecstatic and the males were applying for membership to La
Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos... It was a great fun event, and the two
teams have vowed a rematch to settle the score. |
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 CHAIRMAN
OF GUARDS POLO CLUB VISITS SPPOn Saturday, 13 February, Jamie Woodward brought a special visitor to watch the polo at Siam Polo Park -- Col. Paul Belcher, the Chairman of Guards Polo Club in England. Paul's niece lives in Bangkok; she is married to an Elephant Polo playing friend of all of ours, and Paul was very pleased to have a chance to watch some polo in Thailand while on his way from Singapore back to UK. Paul was in the British Army until age 56. Eight years ago, he was appointed to be the Chairman of Guards. He says it is just like being in the Army, and he is very fortunate to have 35 people working for him. Guards Polo club is a "Royal" polo club. The club is on Crown property, H.M. The Queen visits regularly, and H.R.H. Prince Philip is the President. Paul explains that the membership is a bit like the United Nations with about 60 playing members and 60 professionals from many different countries. There are also 1,500 non-playing members. There are presently 10 polo fields at Guards and they are building 2 more. The Queen's Cup every year fields between 15-20 teams, and relies heavily on Argentinean professionals and sponsorship by Cartier. This year will see New Zealand versus England. Paul used to be in the Welsh Guards during his military career. He served in Dubai, Northern Ireland, and Belize, but he never played polo. His position at Guards keeps him very busy attending polo events and giving speeches, but he enjoys it. He explains that some of the players and professionals require "special handling," but what he is most impressed by is the amount of effort that people put into playing polo. Most of the players at Guards have their own grounds, which is a form of Country House Polo, and then Guards serves more as a center for tournaments. The Queen comes seven times a year, and she always drives herself. Paul explains that they now have two GPS-controlled diesel mowers at Guards. These are unmanned machines and they take 11 hours to finish all ten fields. They cut the fields every night, and if a dog or child were to step in front of the mower, it would just stop and "look at you" until you moved. The other significant development at Guards is that they are building an Artificial Turf Polo Field -- and this must be a first for polo anywhere in the world. Guards is working very closely with polo in Dubai, Marrakech, and Beijing polo, and the Papplewick School nearby with 140 boys between 7-13 years is currently fielding 3 polo teams. Paul says that there are now approximately 70-90 polo clubs under HPA in Uk. The Guards Polo webpage is www.guardspoloclub.com.uk. We thank Paul for visiting us and hope that he will come back to visit his niece again soon. |
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 SMALL
WORLD OF POLOKhun Lynly Fong from Singapore was recently playing at SPP when she met the gaucho Nicolas Pieroni from Rio Cuarto. Nicolas goes by many names -- Che "the revolutionary," El Campeon de La Vida, Pepperoni -- and when Lynly was taking a polo lesson from Nicolas, she learned that he comes from Rio Cuarto. She told him that she had visited a polo club in Rio Cuarto named Paisano Polo Club, and Nicolas told her that this is the club where he is a member. It is a very small world. Lynly told Nicolas that she met "Chancho," the owner of the club, and Nicolas said, that she probably met Canchi, the owner. Nicolas was very pleased with his student's performance when she helped her ladies team win the Tiger Cup against the all-male Singaporean team. Nicolas invited Lynly back to visit the Paisano Polo Club anytime she wanted. |
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 11-14
FEB 2010 -- ADAMAS TROPHY AT POLO ESCAPEThere were 4 teams competing for the coveted Adamas trophy sponsored by Khun Paul from Hong Kong. Mr. James Ashton, the interim President of F.I.P. was invited to play for the Kuppa Team. James suffered an accident on the field when his horse tripped and sadly lost his life, so the play for this tournament was suspended. Thailand TPA is now organizing a tribute to James for his life's contributions to polo and to his tireless work assisting to promote polo in Thailand and Asia. He will be dearly missed. =The teams= PURO POLO - Giampaolo Guarnieri: -2, Ariel Ponzi: 1, Juan Sanchez: 4, Henry Brett: 6. ADAMAS - Paul Cheung: -1, Jose Alfredo Rodriguez: 2, Shaik Reissman: 3, Gines Bargallo: 6. AXUS - Brian Xu: -1, Ramiro Pellegrini: 1, Jose V Potobsky: 3, Gonzalo Fucci: 6. KUPPA - Robin Lourvanij: -1, James Asthon: 0, Federico v Potobsky: 4, Lucas DiPaola: 7. |
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5-7
FEB 2010 -- SINGAPORE WINS LADIES POLO INTERNATIONAL AT POLO ESCAPE The Ladies International was back again this year. This time bigger and better than ever. Each year, this tournament is able to find more ladies, so therefore less balloons bouncing across the field, and this year von Potobsky's Singaporean Ladies took the winners trophy in a final against Khun Ploy and her Malaysian Lady friends assisted by Cabeza Grande from VRSC. Singapore won by 1/2 goal in what was apparently a very exciting game. Congratulations to all the teams for fielding such a competent string of lady players. |
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 30
JAN 2010 -- THAILAND WINS 20 GOAL FINAL AT THAILAND KING'S CUP 2010Thailand won the 7th consecutive Kings Cup on Saturday with over a thousand fans surrounding the field. Brunei had made it to the final. The 18 goal Brunei Team was Santos Anca, Gonzallo Fucci, Gines Bargallo, and Pengiran Rahim. The 20 goal Thai Team was Facundo Pieres, Marcos DiPaola, Khun Top and Khun Tal. Gustavo Yanez, the manager at VR and SPP, confirmed that this was the first time that 20 goal polo has ever been played in the Kingdom of Thailand. On Thursday, Pengiran Rahim's Brunei team China 7-6 with a brilliant performance by Khun Jimmy as he took out the goal post on an attempt at goal because he was completely focused on the ball, then he performed a flawless Facundo Pieres maneuver and tapped the ball in the air, stopped his pony to keep the line, and then took the ball down through the goal. Brunei also had a solid victory over Thai B the previous Sunday' when Pengiran Rahim carried the ball down field, rode off Khun Nat, and then finished by driving the ball through goal. Brunei was in excellent position to challenge the Thailand team in the final. There were 4 or 5 questionable calls from the umpires, but it was a beautiful game to watch. Facundo Pieres and Marcos DiPaola worked together with precise passes and sending the ball up to Top and Tal. Facundo made multiple crowd pleasing aerial assaults on goal, and almost all of them were successful. The activities started at 11AM with Khun Tao jumping at 2:30PM, followed by a horse race (won by Khun Tao and then by Pat pat), and then the King's Cup Final started at 4:00PM. After the polo, there were two bands (including Khun Tao's band "Sweat Rock" with Khun Tao on the drums playing into the night. It was a great day of polo and festivity at VR Sports Club. Thank you to Khun Vichai and all the sponsors for a magnificent tournament. |
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 KHUN
NAT JOINS THAI NATIONAL TEAMKhun Nattapong Patummalee is back on the polo field. After an extended absence herding cows in Mukktahan and then performing his Monk Apprenticeship in a Temple in Mukktahan, Khun Nat is back. Khun Nat's father, Khun Omsin, is one of the most famous grooms and Thai polo players in Thailand. He was there at the very beginning and he has helped to build many polo clubs in Thailand. Khun Omsin was on the first Thai Champion King's Cup Elephant Polo Team in 2004. Khun Nat is now speaking very good English after spending considerable time in California, USA and then in Malaysia. He has been focusing on improving his style of play to be tough on the opponent and gentle with the horse. Team Coach Gustavo Yanez was very pleased when National Team player and chief groom at VRSC, Khun Tsu, called Khun Nat to find out how the farming was going in Mukktahan. Khun Nat said that it was good, but he was pleased at Khun Tsu's invitation to come and join the team at VR and get back on a horse. We saw a little bit of action from Nat in the King's Cup when the Thai B team took on Brunei and then when the Thai A team played the Thai B team. Welcome back to the polo field Nat and good luck for SEA Games 2011 in Indonesia. |
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 22-30
JANUARY 2010 -- BRUNEI COMING TO THAILAND KINGS CUPBrunei is coming to the King's Cup 2010 and it looks like we could have a 18-20 goal tournament final as the final teams may be altered to increase the handicap. At the Final this year, we will see Khun Tao attempt to jump 1.8 meters and a series of 3 separate horse races about the polo field. This is another first for polo in Thailand. The actual dates of play will be 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th and final the 30th of January. If you have any questions, please email -- gustavo@argentinapolo.com -- THAILAND POLO KINGS CUP 2010. |
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 CHE
GUEVARA DISCOVERED ON CHINA TEAMChina team Captain Gerry Gan commanded a brilliant team in the King's Cup 2010. His "Bing Faa" tactics remained a mystery to all until it was discovered that one of his players was actually the long presumed dead and missing Argentine Revolutionary Che Guevara.  Che
appeared in a black helmet and was playing quite well until the semi-final
against Brunei, when he kept missing the ball right in front of the fans at
the clubhouse, unmarked, and in prime position to lead China to victory. His
teammate, Lukas Lujan, was also in cracking good form as he captured the
crowds attention by falling off his horse at a complete standstill before
the ball was thrown in. As the dust settled at the end of the Semi-Final, it
was Che Guevara who clearly won the award for "Mas Caballero en La Cancha"
and it was Lukas Lujan who was awarded the "Outstanding Gaucho Award" for
spending a lot of time standing next to his horse on the field of play.
Teammates Gerry Gan and Marcos DiPaola did their best to level the score
against Brunei twice, until the determined charge by Brunei secret weapon
and star player Jimmy took the dream away and led Brunei to victory.
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 POLO
ESCAPE & HARILELA WIN THAI POLO OPEN 2010Harilela certainly took it to THE NEXT LEVEL on Saturday 16 January 2010 before a thousand spectators at Thai Polo Club with a commanding 8-1 victory over Jogo Elevation. It was a beautiful day at Thai Polo Club; the Chukka Bar was packed with spectators and Nicholas Kosmatos was commentating on the sidelines. The Subsidiary Final between Royal Pahang and Thai Polo was a lovely game to watch. Andrew Hine played very well for Thai Polo and pulled them 7-1 into the lead, but Dato Moiz was able to co  me
back in the final chukka for a final 7-5 victory for Thai Polo. Dato Link
fell off his horse in the third chukka, but he jumped back up in a flash and
was playing again. Spectators enjoyed the polo very much and were cheering
for the Royal Pahang Team to catch up in the last chukka. The Final between
Jogo and Harilela was a different game. The umpires did a brilliant job of
keeping the Namu tactics in check. Satinder Garcha played very elegant and
polite polo, but the combined force of Namu and Nacho and a full string of
gauchos and horses from Polo Escape was too much
for the Jogo Elevation team. Harilela was over the moon at his victory,
because he has been unable to capture any victories thus far this season in
all the Polo Escape tournaments. Congratulations again to Dato Link for a
very fair tournament with so many polo teams. We hope that next year, we
will be able to see Khun Robin and Khun Suzy on the sidelines or on the
field at the Thai Polo Open.
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 16
JANUARY 2010 -- HARILELA EXPLODES INTO THAI OPEN FINALAron Harilela was on fire yesterday (14 January) in the semi-finals against Dato Link and the Thai Polo team. Aron had two brilliant runs towards goal and was playing out of his hat. His team was very well mounted on Polo Escape horses with a fleet of Polo Escape gauchos on hand to assist. Khun Suzy is traveling in Australia and was unable to attend. Nacho and Namu were also in tremendous form with passes and nearside carries and all manner of tactics to bring the Next Level team to a 11-7 victory in the Semi-final. Earlier, The Jogo Elevation team with Satinder Garcha took the victory over Royal Pahang in a nail-biting 10-9 match. This will see a Saturday final between Harilela's THE NEXT LEVEL and Garcha's ELEVATION. It will be an elevated level game to say the least. Great credit goes to Dato Link for organizing such a successful tournament with 7 teams, 14 goals, 200 horses, and a very positive atmosphere amongst the competing teams. The advertisement in the Bangkok Post has advertised that all people are welcome to the final on Saturday. |
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 NICHOLAS
KOSMATOS BACK IN THAILANDOne of Thailand's early polo pioneers is back on the field. Spotted yesterday at Thai Polo, the first President of Siam Polo Club, Nicholas Kosmatos, is back in Thailand. Nicholas proudly reports that he now has a 4 month old little girl and that he was able to have a lesson from Rege Ludwig earlier that morning at Thai Polo Club. Nicholas has made the trip back to Thailand to support Dato Link and to watch the Thai Open. Nicholas played in the very first Thai Polo Open a number of years ago, and it was Nicholas who first introduced Dato Link to polo in Malaysia and to Dato Mohammed and other members of the Royal Pahang Polo Club. This introduction has led to a very strong friendship between Malaysia polo and Thai Polo Club and Malaysia is always a very strong competitor in all of the Thai Polo tournaments. Nicholas Kosmatos was also responsible for bringing the very first gaucho from Argentina to Thailand -- Gustavo Yanez -- in 1989, and this has led Thailand down a road with many gauchos serving as polo professionals and vets at all of the three polo clubs today. Nicholas reports that, after hanging up his boots to get married, he is now contemplating returning to polo. His friend in Athens may be building a polo field, and he is always welcome to use Dato Link's horses at Thai Polo Club. |
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 12
JANUARY 2010 -- POLO HORSES IN THE PULLMAN HOTELThe gauchos are trained to perform arduous tasks on the Pampas, but a few eyebrows were raised when they were told to prepare a string of horses to carry the Thai National Team into the Pullman Hotel on Soi Rangnam in Bangkok. Khun Vichai, the Chairman of the Thai Polo Association, was on hand to receive the press and the sponsors for this year's Kings Cup 2010. The King's Cup this year will feature 4 teams -- Brunei, China, Thailand A and Thailand B. The question on everyone's mind is, "will Thailand win again?" Thailand has won all 6 King's Cups ever played, and this year, 10 goal Facundo Pieres is flying in to lead the Thai A team. Gerry Gan will be leading the China team with support from Marcos DiPaola (8 goals). This years sponsors are as follows: Kingpower, SCB (siam commercial bank), AOT (airports of thailand), LG, East Water, EADS (Airbus), Air Asia, Singha, Samart telcom, Pullman Hotel, TAT. |
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 NEW
GUACHO -- RAMIRO CORDERO OLGUINThere is a new gaucho in Thailand. Ramiro Cordero Olguin is a 4 goal player from Rio Cuarto. He is 21 years old and his favorite player is Gonzalo Pieres. He respects him because he has "much mind for playing" and he is a good guy. Ramiro started playing polo at 7 years of age in Buenos Aires. His teacher was his father, Mauricio (3 goals), and he taught him everything - riding, hitting, tactics. His favorite refran is, "Mente clara; mano suave; piernas fuertes" (clear mind, soft hands, strong legs). His objective for polo is to keep learning and to be as good as he can be. Ramiro has already met Khun Robin and she presented him with his very own Indian garments, which he recently wore to the Pullman Hotel for a dinner. Ramiro is working at VR Sports Club and SPP. He speaks perfect Spanish and is learning English -- ramiro_polo@hotmail.com |
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22
MAR 2010 -- KING POWER WILL RETURN TO ELEPHANT POLO BREAKING NEWS: Khun Vichai recently confirmed to Khun Bill that he will be sending a King Power Elephant Polo team to the far Northern reaches of the Golden Triangle to compete in this years Kings Cup Elephant Polo. |
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 10
JANUARY 2010 -- KHUN TAO ON THE FIELDMost people take many lessons before their first polo match, but not Khun Tao. On Sunday with mallet in hand, Khun Tao rode onto the VR polo field and played his first chukka in a 8 goal match. Not only that, he received a pass from Jamie Woodward and carried the ball clear down the field and between the posts to score his first official polo goal. Khun Tao is the owner of Equestrian Paradice and the new Klong 15 Airport in Nakhorn Nayok. He will be this year's honored guest at the King's Cup Polo Tournament and will be jumping his prize jumper 1.8 meters during the polo halftime. Khun Tao was thrilled with his goal and he has asked Khun Vichai to build at airstrip next to the polo field, so that he can fly in with his plane to play some polo. No one will be surprised if we see an Equestrian Paradice Polo Team landing at the Snambin VR soon. |
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 WOODWARD
BRINGS HIGH TECHNOLOGY TO POLOPolo legend Jamie Woodward was on the polo field this past Sunday 10 January with his new wrist-mounted GPS given to him by his lovely wife Pum. This was a perfect opportunity to log some polo statistics. Jamie recorded a total of 12.2 kilometers traveled by horse over the course of 6 chukkas on the VR polo field. In addition, the GPS was transferred to the wrist of Cabeza Grande Gustavo Yanez for one chukka, and the Cabeza was able to obtain a maximum speed of 53.8 kilometers/hour on the field during a charge down the field towards goal. We are very grateful to Jamie for bringing this high technology to the polo field as we continue to push the frontiers of polo in Thailand. |
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 SPANISH
LESSONSLa Asociacion de Los Gauchos Timidos announces that they have contracted a Profesora from Argentina to teach them Spanish and tactics for the expedition. The expedition in Argentina can be very hazardous without the proper training, so the Association has found a profesora who has experience teaching Spanish and experience with gauchos and horses. The Profesora has allowed us to photograph her in a manner "para conservar anonimato," and is already preparing the syllabus for the course. She will be teaching subjects such as: "Palabras que funcionan," "Amanzando las chicas histericas," "Comprendiendo las cosas dulces," "Como dar los azotes," and "Como quitar las bombachas." Already, Tom and Eric have signed up for the course, but it is rumored that more gauchos will be signing up soon. If you are interested in joining this course, please email La Profesora Anonima -- flaca@argentinapolo.com |
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INJURIES AT POLO ESCAPE AND VR Khun Robin has apparently injured her leg and is on crutches and Khun Suzy has her arm in a sling. So the ladies are temporarily out of action. Meanwhile, at VR, Gustavo nailed Khun Vichai directly in the back with a line drive on Saturday 10 January, under the lights, and then on Sunday, Khun Top nailed Khun Vichai in the wrist with another line drive. Thank goodness for the Emergency Cooling Spray. Khun Vichai remained on the field and was seen playing tennis soon after the chukkas. Khun Vichai is now researching any polo playing armadillos that may have full polo body armor to try before his next match with Gustavo or Top. |
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 28
JAN-06 FEB 2010 -- THAI POLO MASTERSThe polo action will continue at Thai Polo Club with the playing of the Thai Polo Masters. This is also a 14 goal tournament. |
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 MEET
KHUN KRIRK -- THE MAN AT THE HELM OF TPAKhun Krirkvich Yossundara is the assistant of Corporate Affairs at King Power. He is also the Assistant Secretary to Thai Polo Association. He comes from Bangkok and he went to University in Maryland, USA studying Industrial Design. He has been with King Power for 4 years now. He loves sports and used to play Basketball and started Golf at age 9. He won the Kings Cup Golf at Hua Hin when he was age 17, then he was on the Thai National Golf Team. Now he manages Thai Polo Association and communicates with the Thai Sports Authority and the Thai Olympic Committee. He wants to see polo more accessible for Thai people to learn and understand. Any sport, if you don't have players, it doesn't mean that much, he says, so he wants to get more Thai people to join the game. Khun Krirk is married with one son who is 18 years old. He says the King's Cup is the top tournament of the TPA schedule and a good introduction for Thai people to learn more about polo. Khun Krirk is very grateful to King Power, because they brought him back and gave him confidence. Krirk has taken one lesson with Khun Tsu and his dream is to play in one chukka in his life, so that he can understand more about the game and be able to explain to people the thrill of playing polo. |
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23-25 APR 2010 -- THAI POLO LEAGUE (6 goals) The League this year may be played at SPP (Pattaya) |
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30
APR-02 MAY 2010 -- THAI POLO LEAGUE (6 goals) The League this year may be played at SPP (Pattaya) |
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15-18 APR 2010 -- THAI NATIONAL TEAM VS INDONESIA The Thai National Team will be traveling to Jakarta, Indonesia to take on the Indonesian Team. This will be very exciting to see the progress the Indonesian team has been making with their training for SEA Games 2011. |
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 TOUR
DE FORCELas Chicas Finas -- Maria Power recently took a tour around the polo field with Camila, Valentina and Delfina. Maria's sister, Ines, will be arriving soon with her friend. We will keep you posted on all of these activities and let you know how it is going. |
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 NEW
YEAR CUP AT POLO ESCAPEFor anyone that may have thought that the Gallego had retired from polo, guess again.... Jaime Miranda was back on the polo field with all his grace and glory in the playing of the New Years Cup at Polo Escape 2010. He was in the capable hands of William and Churo, and Churo's lovely girlfriend Camille. It is also rumored that the Gallego may now be father, but we haven't received a confirmation on that yet. The victors seem to have been Kuppa with Federico and his patrons from Germany and China raising their cups into the air. |
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 GAUCHO
HOUSE FOR SALE IN ARGENTINA-- NOW HALF PRICE !!!We have exciting news of a sudden house for sale on Avenida Illia, Villa Dolores, Argentina -- in the province of Cordoba. This house comes with 1 white dog, 2 cars, no furniture at all, several walls and a roof that are leaking, and 1 very excellent fence that has been modified so that you can actually get into the house by either the garage or the front walkway at the same time. We are accepting any cash offers for this house. We invite you to come and have some asados with us and try it out and see how you feel about it. Please bring a lot of beer and some wine. The house comes complete with Juan who loves to work in the garden and move plants around to wherever he is told. If you act quickly, we can also throw in some very fine original artwork (oil on canvas) depicting butter and some fruit sitting on the table. We haven't been in the Real Estate business very long, but we know a good deal when we see it. This house will be perfect for you. Please email us and we will have the keys ready. Tom-Sandra-Daniel Gaucho Real Estate Agents, Villa Dolores, Argentina |
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 26-27 DECEMBER -- CHRISTMAS CUP AT SPPThe Christmas Cup 2009 was played at SPP and results from after the first day of play were Santa Claus 5 - Merry Xmas 5. Merry Xmas 4 - Papa Noel 2. Santa Claus 3 - Papa Noel 4. We don't know who won the tournament on Sunday, but are waiting for the results from the polo manager. There was no entrance fee for this tournament. Tournament handicap 0-6 goals. SANTA CLAUS POLO TEAM - Gerry, Tsu, Santy, Ramiro. PAPA NOEL POLO TEAM - Ang Bang Tong, Noo, Lukas, Curto. MERRY XMAS POLO TEAM - Vichai, Top, Nico, Gustavo. The Christmas Cup was won by PAPA NOEL POLO TEAM with Ang Bang Tong and Curto and Lukas and Noo. |
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 POLO
STICK ON MOUNT ACONCAGUAThe Association of the Gauchos Timidos recently carried a polo stick to 6,600 meters (21,650') on Mount Aconcagua in the Argentinean Andes. The Association has been very interested in the performance of polo sticks in extreme cold conditions. The stick appeared to be in good form at altitude even though the wind was gusting to 50km/hr with a wind chill of -45*C. One person froze to death near the summit two days prior to the December 10th stick test. The Argentine newspapers reported that the deceased was from Thailand and this prompted a flurry of phone calls from across the Argentine Pampas. Facundo Pieroni was placed on high alert that he may have to assume the post of Presidente de La Asociacion. Most phone calls arrived at the Black Dog Headquarters in Villa Dolores and were fielded by Norma Yanez who in turn dispatched Daniel Yanez to conduct a full investigation. The investigation revealed that the gaucho concerned was actually still in fine form having descended from altitude and was executing recruiting maneuvers amidst the mountain gauchos in Plaza de Mulas. Griselda Yanez, Head of ground operations in Mendoza, then promulgated the following refran -- "Si alguien piensa que estas muerto, se alarga la vida." The expedition also conducted extensive feasibility studies on the applicability of using Mulas for polo in Thailand. It was discovered that Mulas do not turn and do not stop. They go up, and they go down. Therefore, it was concluded that they may not be feasible for polo. |
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 18-20 DECEMBER -- KUPPA WINS CELEBRATION CUP AT POLO ESCAPEThai Polo Legend Eric Barthe took an SPP team with Lucas, Santiago and El Campeon de la Vida to play in the ten goal Celebration Cup at Polo Escape from 18-20 December 2009. The tournament was extremely well organized with much polo and festive activity. Kuppa won the tournament in the finals against Aron's The Next Level team. The final score may have been 11-6. SPP finished 3rd after a loss on Saturday against Aron's team with Joaquin and Federico and a Namu-appointed professional from Pakistan. The gauchos led a full expedition on Saturday night behind the enemy lines to Mixx and there were no survivors, however, the rigorous training on the expedition relaxed the SPP team on Sunday and they were able to capture 3rd place. Eric was very pleased that he did not get a 9,000 Baht bill for Gin and Tonics this time, and he was extremely happy to be back on the field after having spent last January traveling through USA in a wheelchair nicknamed "under-the-neck." The acting Presidente de La Asociacion de los Gauchos Timidos - Facundo Pieroni - was on hand to repair a flat tire which occurred during the expedition and Khun Ploy and Khun Flacita were on the sidelines to support the team. |
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 INFINITY
POLO POOLPolo Escape has recently installed the first Infinity Polo Pool in the Kingdom of Thailand. You can sit in the pool and dream of polo ponies galloping across the horizon as you soak up the tropical sun. |
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 FEB-MAR
-- 10 GOAL "MACHU PICCHU" TOURNAMENT AT SPPSPP Member Tim Cheromka has confirmed that his friend in Peru will bring his son and his brother to assemble a 10 goal team on the SPP field in February or March to play in the first ever Machu Picchu Tournament in Asia. The tournament will be sponsored by Tim's company Siam Precision Components and this will be a true meeting of South and East as it is the first time that we have ever had a team from Peru to play in Thailand. We will bring your more details and information soon. |
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 TWO
NEW SPP MEMBERS ON THE FIELDIn mid-November, we found the new player James Bean on the field at Siam Polo Park and Tim Cheromka (from Philadelphia, USA) has joined the club and will be starting in January. In December, there are 8 boys coming out from England to practice at SPP, and It is also rumored that previous polo legend Peter Davies may be returning to the field. James is originally from South Africa and is working in Hong Kong in sales and trading for Deutsche Bank. He plays off -1 goals and is a good player. He is very excited to come and play at SPP this season, because he says there are not yet any polo fields in Hong Kong. We will bring you more news and updates on James in due course. |
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ARGENTINA ACTION -- MENDOZA WINS THE BODEGAS CUP The prestigious and honorable Bodegas Cup held annually in the town of Mendoza in Western Argentina was a tremendous success this year. Siam Polo News ventured to this tournament because the best place to taste the finest wines in Argentina, as most of the "Bodegas" (wineries) from Mendoza dispatch their various cultivars and chicas finas to sidelines of the field. It is also a great place to find gauchos who have previously served in Thailand. This year, the tournament was won by a Mendoza Polo team with Gustavo's brother, Sergio, commanding the #4 position on the team. Previous gaucho, Gonzalo Yanzon, (now playing off 5 goals in Austria) was also on the field -- albeit with some fresh horses -- and finished in a very close second place with his San Juan team. Franco Penizzotto was also on the field with a team from Mendoza, and we even found previous SPP gaucho and Psychologo Agustin Bernal playing for a team from Tunuyan (80km South of Mendoza). The Polo Escape gaucho Jose was also there with Jose Dario from Villa Dolores. Mendoza is very close to the Chilean border and in the background, behind the field, rises the majestic Cordillera de los Andes climbing to well over 22,800'. The unique climate created by this mountain range makes for a very dry climate that is perfect for grapes and olives. However, there is also the dreaded "Zonda" which is a Fohn wind that can blow down off the mountains at tremendous speed and whip all of the dust into the air and obscure the sun for days at a time. The most remarkable advances on the polo fields of Argentina this year have been the strict enforcement of the revised Argentina Polo Rules. There is no more "taking in around" in Argentina if there is a man behind you; there are no more hard hits when riding off an opponent; there are no more "palabros" to the Umpire about a questionable calls on the field, because all of these infractions are now fouls. These drastic changes have thus far been extremely well received by spectators and players across the country. The game is more open now, it is faster, and safer. As well, all of the ungentlemanly chatter and backtalk from undisciplined players is being curtailed in an effort to return the sport to its previously renowned reputation prior to the late 1970's. |
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 "ONE
SHOT" HENRY ROURKE IN THAILAND THIS WEEKWe found Henry behind enemy lines in the small town of Lobos, Argentina last month. He was playing tournaments and practices and running every day on the polo farm belonging to Guillermo Caset. Henry is now coming to Thailand on 19 November to show all the gauchos at SPP what new tricks he has learned from his friend Guillermo. The last time Henry was in Argentina, Guillermo taught him the "One Shot" technique -- which has influenced many lives and polo team tactics across Asia. We will be sure to bring you any new strategies introduced by Henry on this visit. |
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 JACK
JI COMING FROM CHINA TO THAILANDNine Dragons Polo Club is deploying a platoon of polo players to the three polo clubs in Thailand on 03 December. Jack Ji, who has now been playing polo in China for over two years, will be coming with his fellow players Jeff and Liana to take lessons and play polo in Thailand. Steve and Rachel Wyatt are planning on joining this trip, and it will be very exciting to hear of all the recent developments of polo in China. The players arrive on the night of 03 December and will proceed to Pattaya for some practice at Polo Escape. |
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25
NOVEMBER -- NICO CURTO RETURNING TO NUSANTARA The Gaucho Curto has been visiting his home in Argentina for the past month, but he is returning back to Nusantara in the end of November. |
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11 NOVEMBER -- TPA HANDICAP MEETING IN BANGKOK On the afternoon of 11 November the TPA Handicap Committee will meet in the King Power Office in Bangkok under the capable chairpersonship of Khun Suzy. If you ever want to have some fun, try to attend one of these meetings, because they are very official and very exciting too. Last year, a whole fleet of committee members appeared at the meeting and this year, there appear to be 55 polo players on the block for investigation. We will bring you the blow-by-blow sometime after the meeting. Any questions - Pattarapol Duangjan - Coordinator - Tel. 66-2-677-8888 Ext.1202. // 12 November: The latest results from the TPA Handicap Committee Chaired by Chairperson Susy is as follows: Handicap changes for 2010: Churo to 1, Robin to -1, Scott to -1, Henry to 0. In addition, the committee has invited Polo Legend and Black Dog Captain-at-large Jamie Woodward to join the TPA handicap committee. Jamie has gratefully accepted this honor and has promised to attend a greater number of games this season. |
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13-15 NOVEMBER -- POLO ESCAPE WINS THE 10 GOAL CHALLENGE Five international teams are gearing up for this Polo Spectacular, the patrons have really gone out to assemble world class professionals for what promises to be some of the most exciting polo seen in Thailand, a must for all polo Enthusiast. The Teams: ADAMAS: Paul Chueng(0), Shaik Reisman(2), Mario Gomez Duran(4), Augustin Lorea(4). AXUS: Brian Xu(-1), Gonzalo Fucci (6), Ramiro Pellegrini(1), Nicolas Talamoni(4). KUPPA: Robin(0), Jamie Mackay(2), Jock Mackay(4), Kelvin Johnson(5). POLO ESCAPE: Suzy(0), Von Potobsky(4), Ariel Ponzi(2), William Roberts(2). HARILELA: Aron(0), Shar Qubilai Alam(4), Muhammad Saqib Khakwani(3), Ahmed Tiwana(3). Polo Escape won and they were happy. |
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20-22 NOVEMBER -- ADAMAS TAKES THE 10GOAL KUPPA TROPHY Five international teams are gearing up for this Polo Spectacular, the patrons have really gone out to assemble world class professionals for what promises to be some of the most exciting polo seen in Thailand, a must for all polo Enthusiast. The Teams: ADAMAS: Paul Chueng(0), Shaik Reisman(2), Mario Gomez Duran(4), Augustin Lorea(4). AXUS: Brian Xu(-1), Gonzalo Fucci (6), Ramiro Pellegrini(1), Nicolas Talamoni(4). KUPPA: Robin(0), Jamie Mackay(2), Jock Mackay(4), Kelvin Johnson(5). POLO ESCAPE: Suzy(0), Von Potobsky(4), Ariel Ponzi(2), William Roberts(2). HARILELA: Aron(0), Shar Qubilai Alam(4), Muhammad Saqib Khakwani(3), Ahmed Tiwana(3). Adamas won the Kuppa Trophy and Khun Paul was very pleased. |
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 23-30
JANUARY 2010 -- THE KINGS CUP IS BACKOn behalf of The Organizing Committee of Thailand Polo King’s Cup 2010, The Thailand Polo Association (TPA), has the great pleasure to welcome every Polo Associations from all over the world to participate in the Thailand Polo King’s Cup 2010 (7th tournament) which will be held during January 23rd – 30th 2010 at VR Sports Club and Siam Polo Park, Samutprakarn Province. The tournament handicap will be medium goal. It will be a great honor for us to have your team in the tournament and we are looking to hear your favorable reply -- email TPA |
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HOT
NEWS -- AAP, USPA, HPA RESIGN FROM FIP IN OCTOBER 2009 The three largest national polo associations, representing well over half of the world’s amateur and professional players, have resigned their membership of the Federation of International Polo (FIP). The Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) withdrew from the international federation on 26 October 2009, followed on 27 October by the US Polo Association (USPA) and the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA), governing body of the sport in the UK and Ireland. Between them these three biggest former stakeholders in the FIP have just over 9,000 registered members, compared with less than 7,500 in the other approximately 50 polo-playing countries that are members of the FIP. For further details and to comment on this news go to this link - http://www.hpa-polo.co.uk/news/articles/FIP%20Press%20Release.asp |
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 25
OCTOBER -- LA CINTA WINS INDONESIA END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT 2009It was a weekend of fire and tumult one the polo fields of Indonesia for the last weekend of polo in Nusantara. First place went to La Cinta, headed by Rajiv Louis with the confident backing of Stijn and Hema Welkers from Singapore, and a very proud goal scoring Daya Zakir. Kekoa Iskandar also put a couple numbers on the board for La Cinta. Second place went to the Java Jocks after much high speed negotiation. Raj Kannan, Iman Kusumo, and Matt and Julie Harris from Singapore gave a very exciting final match to eventually succumb to The Love 5-2 in the final. Agus Gombong also made some impressive plays for the Jocks, until some uncalled-for intimacy with his horse’s head resulted in 15 stitches right between the eyes. Luckily, the horse was not injured. Ever the gracious hosts, the Polo Heads opted for last place in this particular tournament, though only after a fierce battle with Budi Djiwandono and his TIDAR team. Aryo Djojohadikusumo made the game winning goal for TIDAR with solid support from Mario Miguel and Marcello Rivera-Melin. DJ and the Polo Heads were pleased to have their heavy hitting number four, Wan Zainal, back from Malaysia to complete the lineup with Daninya Zakir and Howard Chu. After an exhilarating four chukkas of trading fouls, TIDAR narrowly bested the Heads 3-2. No obscenities were exchanged. Marcello also went home with the “Head-over-heels for Polo” medal for his unscheduled dismount on day one, that only resulted in minor bruising to his ego. Matt returned to Singapore also bearing the “Best Dancer”  medal
for demonstrating his prowess during the post-polo entertainment. Proving
yet again that with enough cava, the human body can become amazingly
pliable. Nivia Zakir gave a great commentary before, during, and after the
games that kept everyone interested and excited. Her introductions of each
player were creative, detailed, and mercilessly entertaining. Polo Manager
Nico was on hand with our own National team players to add a little color to
the dialogue, and clarity to the happenings on the field. Quite a crowd
turned up to support the Polo Heads and occasionally, a few cheered for the
other teams as well. Overall a great time was had by all, players and
spectators alike, until long after the sun set on Nusantara Polo Club’s 2009
season. (expedition report filed by DJ Mear) |
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 18
OCTOBER 2009 -- CBN WINS ROYAL SALUTE GOLD CUP IN CHINAThis year the coveted Gold Cup at the Royal Salute Tournament held at Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club in China went to the team CBN featuring the talented world class players Greg Keyte, Lucas Talamoni, Steve Wyatt and Gerry Gan. The tournament took place in splendid conditions with thousands of fans. Second place went to Miss Chelsea and Third place to Royal Salute, with teams Star River and Qantas/Equus thrilling the fans with a brilliant display of polo. Official Report: Sunday 18th2009, The Royal Salute Polo Gold Cup “The Power & The Glory” was won in dramatic style by newcomers, team CBN (China Business News). The ‘Crown Jewel’ competition of the year was won in dramatic fashion when the team assembled on behalf of China Business News beat the hosts and title holders team Royal Salute in front of an audience of the cream of Chinese society and representatives of the global polo community. The competition had been raging for almost the entire week as the five main teams battled through a league style format, leaving the final match on Sunday afternoon to decide the top positions. The weather was perfect, and the audience of more than 2,500 was treated to exciting polo, whilst enjoying the wonderful hospitality on by Royal Salute with the help of the Grand Hyatt catering. This is the 3rdyear that Royal Salute, the premium whisky brand of Chivas Brothers; a brand steeped with royal tradition has partnered with Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club to bring international polo competition and the associated social and celebrity lifestyle to China. “This is the ‘best yet’, both the level of excitement in the polo competition and the social entertainment and hospitality have been superb; the weather is fantastic and you have to admire the impressive development of the whole Nine Dragons Hill Estate" Although the sponsor of the winning team is new to polo, perhaps it is no surprise that the team won as CBN had commissioned the founder of the Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club to organize and manage the team; the key professionals, Greg Keyte (New Zealand) and Lucas Talamoni (Argentina) are very familiar with playing at Nine Dragons having each been there on several previous occasions. The fourth man on the team was a relative newcomer to the ‘Sport of Kings’; Gerry Gan, a Shanghai resident who “converted” to polo from having been a self confessed “Golf nut” only 2 years ago, after first visiting Nine Dragons to play golf. Gerry was one of 5 newcomers to the sport to have earned the right and skill level required by the global Federation of International Polo (FIP) to be allowed to participate in a tournament of this high level; one of these pioneers of polo in China was included inthe each of the other  wise
professional teams that competed in the Gold Cup; “This is a great example
of the support coming from the global polo community, ensuring a placefor
the developing players from China in a full international competition” said
veteran legend of polo and Treasurer of the global FIP, James Ashton, who
attended the tournament to show the extent of the support. The team
sponsored by “Miss Chelsea” and led by the England national team player Tom
Morley, would have won the competition if they had scored just a few more
goals, but overall their tally was less than that of CBN, they too benefited
from local knowledge in their professionals Wayne Glennie (New Zealand) and
Tomas Fernandez (Argentina) who are both teaching professionals at the Nine
Dragons club, their 4thman, Gene Wang being one of their students. The Duke
of Argyll oversaw much of the event and presented the match ball and the
Gold Cup to the winners. Representatives of the China National Sports
Bureau, China National Horse Industry and Provincial and Municipal
governments were also present, reinforcing the fact that the sport of polo
is developing in popularity with official support. The hosts Nine Dragons
Estate were represented by Li Qin Fu who announced that Nine Dragons was
hoping soon to also host horse racing events. Steve Wyatt gave a special
award to Liu Shi Lai (a Beijing resident) in recognition of his efforts over
the past 12 months to be an ambassador-player for Chinese polo. Liu Shi Lai
participated in the competition as part of the Royal Salute team, the
winners of the Gold Cup in 2008. The tournament also marked the official
re-launch of the Polo life magazine; who also produced a special tournament
edition packed with advice on how to watch the game and background on the
players. Other notable brand supporters of the event included; Star-River
Properties, Visa, Maserati, Qantas Airways, Lancel, Loewe, Elliott & Carmen,
Equus, Hutchinson All Season Villas and media partners CCTV, Hurun Report,
Noblesse and Pololine TV. For further information about the 2009 Gold Cup
and details of the 2010 Gold Cup contact heather@ndhpolo.com
+86-13816727373. |
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 POLO
ESCAPE IN ENGLANDKhun Suzy has reported that Khun Robin (0), for the second year, mounted a Kuppa Team to enter the 12 Goal Dubai Trophy in UK from July 28th - Aug 2nd. Enlisting the help of English Captain Luke Tomlinson (7), Lucas di Paola (6) and young talent William Batchelor (-1), playing all the qualifying rounds at the immaculate Dubai grounds before reaching the finals. The final match was played at HAM POLO CLUB against SHALIMAR Team under Patron Kasem Shafi (0), Thomas Gavina (2), Vieri Antinori (5) and Hissam Ali Hyder (4) with Shalimar winning the day with score 6 1/2 to 5. Khun Robin received her runner-up prize from Annie Calquhoun-Denvers, the wife of HPA's Chairman. The photo here shows the two teams. Congratulations to the Kuppa team for their splendid performance. |
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5-6
SEPTEMBER -- BEGINNERS CUP -- INDONESIA If you are interested to join, please email Ana - ana@nusantara-polo.com - Players can not join with a handicap higher than 1 goal. - The tournament will include the team shirts (we have to know before 25 august). - Really nice dinner/barbeque on Sunday after polo around 6 pm. - Free drinks for the polo players on the polo tends during the match. - The trophies will be for everyone; a cup each player depends the final results + NPC's gift souvenirs. The prices of the tournaments are the next ones: Per chakker 600,000 RUPIAH (around 60 US dollars). Beginners Polo Tournament Package/person 1,500,000 RUPIAH (around 150 US dollars). |
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26-27 SEPTEMBER -- NINE DRAGONS 4 GOAL CHINA CHALLENGE CUP The Indonesia National Team will play in China against Nine Dragons Polo Club in a 4 goal Challenge Cup. Each team will have 3 national players and 1 professional. Nusantara Polo has previously hosted Chinese players when they were playing for the Black Dog team (playing as Anjing Hitam) last year. The team was graciously hosted by Prabowo, so now Steve Wyatt wants to reciprocate and host the Indonesia team in a friendly Challenge match in China. This is very exciting progress for polo in China and since Indonesia will be hosting the SEA Games in 2011, we will all be excited to see how their national team is doing. |
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3-4
OCTOBER -- POLO SEASON WILL OPEN IN THAILAND Khun Vichai has announced that the Thai Polo season will open on the first weekend in October 2009. VR / SPP have recently had 24 new horses arrive from Argentina. Khun Daniel has been working very hard traveling between VR and Estancia Yanez taking care of all the horses and there are also many up in Khao Yai as well under the care of Hermana Mau Cuat. Khun Vichai has announced that next year, he will not close the polo season. This may be the first polo club in Asia (if not the world) that will play 12 months of polo. All gauchos present at the proclamation started to shudder. |
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17 OCTOBER -- ROYAL SALUTE 12 GOAL FINAL AT NINE DRAGONS IN CHINA Steve Wyatt has informed us that they will have 56-60 playing horses ready for the Royal Salute tournament in October 2009. Each day of competition will have 64-horse/chukkas (i.e. 8 match chukkas, 4 in the AM and 4 in the PM). Umpiring duties will be on other horses There are 4 days of competition, with Thursday 15th as a complete rest day. Monday 12th is also a rest day – with players able to try out horses on Sunday 11th. The final match is on Saturday 17th – followed by the after tournament party which is due to be ‘huge’ and at the polo ground venue. Nine Dragons is very appreciative of those players who come over to support the development of the sport and the members in China – this is the spirit for the polo scene in China that we are trying to foster. If there is a Thai Team interested in competing in this tournament, please email Steve - steve@ndhpolo.com // Tournament Info Package |
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INDONESIA MERDEKA "INDEPENDENCE" CUP RAINED OUT There were over 500 spectators at Nusantara for the 17 August Merdeka Independence Cup, and everyone was in their gear when the heavens opened. The field was completely under water in about 30 minutes. This did nothing to dampen the spirits of Prabowo and other polo enthusiasts. They started singing the "pocho-pocho" in the rain. Congratulations to all the players who completed the football matches on the field before the rains came. Last year, there were more spectators than we could count and Nusantara defeated the opposition 5-1 in a thrilling 4 chukka match. Indonesia is getting ready for the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia polo. NUSANTARA TEAM: Nico Curto (4), Novel Momongan (1), Harry Syafar (0), Prabowo Subianto (-1), TOTAL 4. ELANG TEAM: Tom Claytor (1), Billy Barcel (0), Agus Gombong (0), Acep Krisnandar (0), TOTAL 1. |
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TOMI
LOCKEY POLO STICK REPAIR SHOP TO OPEN IN THAILAND The famous Argentinean Farrier Tomi Lockey has been in Argentina learning how to repair polo sticks. He has purchased a number for Tipa heads from La Taquera and will be opening Thailand's first Polo Stick repair shop. Polo players in Thailand have been hungry for this for a long time, and it will be very exciting to see Tomi's handiwork. The first stick repair shop in Asia was in Philippines and the second was Edwin's Stick Shop at Nine Dragons in China, and now Tomi is opening Asia's third polo stick repair shop. If you need any sticks repaired in Thailand, email Tomi -- tomi@argentinapolo.com (see below for a previous article on Tomi Lockey Polo Farrier). |
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 BEIJING
POLO FIELD UPDATEAs of July 2009, the field in Beijing is not yet ready. Steve Wyatt has confirmed that the 4-6 goal tournament in Beijing, China for September 2009 had to be cancelled until next year because the field is not yet ready. The tournament was scheduled to host 4 teams with at least 3 national players on each team. The Thai team had confirmed they were coming to represent TPA, and the China team was confirmed. The other teams would have come from possibly Brunei, Indonesia or Malaysia. Steve Wyatt regrets that the tournament had to be cancelled, but in the interest of safety at what is sure to be a very large and high profile event, he wants to make sure the ground will be safe to play on. (pictured here is the new grass on the Beijing Polo field) |
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 HASIM
DJOJOHADIKUSUMO CUP IN INDONESIAIn the first week of July, Nusantara Polo Club held the "Hasim Djojohadikusumo Cup" with three teams. NUSANTARA: Novel Momongan (1), Lucas Lujan (4), Pedro from portugal (-2), gonzalo from portugal (-2) INDONESIA-NUSANTARA: Billy Barsel (0), Nico Curto (4), Glendy (-1), Rodrigo from portugal (-2) ELANG: Acep krisnandar (0), Harry Syafar (0), Santiago Lujan (3), Mario Miguel (-1) The first place went to NUSANTARA TEAM, with second place to INDONESIA and the third place to ELANG. |
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 PUSHING
THE FRONTIERS OF POLOEric Barthe is no ordinary polo player. He has been on the cutting edge of the sport for more than half his life. He was the first polo player to take up Pilates and Kick Boxing for better body control. Now, we find him surfing behind a kite on the wilds of the Gulf of Thailand. Eric tells us that it is all about polo. If you can fly and surf at the same time, then it will be easier for you to ride and hit the ball. Eric is no stranger to pioneering strategies when it comes to polo. He was probably the first polo player in the world to shave his armpits for a smoother stroke (what he calls the "sanfter schlag"), and he is really grateful to Jamie Woodward and Peter Davies for sharing this information with everyone. Eric is a member of Siam Polo Park, but he has played all over the world. He most recently was playing in Indonesia and was very impressed with the horses there. Eric is working very hard on his Kite Surfing now, and he has invited us back to check on his progress next month. |
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 NEW
SADDLE MAKER COMINGDirk and Bua repair all the saddles, bridles, girths and practically everything else that breaks on a polo horse in Thailand. They have been taking care of VR Polo Club, Siam Polo Park, Polo Escape and Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. This has kept them very busy, and they have hired 3 new workers. However, the really big news is that Dirk and Bua have announced in July 2009 that a new young Saddle Maker will be arriving in 8 months time. Dirk and Bua are very pleased with this great news, and they want to thank all the polo clubs for their support and the demand for the new saddle maker. We all wish Dirk and Bua, "Chok Dee" and can't wait to meet the new saddle maker. Viel Glueck Herr Dirk und Khun Bua. |
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 RANHILL DEFEATS THAI POLO IN ROYAL PAHANG FINALThey have been playing polo in Malaysia for over 100 years, and one of the most well-known clubs in Malaysia has been hosting a splendid tournament over the course of a week from 21-28 June 2008. Siam Polo News special assignment expeditionary polo photographer and gaucho Sebastian has crossed over to give us a front line report from South of the Border -- Thai Polo made it to the final "con una gran actuacion de todo  s los jugadores en
especial, Khun Link y su hija, jugaron en una torrencial lluvia hoy se
jugara 2 partidos para seleccionar el otro equipo que participara en el
final." On the 28th, the competition for First place was between THAI POLO
and RANHILL, and the Ranhill team came up on top. It was an exciting match
and all the fans were very pleased with the pleasant surroundings and
brilliant polo. The Subsidiary Final was played between BRDV and LA SARITA. |
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GROUP A ROYAL PAHANG - Amran Selamat, Tengku Shahzril, Selby Williamson, Jimbo Walker. THAI POLO - Harald Link, Caroline Link, Carlos Pando, Raul Laplacette. LA SARITA - Ameer Jumabhoy, Gaston Otamendi, Benjamin Araya, Asad Jumabhoy. III LOUNGE - Mohd Zekri Ibrahim, Dato Razak Feroz Khan, Manuel Crestor, Toh Muda Rizal Ramli. GROUP B RANHILL POLO - Tan Sri Hamdan, Simran Khan, Huzaini Yunus, Alejandro Vial Peres. BRDB ELEVATION - Satinder Garcha, Edham Shaharuddin, Martin Ravina, Shaik Reismann. JOGO POLO - Quzier Ambak, Yudie Fazly Famili, Hines, Exequil Martines Ferrario. HEAD HUNTERS - Yeo Kuo Lee, Joervy Beh, Martin Garrahan, Sattar Khan. |
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INDONESIA TEAM INVITES THAI TEAM FOR FRIENDSHIP MATCH The Indonesian Team has extended an invitation to the Thailand Team to come down anytime during the month of July or August for a "Friendship Match" at the new Nusantara Polo Club. The Indonesians spent a lot of time training in Thailand and were honored to be a part of the 2007 SEA games. The rain near Jakarta officially stopped around 18 June, so the weather is perfect for polo now. Also the Thai gauchos Lucas and Santy are currently working with Nico at Nusantara, and would be happy to see the Thai team in action. |
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 ARGENTINA
DEFEATS INDONESIA AT NUSANTARAOn the 20th of June 2009, the game that everyone had been waiting for - Argentina vs Indonesia National Team. It was a great honor to have Brian Perry, the Chairman of the Kenyan Polo Association, on the field Umpiring the match, but this did not mitigate the pain felt on the field as the Argentinean team showed the Indonesians how to play polo. Indonesia  was
given a 6 goal lead on handicap. The final score was 12-7 over 4 chukkas. This is further to Coach Nico Curto's Philosophy of kicking his team
as hard as he can all the time, so that they are ready for the SEA games in
2011 which is being hosted by Indonesia. Gauchos Lucas Lujan and brother
Santiago have now joined Nico at Nusantara for one month to work with the
Indonesian team. We have outstanding photos by Paisana Daninya below. |
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MID
JULY 2009 -- MONGOLIA POLO TOURNAMENT Chris is organizing a polo tournament at his camp North of Karokorim(?), Mongolia (about 6 hours West of Ulaan Baatar). More details will follow as we have them. |
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NEW
MANAGER AT THAI POLO & EQUESTRIAN CLUB Khun Nara ("Om") is the new manager at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. If you want to contact him, you can call 0850436272 -- cha_om@hotmail.com |
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GAUCHO EXPEDITIONS Polo Escape Gaucho Churo is going on a Camel Expedition this 12 July to Italy and UK. In UK, he will be meeting with his cousin Major Hugh Dawnay the author of "Polo Vision." Churo will bring back an expedition report when he returns in the end of October and hopefully a current photo of Hugh. The gaucho Facundo conducted a "solo expedition" to Cambodia on 17 June to visit the temples of Angkor Wat. Facundo captained the Argentina Team in the Establos Cup at SPP this year and many of you know that he is a fluent speaker of the English Language. We will bring an expedition report as soon as Facundo returns from Cambodia. Gauchos Lucas and Santy are currently in Indonesia getting ready for the Argentina vs Indonesia tournament. They will return to Argentina in early August after 11 months of hard gaucho work in Asia. Gaucho Nicolas Pieroni is back in Argentina training hard with Paisano Polo Team for the July season. Daniel has recently has a serious colic case at the Pattaya Polo Club and was working overtime to solve the problem. He hosted some of the gauchos at Estancia Yanez for a steak and they all watched him treat the colic case. Daniel is in urgent need of Yerba mate, and if anyone has it, please contact him. Tomi Lockey has been in Argentina learning to repair polo sticks and plans to open Thailand's first polo stick repair shop this next season. |
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INDONESIA POLO LEAGUE -- ROUND TWO June 2009: Indonesia Polo League Round 2 -- Indonesia beat Nusantara 5-4. Polo heads destroyed La Cinta 8-1. Nico Curto has scored 22 goals. Billy has scored 12. It is looking like a final between Indonesia Team against the Polo Heads. Stay tuned for more details and photos when they emerge. |
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SEP
2009 -- 4 ASIAN TEAMS TO PLAY IN BEIJING, CHINA The Beijing Polo Club is due to open in September. There will be 4 Asian teams invited to play at a 4-6 goal level with at least 3 national players on the team. More news to follow shortly. |
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 ITALY
WINS THE CONSUL GENERAL'S POLO
CUP IN CHINASteve and Rachel Wyatt conducted an extraordinary festivity of polo for local and foreign visitors to Nine Dragons Polo in China from 28-30 May 2009. There were 7 teams on the field with Professional and Beginner players on each team. The purpose of the tournament was to provide the first Handicapping Tournament in China to rank the new Chinese players and also to provide a fun, social, safe learning environment for the new players. The Tournament was won by Italy, with second place going to Germany and Third place to China Shanghai River Stars. Germany led the way by bringing in two very good professionals, then the gates were open and the other teams were able to learn from this experience and also bring in professional players as well. This was a good learning experience for the new Chinese players, and some of the gauchos learned a little bit too - about negotiating before hand. Argentinean photographer Juan Sebastian Lezica was on hand and recorded some incredible images of polo action in China. If you are interested in some photos, please email him -- www.juansebastianlezica.com.ar -- and the really hot news is that Edwin Isit has announced the official opening of his Polo Stick Repair Shop with a new supply of Mallet Heads and Rubber Grips for professional stick repair. Edwin has the first polo stick repair shop in China and is one of only two polo stick repair shops in all of Asia. If you have your stick repaired by Edwin, you will receive a special "EDWIN ISIT POLO STICKS" sticker on your revitalized stick -- www.argentinapolo.com/edwin.html |
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 The
teams that played in the 2009 Consul General's Polo Cup in ChinaItaly Harbour Master - Steve Wyatt, Terramoto Talamoni, Luca Frontini, Gerry Gan. FIRST Germany Mercedes - Ingo & Isabel von Morgenstern, Federico & Jose Potobsky. SECOND China Shanghai Star River - Lucas Lujan, Tom Claytor, Jack Ji, Big Su/Mustang Huo. THIRD Switzerland Chopard - Gene Wang, Jeff Su, Tex Webster, Roland Buser/VIP Guest James Ashton. England Hurun Report - Sam Hamersley, Henry Gill, Dino Asvaintra, Henry "One Shot" Rourke. Holland Heinecken - Stijn Welkers, Nicolas Pieroni, Pablo/Battar, Han Zantingh/Stephen Edkins. China Noblesse - Wayne Glennie, Churo, Brian Xu, David Walton. |
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 CHINA
PIONEERS "POLO PASSPORT"  Following the Consul General Polo Cup Tournament in May 2009, the CPN Handicapping Committee met to award the first polo handicaps ever in the history of polo in China. Everyone was very impressed by the Red Polo Passports issued by CPN (designed by Rachel and Steve). The idea is based on the Scuba Divers Logbook to keep a record of your polo tournaments and your progress with your polo career. As Churchill once said, "there is no greater passport than a polo handicap." Congratulations to CPN for this pioneering achievement which is certainly the first in Asia and may even be the first in the world |
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BRING YOUR HORSES TO CHINA Steve Wyatt has recently suggested that the next stage for development of Polo in China will be for players to import their own horses. Thus far, all of the horses used for polo in China are owned by Nine Dragons polo. Steve will be ordering more horses in the coming month, and he wishes to invite serious polo enthusiasts in China that this is a good opportunity to move to the next level of polo by acquiring your own horse. They say that the horse is 80% of the game, so for the players that wish to really develop and improve their polo, a horse would be a good investment. Steve says that the import procedure for horses to China is complex and restricted, because the horses is listed as agricultural equipment and therefore individual imports are not possible. |
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The main rules are the following: 1. There are only 5 countries in the world that the horses can come from (Australia is one of these, but no where else in Asia and not from USA or South America). 2. An import permit has to be applied for and issued by the government to an officially registered import / export company........the procedure is as complex for 100 horses as it is for 1. 3. The quarantine periods are approx 50 days pre-export from exporting country (with Chinese vet paid to be there) then 45 days in China at an officially recognized quarantine center (registered for horses) - which there are only 2 commercial ones that we know of. 4. The vehicle that brings in the shipment can only have one type of animal and that shipment on that vehicle can only be the horses identified in the one import permit 5. You have to provide the quarantine agency in China with the blood test kits for the horses so that they can do the tests that they require – as they don’t stock the reagents in China Therefore, the way to do it is the following: 1. Basically the individual needs to join in with a shipment / importation that we are making 2. Tell us in advance, they want to join in and how many horses 3. We then apply for the import permit for the whole group – including the ones for the individual 4. Go and buy the horses in Aus ........could be at the same time that we are buying the ones for our shipment 5. We run the whole lot through the pre-export, the shipment, the import ........the quarantine, the customs taxes, the registration 6. They get their horse at the end of the process. Our next import shipment / buying trip will be in July or August, so we need to apply for the import permit soon. If anyone would like to buy a polo horse for their use in China, please let Steve know asap -- steve@ndhpolo.com |
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 SANTIAGO YANEZ
EXPEDITION CUP AT SPP on
09 May 2009, in honor of the new gaucho on the field, the teams at SPP
assembled for
the playing of the Santiago Yanez Cup. The battle between SPP (Lucas,
Pepperoni, Henry, Joy) and Black Dog (Tom, Santy, Tsu, Scott) was ferocious,
but when the dust finally settled, it was an Expedition Cup Victory for
Black Dog 5-3. It must be said that Black Dog controlled the ball for most
of the game with Scott performing some tremendous ride-offs against Lucas
Lujan. Congratulations to
Gustavo Yanez and Maria Power for successful production of the new gaucho. On
Monday, 27 April 2009, at 5pm Argentina Time, Santiago Yanez arrived on the
polo field at 3.66kg and 48cm. We have been waiting a long time for this
gaucho, because if no gaucho, then we were going to have to have the "Barbosa
Cup" -- but we are now very pleased to share this good news. We can
already tell from the photo that Santiago will be a good rider, and he may
also become a member of La Asociacion. We wish to
thank the Director of the League for this excellent photograph. If you want to email
the Cabeza to congratulate him and Maria --
gustavo@argentinapolo.com |
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 UNBRIDLED
PASSION FOR POLOHenry Rourke is a man with little time for details - he would much rather be playing polo. In fact, the only time we could sit him down was after 6 chukkas at SPP. Henry loves polo. He has played in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, England, Malaysia, Thailand and Argentina. He has played the past 3 years in Argentina, and in 2008, he played the Polo Tour with Agustine Merlos (10), Juan Pitaluga (6) and Julian Diaz (who shot from 0-3 goals after that tournament). After eight 16-goal games in 2 weeks, his team made it to the finals and lost by 1 goal to team Villa Real. Henry has played fast polo. He told us that at Club Santa Maria de Lobos it is almost a rule that there is NO TAP AND TURN. "You back it," he says. Henry explains that this makes for a more open game of polo. "All the 8, 9, 10 goalers will tell you this. It is only the 3-4 goalers who take it around." Henry casts a furtive glace around him to make sure none of the SPP gauchos are listening. Guillermo Caset affirms the "Don't tap and turn" philosophy; this is the rule for fast polo, and the other rule is "one shot" - In or Out, go for the goal. Henry continues that in 16 goal polo, if you check, you get run over. "Always take the man. It doesn't matter if you hit the ball, because there will be two more guys behind you. You have done your job." Henry loved the polo tour, and says it was his "Baptism by fire," so to speak. He has been playing polo on and off for ten years, but only serious for the past 3 years. We asked him what polo has taught him about life, and he answered, "Work harder. Either that, or be very creative," he said with a smile. We then asked Henry for his philosophy about life, and he said, "One shot." Then he disappeared to get some more food, on his way back, he continued, "You have an obligation to have a positive outlook on life. It just makes life easier." Anyone who has been on the polo field with Henry quickly realizes that Henry is one of the most optimistic polo players you could ever hope to meet. Win or lose, as long as he is on the field, Henry will be smiling. His favorite shot is the tail, and his favorite player in Thailand is Khun Vichai. Right now, Henry is back at SPP training with Lucas and Pepperoni. He says he wants to work on keeping his stick up. Henry will be traveling with his good friend the polo player, photographer, and artist Juan Sebastian Lezica to China in the end of May to play in the tournament at Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club. If you have any questions for Henry, just remember -- "One shot." |
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 BEGINNERS
POLO CLINIC AT PATTAYA POLO FIELDNicole Grunwell will be available on Saturdays and Sundays to give beginner's riding lessons and beginners polo lessons at the Pattaya Polo Field near Horseshoe Point. The cost is 1,000 Baht per lesson. You must Email Nicole in advance to arrange a lesson and make sure she will be available on that weekend. She will teach your riding and give you some hitting tips on the wooden horse. Nicole is a very experienced rider and loves to teach. The Thailand polo season is coming to a close in May, but Nicole will be available though the off-season to help enthusiasts who want to learn polo, so they will be able to join SPP when the season begins in October. Email Nicole -- Call Nicole -- 0816477501 -- Map to Pattaya Polo Field -- First clinic will begin on the weekend of 22-24 May. |
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NEW SCHEDULE FOR NEXT SEASON -- THAILAND 2009-2010 POLO
SEASON Khun Gung has provided us with some dates for the next season of polo. The SPP dates are fixed. The TPA dates need to be approved and confirmed by TPA. The SPONSORED TOURNAMENTS at SPP are events that a member or company are welcome to sponsor. They can put their name to the tournament and discuss other marketing or fun activities with SPP. We invite Polo Escape and Thai Polo & Equestrian to send us their dates, so that we may put them up here to share with people (if they so desire) -- info@siampolonews.com MAY 01-02MAY09 -- MITAVITE BEGINNERS CUP -- at SPP -- email 03----MAY09 -- KING POWER GOLD CUP -- at VR -- email 09-10MAY09 -- END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT -- at Siam Polo Park -- email OCTOBER ?? OCT09 -- TPA HANDICAP COMMITTEE MEETING -- has assigned TPA handicaps for 2008. Expected revision for 2009-10. NOVEMBER 14-15NOV09 -- SPP OPENING SEASON CUP -- email 28-29NOV09 -- TPA AMBASSADOR'S CUP -- email DECEMBER 17-20DEC09 -- SPP SPONSORED TOURNAMENT (SPONSOR OPPORTUNITY) -- email JANUARY 09-10JAN10 -- TPA POLO LEAGUE 1 -- email 23-30JAN10 -- TPA KING'S CUP -- email FEBRUARY 06-07FEB10 -- TPA POLO LEAGUE 2 -- email 20-21FEB10 -- TPA POLO LEAGUE 3 -- email MARCH 11-14MAR10 -- SPP MAIN SPONSOR TOURNAMENT (SPONSOR OPPORTUNITY) -- email 27-28MAR10 -- TPA POLO LEAGUE 4 -- email APRIL 04----APR10 -- VRSC BIRTHDAY CUP -- email 10-11APR10 -- SPP SONGKRAN CUP -- email 23-25APR10 -- TPA KING POWER GOLD CUP -- email MAY 01-02MAY10 -- SPP BEGINNER CUP -- email Any comments, corrections, additional dates -- email info@siampolonews.com -- thank you. |
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  VISITING POLO ARTIST AT SPPSPP is very honored to have the famous Argentinean wildlife and polo artist visiting for this weekend. JUAN SEBASTIAN LEZICA has been at the club taking photographs for the past several weeks. He works in mixed media. His website -- www.juansebastianlezica.com.ar -- if full of his outstanding works. He is now 42 years old. He was born in Buenos Aires. He started playing polo before age 5, and now he is 2 goals. He lived across the street from Eduardo Moore and his greatest polo teacher was G. Caset who taught him how to strike the ball -- it is better to fight for the ball up there (downfield) than here, he would say. Juan spent 10 years as a fashion photographer in Europe, then turned to polo photography in West Palm Beach in 1998. In 2001, he started to paint his photos. His passion is to take a good action shot, then to combine the realistic with the super-realistic. "I paint the wind and the energy of that moment." Juan has an upcoming exhibition in West Palm in January 2010. Our SPP Member Henry Rourke met Juan in Santa Maria de Lobos where Juan is now working with the polo player/actor Tommy Lee Jones on a photographic book about birds. Henry invited Juan to visit Thaialnd. Juan is a people person, and he loves the kindness, respect, culture and food of Thailand. "I am going to do something here," he says, so we can all look forward to some more exciting polo work from Juan in the near future. UPDATE -- Juan Sebastian has shared with us some of his excellent photographs of polo action in Thailand -- we will be sharing these with you shortly. RIGHT HERE. |
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 23&30
MAY 2009
-- MONGONIAN ARTIST -- PRESERVE THAI PONIESFamous Thailand horse and polo vet Dr Siraya has shared with us a very exciting venue for horse and art lovers -- Dear All, I would like to invite you to join me at two charity events on May 23rd and May 30th at the Ariyasom Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 1, Bangkok, Thailand to preserve a national heritage - the Thai ponies and their possible linkage to Mongolian horses. At these events, we will tell you about the fascinating results of our DNA studies. On May 23rd, we will be a wonderful gathering with art, wine, and a spectacular show from Patravadi theatre. A closing event will be held on May 30th with Mongolian music. At both events, you will have a chance to meet the internationally renowned Mongolian artist, BAYAR. Those who wish to buy BAYAR's paintings can do so during the auction. For more information: Contact Dr. Siraya Chunekamrai 089-1699840 c_siraya@hotmail.com Khun Sitala Watanakaset 081-8252520 sitala.toom@hotmail.com Khun Ladawal 081-6437729 ladalwal@ariyasom.com Mr. Brad Gordon 081-4027474 gowatersky@gmail.com or websites: www.lampangponywelfare.com and www.teonamfahgallery.com To purchase tickets: Make a donation of 1500 baht per ticket to the Lampang Pony Welfare Foundation Kasikorn Bank, Sukhumvit 101 Branch, Savings account# 035-2-03122-6 and fax your pay-in slip to LPWF at 02-7426621 or send details of your payment to Khun Sitala Watanakasetr 081-8252520 sitala.toom@hotmail.com Tickets will be mailed to you or alternatively you can also show your pay-in slip (to exchange for a ticket) at the event entrance. Please indicate which night you will attend: May 23 or May 30. The Lampang ponies will be most grateful if you can forward this to your interested friends. |
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 ITALIAN
POLO PLAYER MARCO ELSER VISITS SPPMarco Elser from the Roma Polo Club in Italy kindly visited SPP after Khun Sattar from Singapore Polo directed him here. He watched some polo and ate some steaks with us and shared polo activities in Italy with us. Later he wrote to Khun Daniel and Khun Dang to thank them for the visit. "It was a pleasure having met you and having chatted about polo at your spectacular club! As I mentioned to you, we too have a place here in Rome www.acquedottoromanopoloclub.it which is 25 minutes from either airport of Rome (FCO and CIA). My brother Max and I would like to invite Kun Vichai and his two boys to come and play a few games here the next time they come to Italy. Our season is from April to October. we have other 30 ponies and usually play 6-8 goal polo. I am also on the Board of the Roma Polo Club (the oldest club in Italy) which is in the centre of town (similar to Singapore Polo Club). We have two fields there. My brother and I have over 30 ponies and would gladly mount an entire 4 man team from Thailand! Please feel free to call me at the numbers below or drop me an e-mail! Best wishes! |
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 INTERVIEW
WITH TOMI LOCKEY -- POLO FARRIERSome time ago, we caught up with Tomi Lockey to learn a little bit about the life of a Farrier in Asia. Tomi is 32 years old. He was born in Buenos Aires. In 2000, he took a 4 day Farrier course -- Curso de Herrado -- in the Hipodromo de Palermo with Pedro Pechar. Pedro is one of the top 3 Farriers in Argentina and is highly respected for his work. Tomi was able to work with him for more than a year. He then spent 3 months in Lamar, Missouri working on his Course Intensive Certificate at the Heartland Horseshoeing School. What Tomi learned from Pedro is that it is very important in Farrier work to take every horse individually and to keep it simple. With any horse, the foot is divided into 4 parts (2 heel and 2 shoulder). Each of these parts should bear the same weight. Therefore, when you trim the horse's foot, you trim where it is too long to achieve the balance on each foot. This allows the horse to maintain the balance of 60% of its weight on the front legs and 40% on the back legs. When you maintain this balance with the horse, then every muscle and every joint works as it should, and this results in less injury. Tomi has now worked in USA, Argentina, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Malaysia and Philippines. He loves teaching, and he now has several apprentices working at different clubs and he hopes to do more teaching in the future, so that 50% of his time can be devoted to passing on the trade. Tomi estimates that he shoes about 150-200 horses per month during the 6 month season. He enjoys to be free with his time and devotes a lot of time to his family. He now has 2 sons and 1 more coming. Tomi first came to Asia because Singapore Polo Club was buying horses from Pilar, and Sattar, the Singapore Club Manager, said he needed a farrier at the club for two years. Tomi finds himself welcome at every club. His philosophy is to go and do the work he needs to do, and then to go home to his family. He has been playing polo now for one year. His handicap is 0, and he loves it. Tomi will always make time to play polo, even if he then has to work like a dog for two days to catch up. He was first invited to play by Marco at Siam Polo Park last year, and his first challenge was how to keep safe on the field. He goes to tournaments and watches every match and listens and tries to get every small thing he can without bothering anyone. His favorite player to watch is Federico Potobsky. He is aggressive, but clear, with good positioning and marking. "Try not to waste the horse," he says. Anticipation is very important. Don't chase the ball. "Be the first on the next play, not the last on every play." Tomi's passion for Farrier work came the first time he saw the two Farriers Pedro Pechar and Emilio Ezcurra working in an Embryo Transplant Lab in Lincoln, Buenos Aires. They came to shoe 2 very important stallions with chronic laminitis. One of the horses went from being prostrate to trotting in two hours. Tomi wanted to watch. They were both very open to him, and afterwards, Pedro invited him to join his 4 day course for free. Tomi says, that if you want to go all the way, this is the school. The most important thing for the Farrier is to work with a horse's conformation. Every horse does not have ideal confirmation. You need to have an eye. If the horse is low on the heel conformation, it will get worse. The Farrier has to reverse this. Trim the toe to correct this to normal, but never over correct. This allows the horse to work with this confirmation problem. Don't try to correct it. If it is not straight, don't try to make it straight. Many Farriers try to do this, and it is not the good way. The shoe should copy the shape of the hoof in the wild, because the horse's hoof will take the shape of the shoe. The Breakover and Landing are dictated by the shoe, so the shoe can be your "best friend or worst enemy." Tomi says that the horse has 5 hearts -- the 4 frogs on the bottom of each foot assist with circulation and help supply Oxygen to the horse. Each frog is a pump. Tomi says it is a myth that the hoof face must be 55* angle to the ground. The 3 Pastern bones from Fetlock to ground should be straight line, so the horse is standing square. If the hoof face is 45*, you can support the heel. If the hoof face is 55*, you can support the toe. Tomi has enjoyed designing some Farrier gear to make his work easier. He has a TOOL BAG which is an emergency kit to pull a shoe if needed. A horse can play with 3 shoes, and with this kit, he can travel anywhere and be ready. He has also designed the LOCKEY CHAPS for working with horses. These protect you from the nail and hoof. They are made of double leather on the knees, but also are cool for working in hot countries. Chaps are important for a Farrier's work, because we work against the joints, and the joints are hard. The chaps have pockets on each side for hoof knife and loop knife with a clip on belt and velcro strap. Tomi stresses if you give a horse balance (a good base), the horse will take care of a healthy foot. If you have any questions for Tomi -- tomi@argentinapolo.com |
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 BRIAN
PERRY WILL VISIT THAILAND & INDONESIABrian Perry, the Chairman of the Kenya Polo Association, will be coming to visit Thailand in the end of May. He will have a free day on the 30th to hopefully visit some of Thailand's polo clubs. On the 31st, he will be flying to Indonesia and spending three weeks working there. Brian was a contributing author to the Coffee Table Book "Great Polo Clubs of the World" in which he wrote the chapter on Nairobi Polo Club. He was promised a copy of the book upon its completion, and he will be quite keen to see if he can receive his copy while he is here. Pictured here, is a 1993 photo from the famous Kenyan "Mugs Mug" polo tournament at 7,000' elevation on the North slope of Mount Kenya. Brian was playing with one of the current members of Siam Polo Park (seen wearing "Bata Boots" in the photo) and reminded us what a small polo world we live in and also of the team's courageous Third place finish. We look forward to welcoming Brian to Thailand. |
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 MITAVITE
BEGINNERS CUP AT SPPThe Muktahan "Monsters" won the Mitavite Beginners  Cup at SPP on the weekend
of 1-2 May 2009. Second place went to Commander Un's Chiangmai Polo Club
team with third place to the SPP "Aliens." It was a great two days of polo
with professionals assisting the beginners. One of the highlights was Khun
M's first polo match and first goal all in one. He drilled the ball towards
goal, and Khun Top sat and patiently waited for the ball to go into the goal
while blocking Khun Tsu from the ball. We are very grateful to Mitavite, our
proud sponsor. We want to thank Chiangmai Team for coming down with
special performances from Khun Un, Khun Robert and Khun M. Thank you also to
Oliver who came all the way from Beijing and to Henry Rourke for his
cheerful enthusiasm and polo friendship. For beginners in search of
advice and polo tips, we suggest --
www.pologringo.com
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 VRSC
WINS KING POWER GOLD CUPOn 03 May 2009, the greatest show of "Mas Caballero En La Cancha" ever in the history of the game was exhibited by Nicolas Pieroni during the King Power Gold Cup. It was the final between King Power and VRSC and VRSC was winning by one goal with 3 minutes to play. The ball was thrown in, and Pepperoni took the ball all the way down field and scored a beautiful goal in his own team's goal. This increased the VRSC lead to 2 goals and secured the victory for VRSC. Khun Tal said that without any question, the Medal for the most Gentleman Player on the field should go to Nicolas Pieroni. The Most Improved player went to Khun Un from Chiangmai Polo Team for a great performance on the field for VRSC. Then Khun Top and Khun Tom awarded a very new and special award to Khun Santy -- the Mas Peligroso En La Cancha Award -- for the most dangerous player. Khun Top and Khun Tom have received a combined 19 stitches from Khun Santy in three separate strikings-of-the-head by Santy's mallet. |
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9-10
MAY 2009 -- INDONESIA NATIONAL CUP TOURNAMENT Cancelled -- due to rain. Instead, Nico Curto is celebrating his 21st Birthday this Saturday with Wan and Diego. Compleanos Nico. |
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18-22 MAR 2009 -- THAILAND WINS 66th
FIP AMBASSADOR'S CUP IN SYDNEY AUSTRALIA Khun Robin reports: The Ambassadors Cup was created by the Federation of International Polo 20 years ago to develop International polo friendships between all the members of the National Associations. The week long event was held first at Millamolong Polo Club hostel. Mr. James Ashton followed by Mr. Sam Ballas at Folly Lodge. The special Aussie hospitality was unforgettable and immensely enjoyed by all 6 participating teams from Australia, America, Canada, Iran, Mongolia and Thailand. MIllamolong Polo Club – Madurama. Millamolong is a 9000 acre working Australian Sheep and Cattle Station located in the heart of one of Australia’s most scenic farming and wine producing districts near Bathurst NSW. Millamolong has its own boutique winery which has been producing a number of award winning wines. Most importantly, Millamolong breeds some of Australia’s finest polo ponies and its Club hosts polo tournaments for players of all standards. Please see www.millamolong.com for photos, history and more information. Folly Lodge Polo Club – Bowral. Folly Lodge is situated in the beautiful Southern Highlands town of Bowral NSW, a region famous for its magnificent country gardens, estates and wineries, along with the annual tulip festival in spring which attracts international attention. Folly Lodge is located 115 km south-west of Sydney and is nestled in the shadow of Mount Gibraltar. Please find photos attached herewith. Also, please take a look at http://www.bongbongpolo.com.au/galleries/Ambassador_Cup/index.html Team Thailand : James Ashton, Sam Ballas, Robin Lourvanij, Marco Foccaccia. Team Australia : Wal Ashton, Ray Bruce, Chris McCarthy, Marlene MacFarlane. Team America : James Burkitt, Guido Giraldi, George Dill, Suzy Dix. Team Canada : Andrew Ashton, Robert Wilson, Anthony Old, Soodi Ilkhanizadeh. Team Iran : Eugene Marais, Catalin Dix, Hamzeh Ilkhanizadeh, Dick Rodgers. Team Mongolia : Andres Rossi, Roger Fagan, Chirstpher Giercke, Norm MacKay. |
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 INDONESIA LEADS IN INDONESIA POLO LEAGUENico Curto and Prabowo have announced the exciting introduction of the Indonesia Polo League, and on the first weekend of play 25-26 April 2009, the Indonesia team smashed all competition off the board. There were 4 teams in the first weekend of League play (as Nusantara was several men down with Iman sick and Wan suffered a slight injury after a fantastic looking play at high speed and a nice fall). La Cinta was the newest addition to the field, with team manager Di producing some magnificent shirts and J-Lo with his new polo glove. Rajiv had just returned from the Pepperoni polo clinic at SPP and he played the best defensive polo that anyone could have imagined. However, there was no defense that could stop the Indonesia team. Acep and Billy were hitting very well. Hari was calling plays and Novel was playing like a Nico Curto. They were great games to watch. Polo Heads had some new polo shirts and team manager Winda was on the side lines to cheer on DJ. However, the Polo Heads seemed to have lost their heads as Nico Curto was trying to get the team motivated, but they were a little scattered. Howard and Wan had some good hits, but they were not able to keep up with the Curto. The Black Dog team with 2 girls on the team was on fire as they showed the team  of
love (La Cinta) how to play polo. Daninya was in fine form and the gaucho
Diego was helping Curto to put the ball down field. Pepin led several
charges down field for La Cinta, but unable to convert on 3 attempts, La
Cinta was hurting. It was a great weekend of League Polo and Curto showed up
with his new friend on the sidelines on Sunday -- a film producer. After
that, no one ever saw Curto again. Thanks to Nico and Prabowo for an
excellent weekend of polo. Prabowo's party finished 8th in the recent
elections, but now he has combined with Megawati (who finished third), so
Prabowo is still going strong. We all wish him luck. SCHEDULE FOR APRIL 2009 -- REVISED FRIDAY AT 4 PM. POLO HEADS VS. NUSANTARA umpire novel and pepen (time changed to afternoon due to rain) THE MATCH STARTS 1 - O FOR POLO HEADS SATURDAY AT 4 PM POLO HEADS VS. INDONESIA umpire Tom Claytor and Inen THE MATCH STARTS 1 1/2 - 0 FOR POLO HEADS SUNDAY 9 AM. LA CINTA VS. INDONESIA umpire Wartono and Inen THE MATCH STARTS 1 1/2 - 0 FOR LA CINTA SUNDAY 4 PM. LA CINTA VS. BLACK DOG umpire Inen and Wartono THE MATCH STARTS 1 1/2 - 0 FOR LA CINTA GAME SUMMARY FROM CURTO 12 goals - Nico Curto (3 games) 8 goals - Billy 5 goals - Harry, Novel 2 goals - Glendy, Acep 1 goal - Howard chu, Wan zainal, Agus gombong, Inen, Pepen, Tom Claytor MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Jhoan Louis ( J-LO playing for La Cinta ) MOST CABALLERO EN LA CANCHA: Tom Claytor ( playing for La Cinta ) WE STILL HAVE 2 MORE ROUNDS. LET SEE WHAT HAPPENS |
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 KHUN
VICHAI CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY CUPVRSC Polo held the annual Khun Vichai Birthday Cup 2009 on 04 April. There were 3 teams on the field for the event. King Power - Tsu, Daniel, Lucas, Eric VR - Khun Vichai, Khun Top, Khun Tal, Gustavio SPP - Ploy, Noo, Nicolas, Santy Eric was playing in blistering form as he combined his defensive tactics with Khun Daniel and Lucas. Tsu was like a lightning bolt streaking across the field. Khun Santy and Pepperoni played like Paisano passing the ball back and forth. However, it was the juggernaut destructive force of Khun Tal teaming up with the soon-to-be-a-father again Cabeza Grande and Khun Top that won the day. The scores of the event were as follows: KP Vs SPP 3 – 4 ˝ SPP Vs VRSC 1 ˝ - 4 VRSC Vs KP 2 – 1 VRSC won the Birthday Cup 2009 and Khun Vichai celebrated with his family, friends and gauchos for his birthday. |
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THAILAND BEACH POLO UPDATE At the first TPA polo meeting of the year, Khun Robin suggested a Beach Polo Exhibition held towards the end of the 2009 polo season would be a fun event. TPA members loved the idea and promptly appointed Khun Robin the Chairman of the Beach Polo Committee. Khun Robin has informed us that she is working hard to make this a successful event and due to the political situation, she will plan this event for next season. Polo Escape will be opening again in November. Also Khun Robin will be sending us an update from their very exciting Ambassador's Cup Competition in Australia -- STAY TUNED FOR THIS !!!!! For more information -- polo@poloescape.com |
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 INDONESIA
WINS SONGKRAN CUP AT SPP -- CABEZA GETS THE ICE On 10 & 12 April 2009, The Songkran Cup was played at SPP. There were three
teams assembled on the field. Khun Stijn was visiting from Singapore to
attend the Cabeza Clinic with Hema and Khun Nico brought up Wan and Acep for
an Indonesian Team. VR was led by Cabeza Grande. Lucas was playing a Chukka
Grande. The temperatures always rise around Songkran. But it was on Sunday,
when the unbelievable miracle happened and Cabeza Grande was defeated in the
Songkran Cup and had the honor of receiving the Ice Water treatment. Never
in the history of polo in Thailand has Cabeza received this great honor, and
we are pleased to share this photo to remind him of it for the rest of
his life. The scores (over 6 chukkas): Nunsatra 8 vs SPP 7. SPP 8 vs VRSC
8. Nunsatra 10 vs VRSC 7. The Teams: |
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  FAST
TRACK POLO SCHOOL AT SPPIn March 2009, Professor Pepperoni inaugurated Hema from Singapore into his "fast track polo school." She did 8 stick and ball sessions in the mornings over 9 days, resting only on one Monday. Then, she did a 2-on-2 slow chukka with Khun Robert, another new polo player, and then she went full force joining an 8 goal team of Cabezas and Caballeros to show her stuff. Hema graduated on Day 9 in her last stick & ball session being able to comfortably hit nearside forehands all the way from one end to the other end of the field. Backhands were possible in a slightly slower pace and the first beginnings of the rules of polo had been planted. She is full of confidence and even suggested she wanted to play in the beginners tournament on 1-3 May 2009. Her husband Stijn presented her with a new pair of polo boots and was beaming with pride. Congratulations Hema. |
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ADAMAS TROPHY & KUPPA KUP EXTRAVAGANZA WEEKEND AT POLO ESCAPE On the weekend of 11-12 April, the ADAMAS TROPHY EXHIBITION (12 Goal Professional) was played at Polo Escape. On Sunday, The first KUPPA KUP 8 Goal Edition sponsored by Kuppa was played. There was a Pimms Tent and a BBQ and TAPAS on Sunday. Saturday Asado: THB 2500 per person. Sunday Tapas: THB 1500 per person. Matches started at 16:30. Splendid photos by Hugh. |
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MUKTAHAN DESTROYS ARGENTINA IN THE ESTABLOS CUP AT SPP In the end of March 2009, The Establose Cup was played at SPP. There were 4 chukkas played between the Teams of Muktahan and Argentina. The Muktahan team was captained by Khun Tsu and The Argentina team was led by Facundo "Cambiaso" Pieroni. There were thousands of spectators on the side of the field to support the Muktahan team, but "Cambiaso del Noche" was not disturbed by all this. Many polo fans have been following the progress of "Cambiaso del Noche" on the polo field, and his skills and technique had the Muktahan team severely worried. In fact, Cambiaso was selected to captain the Argentina Team, because just the sight of him on the field is enough to make your blood run cold and all the horses tremble. His cousin Pepperoni filed this in-depth report: "se jugaron 4 chukka, en donde el equipo de muthajan team conformado por tsu, choi, sumchan, ban derroto al equipo de argentina que lo integraba facundo pieroni, rodrigote, daniel, paitoon. 4 chukka en donde el resultado fue de 3 a 2 a favor del equipo local con una actuacion sobresaliente de kun choi." And there you have it, the complete blow-by-blow of the battle between Argentina and Muktahan at SPP. |
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 KING'S
CUP ELEPHANT POLO IN GOLDEN TRIANGLEOn 23-29 March 2009, The King's Cup Elephant Polo sponsored by Ananantara and Audemars Piguet was held in Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai. There were 12 teams in the event. Audemars Piguet defeated SOCO in a exciting final for the Gold, and Mercedes defeated Moet Chandon for the Bronze. Over 50,000 US$ was raised for Elephant Conservation and there were fans and participants from all over the world. Most noticeably this year, was the tremendous support from the Singapore Polo Club with Ang Ban Tong and many polo players from Singapore bringing their skill to the field from Singapore -- 2009 Elephant Polo Article (Jamaica Polo Magazine) -- 5 minute video of 2009 King's Cup Elephant Polo 1 - Audemars Piguet 2 - SOCO International 3 - Mercedes Benz 4 - Moet et Chandon 5 - K Bank Thailand 6 - Price Waterhouse WEPA Legends 7 - The Nellies 8 - IBM Singapore Polo 9 - HSBC Spice Girls 10 - Oakwood Boutique 11 - Anantara 12 - TAT Thailand www.anantaraelephantpolo.com |
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SCHEDULE FOR THAILAND 2008-09 POLO
SEASON The following dates were scheduled during the 18SEP08 TPA meeting at the TPA office in Bangkok and from other sources. OCTOBER 14OCT08 -- TPA HANDICAP COMMITTEE MEETING -- has assigned TPA handicaps for 2008. May be revised in Jan 2009. 18OCT08 -- OPEN POLO SEASON -- at VR Polo Club NOVEMBER 07-09NOV08 -- BEGINNERS CUP (0-2 goal) -- at Siam Polo Park -- Chiangmai beats Muktahan. King Power & Black Dog tie. 15-16NOV08 -- CHALLENGE CUP (4-6 goal) -- at Polo Escape -- won by Adamas. 16-19NOV08 -- OPEN SEASON AMERICAN EXPRESS & LA MARTINA -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 21-22NOV08 -- REGGIE LUDWIG POLO CLINIC -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club (with 4 students from Indonesia) 20-22NOV08 -- AMBASSADOR CUP (4-6 goal) -- at Polo Escape -- email -- won by Adamas. 29-30NOV08 -- BEGINNERS CUP (0-2 goal) polo kids -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- to join -- email DECEMBER 05-07DEC08 -- PLAYERS TOURNAMENT (0-2 goal) -- at Polo Escape (no entry fee) -- submit individually or as a team -- email 05-07DEC08 -- BARCELONA TOUR CUP (3-6 goal) -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 13DEC08 -- LA MARTINA B.GRIMM ANNIVERSARY CUP -- England beat Asia 10-6 at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club 20-21DEC08 -- NO EVENT 27-28DEC08 -- GABRIEL DONOSO CUP -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 27-28DEC08 -- CHRISTMAS CUP -- 4 teams confirmed at Siam Polo Park -- email JANUARY 31-01JAN09 -- NEW YEAR CUP (3-6 goal) -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 03-04JAN09 -- NEW YEARS CUP (2 goal) -- at Polo Escape -- a little in house tournament, everyone welcome -- email 10-11JAN09 -- "WAN DEK" & STIJN HAIRCUT CUP -- VR Polo Club -- email 09-18JAN09 -- THAI POLO OPEN (12-14 goal) -- Mercedes Benz & Credit Swisse -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 24-25JAN09 -- CHINESE NEW YEAR CUP -- at VR Polo Club Followed by Paintball War at the paintball cancha. FEBRUARY 31-01FEB09 -- TRI NATIONS CUP (0 goal) -- at VR polo club // China, England, Thai teams coming -- email 31-01FEB09 -- THAILAND EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION CUP -- at Thai Polo & Equstrian Club -- email 05-07FEB09 -- INTERNATIONAL ALMOST LADIES TOURNAMENT (4-6 goal) -- at Polo Escape -- email 07-08FEB09 -- ENGLAND TOUR CUP -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 13-15FEB09 -- THAI POLO LEAGUE-1 (4-6 goal) -- at Polo Escape -- email 21-22FEB09 -- AUSTRALIAN TOUR CUP -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email MARCH 28-01MAR08 -- EASTER CUP (2-4 goal) -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 06-08MAR09 -- THAI POLO LEAGUE-2 (4-6 goal) -- at Siam Polo Park/VRSC -- email 13-15MAR09 -- THAI POLO LEAGUE-3 (4-6 goal) -- at VR Polo Club -- email 14-15MAR09 -- BEGINNERS CUP -- at Nusantara Polo INDONESIA -- nico@argentinapolo.com 20-22MAR09 -- AMBASSADORS CUP -- at Nusantara Polo INDONESIA -- nico@argentinapolo.com NEW EVENT 21-22MAR09 -- CHINA TOUR CUP (0-2 goal) -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 23-29MAR09 -- KING'S CUP ELEPHANT POLO 2009 -- ANANTARA GOLDEN TRIANGLE -- email 28-29MAR09 -- ADAMAS TROPHY (10 goal) -- at Polo Escape -- email POSTPONED -- POLO-GOLF COMBINATION CUP -- VR Polo Club -- email APRIL 04-05APR09 -- FIRST CHUKKA CUP (0-2 goal) -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 11-12APR09 -- SONGKRAN CUP -- at VR -- (also Khun Vichai's Birthday) -- email 11-12APR09 -- ADAMAS TROPHY & KUPPA KUP -- at Polo Escape -- email 11-12APR09 -- SONGKRAN CUP -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 18-19APR09 -- END OF SEASON MATCH -- at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club -- email 25-26APR09 -- END OF SEASON MATCH -- at Polo Escape -- email MAY 01-02MAY09 -- MITAVITE BEGINNERS CUP -- at SPP -- email 03----MAY09 -- KING POWER GOLD CUP -- at VR -- email 08-10MAY09 -- END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT -- at Siam Polo Park -- email CANCELLED -- BEACH POLO -- on the beach in HUA HIN -- Khun Robin is chairperson of Thai Beach Polo -- to join -- robin@poloescape.com Any comments, corrections, additional dates -- email info@siampolonews.com -- thank you. |
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 NINE
DRAGONS POLO TOUR -- CHINAThe beautiful, but now married, Grace Xu from Nine Dragons has informed us of the CHINA POLO TOUR package now being offered by Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club outside Shanghai, China. We do not know the dates of this tour, but if you have any questions, you can click the image on the left or communicate directly with the beautiful Grace Xu -- gracexu@ndhpolo.com -- 86+13738277927. |
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NUSANTARA POLO SEASON -- INDONESIA Nico Curto has sent us the season schedule for Nusantara in 2009. If anyone is interested in joining any of these tournaments at Nusantara Polo Club, Jagorawi, Jakarta, Indonesia -- nico@argentinapolo.com MARCH 14-15 March -- BEGINNERS CUP 1 (-8 to 0 Indoor handicap) 21-22 March -- AMBASSADORS CUP (6 GOAL) APRIL 10-12 April -- HASIM DJOJOHADIKUSUMO CUP (4 GOAL) 24-26 April -- NUSANTARA LEAGUE round 1 (2 GOAL) MAY 8-10 May -- NATIONAL 0 GOAL CUP (O GOAL) 22-24 -- NUSANTARA LEAGUE round 2 (2 GOAL) JUNE 5-7 June -- NUSANTARA CUP (4 GOAL) 19-21 June -- NUSANTARA LEAGUE final round (2 GOAL) JULY 4-5 July -- BEGINNERS CUP 2 (-8 to 0 Indoor handicap) 17-19 July -- AMBASSADORS 2 (6 GOAL) AUGUST 7-9 August -- MERDEKA CUP (2 GOAL) 18-23 August -- INDONESIAN OPEN (8 GOAL) |
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 ARGENTINA
WINS THE NUSANTARA AMBASSADORS CUP --
INDONESIA
 On 20-22 March, Nusantara Polo Club with Iman Kusumo (Chairman of Indonesian Polo Association) and Nico Curto (Polo Manager of Nusantara Polo Club) organized the Ambassadors Cup. There were 3 teams in the competition. The real battle was between Nigeria (the old guard Nusantara Seniors Team) and the young and upcoming Indonesia Team as SEA GAMES POLO 2011 is fast approaching. Nusantara special polo correspondent Wan provided us with the tournament account. It was a good all-round polo between the teams on the first day, and to the delight of the Patron of Nusantara Polo Prabowo Subianto, the Indonesian Team played exceptional team work to be up against Argentina Polo by 3-2, and Nigeria by 6-2. Argentina Team however was leading the Nigeria Team by 6-2. Although the play was suspend on Sunday due to heavy rain, the crowd was memorised by some fine hidden talent of among the players. Wan Zainal got the ball rolling with a simple tailshot To Love Somedy and Nico continued with a nearside over-the-air openbackshot in a true Argentinina accent singing Eric Clapton Wonderful Tonight. The Argentina Deputy Chief of Mission joined Wan and Curto and told the crowd in Frank Sanantra words how they "Did it sideways". Sunday also saw the reunion of the group trio Lost of the Lobos with Wan, Manu and Curto singing La bamba. But no act is complete without some find Pocho-Pocho by Billy 'The Pocho King' Lumintan, with Curto on the mic. On Monday, The Indonesian Polo Team continued their excellent run to beat the Nigerian Team in the final score of 11-3, and was looking ever so ready to take on the Argentinian. It was a a hard fought match on the final 2 chukkas between Argentina and Indonesia, and the 2 Argentinian playmaker played brilliantly in their positions to ensure that 2009 Ambassador Cup was for them for the taking. The final score was Argentina 5 - Indonesia 3. |
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 VR VICTORY IN THAI POLO LEAGUE 2009 On 13-15 March 2009, VR pushed through to command a complete victory in Thai Polo League 2009. Captain Nicolas "Pepperoni" Pieroni was on the field con "Pasion y Gloria" to carry VR to their first victory of Thai Polo League play. El Campion de La Vida was completely ecstatic over his victory. Khun Top was on form for the final weekend of play in the League. The VR team also took the GOLDEN BALL TROPHY of the League with Santy Lujan as Top Gun scoring the most goals during league play. Furthermore, we just heard from the Director of the League that Khun Tal Raksriaksorn won the "MAS CABALLERO EN LA CANCHA" trophy for the best sportsman on the field of play during the league. This is an absolute polo record with the VR Team winning three trophies and a total of 19 points in League play. The team is now an inspiration to all polo teams in Asia and across the globe from this incredible victory. We are going to try to obtain a Team Photo that can be signed by the members of the team to distribute to all their fans. The Director of the League has also informed us that the trophy for MOST IMPROVED PLAYER in the League went to Stijn Welkers from China and Singapore. Stijn was the #1 gun on the King Power team. Congratulations to all these players for their achievements. The final league placements were VR, KING POWER, HARILELA, POLO ESCAPE, BRUNEI, BLACK DOG. It was a splendid season of League play. We would like to congratulate Black Dog Captain Henry Rourke for leading the beleaguered team to victory in very friendly match play this past weekend. Captain Henry was over the moon after his team's victory, and in fact, it was the only game that Black Dog won during the entire league, so we are all very proud of him. We would also like to congratulate Federico from Polo Escape for his great improvement in sportsmanship on the field -- surely he is striving for the "Mas Caballero En La Cancha" trophy with his continued good sportsmanship on the field. As soon as we get the scores and points from the Director of the League -- we will post them here to share with you. Thank you to Polo Escape, SPP and VRSC for hosting an inspirational season of Thai Polo League polo in 2009. Message from Indonesia: Felicitaciones VR & KP por salir vencedores en la thai polo league. me alegro muchisimo la noticia!!!! nos veremos pronto y cuando quieran. Abrazos, Nico Curto |
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FOUR AWARDS IN THAI POLO LEAGUE 2009 For more information, contact the Director of the League -- gustavo@argentinapolo.com VR POLO TEAM - League Champions (highest points accumulated team) SANTY LUJAN - Golden Ball (top goal scorer) STIJN WELKERS - Most Improved Player TAL RAKSRIAKSORN - Mas Caballero en la Cancha (best sportsman) |
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LEAGUE STANDINGS (not including final weekend of play) |
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 POLO HEADS CLAIM VICTORY AT NUSANTARA BEGINNERS CUP --
INDONESIA
PHOTOS by Rajiv Louis -- http://gallery.me.com/rajivlouis1 -- The Nusantara Polo Club hosted the 2009 Beginners Cup on 14-15 March 2009. The 4 teams played 2 chukkas each day on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Pato Loco was pure inspiration with Daninya scoring 3 goals to command a serious victory over The Guardsmen. The Black Dog and Polo Heads battled it out on the field with neither team scoring a single goal and Polo Heads advancing out of handicap to the final. On the final day, Guardsmen vs Black Dog showed the fans what polo was all about. The Guardsmen played excellent team polo with Wan and Howard leading their team down the field and Harry at back playing like a real Nico Curto. It was a great game, but the Black Dog team was struggling with communications in Indonesian and French. The final between Pato Loco and Polo Heads had everyone on the edge of their seats as they expected great things from Daninya (the top scorer and only Indonesian Lady player) and the Pato Loco team. However, the Polo Heads were on fire. DJ was showing his expertise from countless Regge Ludwig sessions and claiming several fouls for the Polo Heads team advantage. Rajiv was playing like Cambiaso in all corners of the field and Mario was delivering Matadorian backhand tail shots that no one had ever seen before. Captain Acep was simply brilliant leading his team down the field. In the end, all that Pato Loco Captain Novel could do was to execute a complete forward aerial somersault over the head of his horse in the final chukka and yield to the skilled performance of the Polo Heads teams. The Pato Loco team determined that their loss was because they were playing without team patron Daya Zakir on Sunday, so they will have him back on the field for the next tournament. It was a very inspirational weekend of polo, as club manager Nico Curto did not say a word to any of the teams. He said it was their time to try and organize themselves. This following week, he will be coaching the players on tactics that they might have considered and used during the tournament. All players were very grateful to Iman Kusumo (Chairman of Indonesian Polo Association) and Nico Curto (Polo Manager of Nusantara Polo Club) for a tremendous tournament and start of the 2009 season. Nusantara Polo Club became the first polo club in Asia to present the MAS CABALLERO EN LA CANCHA TROPHY to the best sportsman on the field during this tournament, surely this will become a lasting tradition in Asian Polo as the club encourages players to aspire to the highest levels of sportsmanship and gentile behavior on the field. Anyone interested in playing polo in Indonesia, please email Nico -- nico@argentinapolo.com Mobile: +6285882447034 // For any other information, please contact Ana -- ana@nusantara-polo.com Mobile: +628158079790 // • 1 chukka: IDR 500,000 (amount US$50) • Tournament fee per day: IDR 100,000 (amount US$10). |
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6-8
MAR -- THAI
POLO
LEAGUE AT SIAM POLO PARK/VRSC The second weekend of league play at VR Sports Club lived up to all expectations of loyal polo fans. The Black Dog team finally got to play under the capable hand of its new Captain Henry Rourke. They were swiftly defeated by VRSC, but not without a good fight led by Gustavo and Henry and equally matched by Nicolas Pieroni "the best one" and Santy Lujan. China and Vietnamese polo players traveled to Thailand to attend the Gustavo Polo Clinic and to watch the League. On Saturday and Sunday, four excellent polo matches were played between the clubs from VR and from Polo Escape. The most exciting game took place on Saturday between Harilela and VRSC, with Harilela taking an early lead, but VRSC battling back to a 2 goal victory. Several gauchos were injured over the weekend with Gerry Gan taking a fall and Tom hooking Santy's stick with his head on an early morning Saturday chukka. The exciting conclusion to the League will be held this coming weekend and it is rumored that Pengiran Rahim will be bringing a team from Brunei. For more information -- gustavo@argentinapolo.com -- The Director of the League SCHEDULE May 6th 16:00 -- Black Dog vs VRSC -- VRSC WON 6-4 May 7th 16:00 -- King Power vs Polo Escape -- KING POWER WON 6.5-4 17:00 -- Harilela vs VRSC -- VRSC WON 8-6 May 8th 16:00 -- Polo Escape vs VRSC -- VRSC WON 5-3 17:00 -- Harilela vs King Power -- TIE 6-6 |
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 Henry Rourke Captains the Black Dog team -- The Gauchos try modeling Chatchaya's ladies polo hats -- New player Khun Robert |
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 Khun Vichai showing the gauchos how to cook a steak at the "Hornito Asado" -- Khun Tew comes for his first lesson |
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 Vamos Colombiana! -- Camille consoling some Injured Gauchos -- Sean and Dad (Mark) |
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13-15
FEB -- THAI
POLO
LEAGUE AT POLO ESCAPE Thai Polo League is back, and this week has been an exciting exhibition of world class polo in Thailand. The Director of The League has finally showed up and the League is in full swing now. We saw an exciting opening match between Stapleford and King Power with King Power leading 8-1 after 3 chukkas, but Curto turned on the pocho-pocho in the last chukka finishing 4-9. Saturday saw a thrilling match between Harilela and VRSC with Pepperoni, Tal, Santy and Daniel surging to a 5-1 lead in the first chukka. Then the Harilela machine kicked into action with Marco and Agustin piling on goals in the following 3 chukkas to give Harilela a 10-8 victory. The Director of the League was very pleased with the standard of play and he was even more pleased with the free hot dog that was presented to him as he surveyed the game from the sidelines. The  co-commentator was treated to a hot dog as well
and so was the photographer, so all were very content with the game. The
co-director of the league, Khun Ivy, was on hand to remind the Director of
the league that Polo Escape was to begin with a 1/2 handicap advantage and
the Director was very grateful for her kind assistance. The commentator,
Peter, was in very fine form, and all agreed that he is by far the most
improved commentator in Thailand. Khun Suzy was on the sidelines for this
first playing of the League, because Khun Robin will be absent at the next
playing. The Black Dog team was conspicuously absent on this first weekend
(except for the sticker that still remains on the back of the orange Polo
Escape truck). The Director had heard rumors that Black Dog won the New Years
Cup and he was very nervous about meeting the Black Dog team on the field,
so he thought it was better to cancel their appearance. It was no problem
for the Black Dog team because Eric is still injured, Jamie is trying
to fix the world economic situation, and Prince William is selling rubies in
USA and UK. Khun Churo was sighted with a haircut (received 10 days prior),
but no one is sure which gaucho authorized or approved this haircut, so it
may not be official. No one can argue that Churo is long overdue a
"haircut." Also, on Saturday, Daniel gave another speech to
everybody and to
welcome the Director of the League back to Thailand, and on Sunday, the Director was almost
knocked off his horse in a tough battle between King Power and VR.  After the first weekend of play, the King Power and Polo Escape teams are
looking very strong. The Cabellero Trophy contenders who have exhibited the
most sportsmanlike and gentlemanly play thus far are: Nico Curto, Khun Noo,
Gerry Gan, Khun Santy, and the two Collie brothers, but there are two more
weeks of League Play to go and anything can happen. The League was started in 2008 for the benefit of
players in Thailand to improve their stills by organized League tournaments
between teams from the 3 TPA member clubs.
Each club can submit its teams (players names and handicaps) to the
Director of the Thai Polo League --
gustavo@argentinapolo.com. TPA has a beautiful trophy for the winning
team in the League, and also the "Golden Ball Trophy" for top goal scorer in
the league (won by Marco last year). The asado fee is charged per player as
per discretion of the hosting club. At VR and SPP, this fee will be 1,500
Baht per person (alcohol is not included). Each team provides their own
shirts. The League is played at a 4-6 goal level. The winning team is
decided by accumulated points gained over the three weekends of play. SPP/VRSC
has stables for 32 horses (500 Baht/horse/day), and additional stabling can
be organized with Khun Num at GCP -- Tel: 027071535 / 0869888044. Players in
the tournament are invited to donate 1,000 Baht each at the end of the
League to give to all the grooms for their party. The League dates are
below. |
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- 1st round: 13FEB-15FEB
(Polo Escape) - 2nd round: 06MAR-08MAR (SPP) - 3rd round: 13MAR-15MAR (VRSC) |
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THAI POLO LEAGUE 2009 -- 1st week at POLO
ESCAPE SCHEDULE Feb 13th 15:30 -- Polo Escape VS Harilela (Umpire: Gustavo, Curto) -- POLO ESCAPE WON 5.5-4 16:30 -- Stapleford team VS King Power (Umpire: Federico, Pepperoni) -- KING POWER WON 9-4 Feb 14th 15:30 -- VRSC VS Harilela (Umpire: Gustavo, Curto) -- HARILELA WON 10-8 16:30 -- Polo Escape VS Stapleford (Umpire: Gustavo, Lucas) -- POLO ESCAPE WON 7.5-3 Feb 15th 15:30 -- VRSC VS King Power (Umpire: Federico, Lorea) -- VRSC WON 8-6 16:30 -- Harilela VS Stapleford (Umpire: Jose, Lucas) -- HARILELA WON 7-4 POINT SYSTEM Points are cumulative throughout the 3 weekends of the League -- Win: 3 points; Draw: 2 points; Lose: 1 point. UMPIRES and TIME KEEPER to be arranged by TPA. HANDICAPS The players who do not have the TPA Official Handicaps will play with a Temporary Handicap. The Temporary Handicap can be adjusted any time. Submitted by -- Pienlert Thoopphanom (Soul) -- TPA Coordinator -- Tel. 66-2-677-8888 Ext.1203 TEAM MEETING It is requested that there be a Team Meeting 1 hour before the first game on Friday to explain the rules of play (HPA) and whether the 30 and 40 penalties are defendable. The list of Umpires and the Third man should also be presented at this time. Any questions should be submitted to the Director or Coordinator of the League. TEAMS & PLAYERS |
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Polo Escape -
Handicap 5 Susy/Robin Lourvanij (0) Gerry Gan (-2) Jose Von Potobsky (3) Federico Von Potobsky (4) |
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Harilela - Handicap 6 Aron Harilela (0) Joaquin Arrirta (0) Marco Focaccia (2) Augustin Lorea (4) |
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King Power - Handicap 6 Vichai / Noo (0) Stijn (-1) Gustavo (4) Lucas (3) |
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VRSC - Handicap 6 Top (1) Tal (1) Pepperoni (2) Santy (2) |
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Stapleford -
Handicap 6 Shuif (-2) Tom Collie (2) Marcos Collie (2) Nico Curto |
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Black Dog -
Handicap 4 Gustavo (4) Tom (1) Henry (0) Scott (-1) |
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 NUSANTARA
- THAI POLO INVITATIONAL CUP IN INDONESIAOn 07-08 February 2009, The 4 goal Nusantara-Thai Polo Invitational was held at Nusantara Polo Club in Jakarta. It was a very pleasant weekend with many spectators. With three teams competing for the Invitational Cup. Thai Polo defeated Nusantara in the final by one goal. The standings were: Thai Polo (First); Nusantara (Second); Indonesia (Third). However, the Indonesia Team showed tremendous improvement in this test as they tied 5-5 with Nusantara and lost by only 2 to Thai Polo. Congratulations to all the competitors -- Sangat Bagoos! -- and to Manuel Cereceda for receiving the Best Player of the tournament award. NUSANTARA POLO (3 goals) nico curto 4 iman kesumo 0 ardi 0 augus gombong -1 THAI POLO (3 goals) manuel cereceda 3 nat 2 daniel padin 0 howard chu//wan zainal -2 INDONESIA POLO TEAM (-1 goal) billy barsel 0 harrysyafar 0 acep krisnandar 0 gelndy -1 |
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 SINGAPORE "HEADHUNTERS" AT SPPOn 07-08 February 2009, Yeo Kuo Lee (0) captained the "Headhunters" team with Ang Ban Tong (0) against Siam Polo Park in the Thai-Singapore Friendship Match. On Day 1, both teams drew even at 4-4. On Day 2, Yeo Kuo Lee led a determined charge onto the field and defeated Siam Polo Park 6-5. We took some time to interview with Yeo Kuo Lee to catch up on his recent polo activities. INTERVIEW WITH YEO KUO LEE - A FRIEND OF POLO IN THAILAND Yeo Kue Lee is a "Friend of Polo in Thailand." We sat down with him during the Thai-Singapore Friendship match and found out that he has not been sitting around.... In November, Yeo was playing with Jamie Mackay in Australia. Jamie used to be a 7 goal player; his uncle Bob Skene was a 10, and his son Jock, at 4 goals, recently played for Yeo at the Thai Open on his 10 goal team. Yeo finished 3rd overall in the Thai Open out of 8 teams. It was like an old school reunion for him playing with his old schoolmates Asad and Moiz (who is now President of Royal Selangar Polo Club).  Yeo said
that he and his friends have been playing polo since the age of 13-15, and
that he started playing because he loved to draw horses. In December, Yeo
was in New Zealand playing at Clevedon (the Polo Capital of New Zealand)
with Johnny Wade. Johnny used to be a 6 goal player. Yeo was there buying
horses, and he bought 2 which are going to "Leisure Farm" near Johor in
Malaysia. Yeo spent Christmas at Polo Escape and played with his three sons,
who are ages 15, 12 and 10. Aside from Tanamera (the Mazlan Family) in
Malaysia that plays as a family (with Dato Mazlan Harun and his 3 sons and 1
daughter), Yeo and his sons may grow into another polo-family-team in Asia.
Yeo has been very active in Singapore Polo for many years. He was Polo
Captain for 2 years and Committee Member for 12 years. Yeo thinks that polo
in Thailand has come a long way, and as he writes to his good friend in
Malaysia - "personalities and politics aside, it is a game that combines the
greatest skill in horsemanship with raw horse power, and the tactics of a
chess master. We are indeed very blessed to be a part of this proud
tradition and camaraderie." Yeo has had many teachers. He credits Bob Skene
for his wisdom, "I have learned from so many and I'm still learning." Bob
Skene is well known for the elliptical "Skene Mallet Head" which allows for
the mallet to get under the ball and create more lift. Yeo's other great
teacher was Edward Moor -- a 10 goal player -- who changed the game of polo
in Argentina. He was almost selfish with the ball; excellent stickwork, and
you just couldn't take the ball from him. This is the art of ball control.
Yeo shared with us that Singapore Polo Club now is installing a drainage
system in their field. They have 2 dozen young members (half locals and half
foreigners). His favorite shot is the offside backhand, but he broke his
back in 96 or 97 when a horse reared up, so he was down for 6 months. "Polo
is like walking to me, so I swam for 6 months, so I could play again." Yeo
is now enjoying teaching his 3 sons about polo -- "Horsemanship" is balance;
get off the mouth; use your seat and legs. "Swing" is about follow through.
"Strategy" is thinking where the game is going, not where it has been. Yeo
has now played at all 4 polo clubs in Thailand and even the old SPP club
where he won the Ambassador Cup several years ago. He has finished second in
the King's Cup and third in the Thai Open. It has been a fantastic polo
experience for him playing in Thailand. He loves the hospitality and the
season dovetails nicely with Malaysia and Singapore. He liked playing with
Top and Tal recenly and complimented SPP on the good sportsmanship, the very
fair umpiring and the friendly play. Yeo thinks the Argentineans play very
well and tactical and his teammate Ang Ban Tong was their "top scorer."
Yeo's secret is to eat a banana before going onto the field. The Potassium
"relaxes you" and gives you energy. Thank you Yeo Kuo Lee --
cklyeo@singnet.com.sg |
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 KUPPA
WINS INTERNATIONAL LADIES TOURNAMENT AT POLO ESCAPEOn 05-07 February 2009, The International Ladies Tournament was held at Polo Escape. Day 1 with PE Blue leading; Kuppa second; PE Yellow in Third place. Day 2 with PE Blue 5 vs Kuppa 4; PE Blue 6 vs PE Yellow 4. Kuppa 8 vs PE Yellow 3. Day 3 Kuppa blazes forward and wins the International Ladies Tournament. Photographer Hugh on the scene. Visitors were welcome and drinks, snacks and Pims with coffee and Hot Dogs enjoyed by all. Thursday, Feb 5th: - 14:30 pm: Teams meeting, (draw, handicap, rules & regulations) teams must assist, at the Polo Shop. - Match 1 at 3:30 pm - Welcome Tapas from 6:30 pm till late Friday, Feb 6th: - Cooking School by Chef Dan Ivaries from the famous Bed Supper club and Long Table at 10:30 am (sold out) - Match 2 at 3:30 pm - Special set dinner by Chef Dan from 7:00pm (sold out) Saturday, Feb 7th: - The Finals at 3:30 pm - The Finals Trophy presentation 6:30 pm - Asado Party & "Flamingo" Guitar. The ladies will be ably supported by the Polo Escape Professionals (dressed appropriately), which is going to make for fast and exciting Polo action. www.poloescape.com/News%20and%20Events.html |
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 CHINA
WINS THE TRI-NATIONS CUP AT SIAM POLO PARKOn the 31st Jan and 1st Feb 2009, the first ever Tri-Nations Polo Cup was played at Siam Polo Park. Captain Jamie Woodward led his English team onto the field and played brilliantly against Captain Un's Thailand team. Gerry Gan flew all the way in from Shanghai with teammate Luca a week early, so the China team could practice their tactics at Polo Escape. Their practice sessions paid off, because the China polo team was on fire. After Saturday, China was leading by one goal over Thailand, but Thailand was beating England  by one. On Sunday, England put the mallet to the ball and tied the
game with Thailand 7-7. However, China used a Jean Wang "Dzo Ba!" tactic and
defeated England 6-3. It was Thailand's last chance to put China out of
action. Down by one, Thailand evened the score with Khun Un and Pepperoni
firing relentlessly. Lucas asserted that he just wanted to play a friendly
game, because his back hurt. But it was Gerry Gan in a true
John-Wong-style-charge who put China's winning goal on the board with a 6-5
victory over Thailand. The brilliant Three Horses Tri-Nations Cup was
awarded to China by Khun Un's father. Thailand finished second and England
in a close third. Jamie will be back, now that he is warmed up, for the Thai
Polo League. After the polo on both days, the "Hornito Asado" was in
full production cooking steaks on the side of the field. Khun Daniel did an
outstanding job organizing this tournament and everyone was very happy with
the polo, the horses, and the asado. Khun Un was updating us on the progress
of his Chiangmai Polo Club and the progress with the Thai Army Polo team.
Luca has signed up for a polo expedition across Vietnam by motorcycle with
gauchos Stan, Tom and Eric. Gerry will be back to play in The League and he
has also promised to organize a China Cup tournament at SPP where they will
bring in their new China Team shirts and bring in a custom-designed China
Cup to hold at SPP. We also would like to thank Tomi Lockey for granting us
on an interview on the work of the Farrier and we will bring this
fascinating subject to you soon. |
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| Results: England-Thailand: 7-7. China-England: 6-3. China-Thailand: 6-5. Winner: China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CHINESE NEW YEAR CUP A sudden tournament was organized at SPP on 24 &25 January 2009 over Chinese New Year. Stijn flew in with his new haircut. Tal joined on the Saturday and then Sunday Stijn's team dressed in Black Dog shirts (Pepperoni, Stijn, Santi, Paitoon) defeated SPP 8-7 over 5 chukkas. Following the polo on Saturday, there was another paintball war. This time there was a team of bachelors (Santi, Tom, Daniel) versus a team of couples (Pepperoni & Flaca, Stijn & Hema). The first chukka lasted only minutes as the bachelors took out Stijn and Pepperoni and then slaughtered the two girls to capture la coca. However, their over confidence soon took its toll, as the second chukka, Tom and Santi ran out of bullets and Pepperoni took the coca. The last Chukka was almost time expired, but the couples won. OTHER NEWS: Khun Daniel is just back from Chiang Mai where he was attending a conference for all the equine vets in Thailand to perfect and share techniques about the proper use of ultrasound for treating horse injuries. Khun Daniel was the only gaucho to attend the conference, but he was very pleased to be there and he said that he learned very much from the French professor who flew in for the training. Daniel also went to visit the Elephant hospital in Lampang and he did not find any techniques at the elephant hospital that related to treatment of the polo horses, but he enjoyed the visit. There is now a rumor that Cabeza Grande may be coming on 01 Feb or 06 Feb, but we do not know... The Bach-a-mann was sighted on Koh Samet with Pepperoni recently and all was peaceful. Eric Barthe is still in Obamaland and his leg still hurts, but he is missing the polo field and now that Obama has been inaugurated, he wants to get back on the field soon. Nico Curto is now back in Indonesia and getting everything ready for his participation in Thai Polo League. |
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 "WAN DEK" & STIJN HAIRCUT CUPWan Dek is Children's Day in Thailand. It is one of the most entertaining holidays of the entire year, because everyone takes time out for their children and takes them to fun events. SPP hosted the "Wan Dek" Cup on 10 Jan 2009 with SPP member Stijn visiting from Singapore. Stijn was recently married to Hema, and the gauchos generally give a haircut to those who get married or change a horse. It was Stijn's turn -- especially after Hema previously politely requested an extension until after the wedding. Many new polo students were at the club to get a lesson from Professor Pepperoni and we saw Mike on a horse for the first time. Stijn's SPP team won on Saturday, and then on Sunday drew even. Following the Sunday game, all members, gauchos, and new students gathered around as Hema was honored to make the first cut on Stijn. Everyone followed and Stijn was the most patient and polite haircut recipient we have ever seen. Following the haircut, Khun Tal presented Stijn with his SPP Temporary Membership card and everyone proceeded to the VR field to watch 4 more chukkas of polo and then a delicious asado "on the field" with the new SPP "Hornito." It was a great weekend of polo and fun. We look forward to seeing our new polo students Dave, Terry and Mike again soon. |
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BRDB-ELEVATION
WINS THE THAI OPEN 09 Jan 2009 was the start of the Thai Open at Thai Polo Club. This year, there were 7 teams competing -- Lasarita, BRDB-Elevation, Bungaraya, Royal Pahang, Carnoustie Lions, Thai Polo, Chimpfunsi, and Headhunters. Matches were held every other day starting on Friday 09Jan, Sunday 11Jan, Tuesday 13Jan, Thursday 15Jan, with the final on Saturday 17Jan. Marco from Polo Escape was playing for Head Hunters Team: Yeo Kuo Lee 0, Sattar Khan 4, Jock Mackay 4, Marco Focaccia 2. They played on 4:30pm Friday and they won 11-3.5. The Pattaya Mail reported that "The BRDB-Elevation polo team cantered away with the winners' trophy in the Mercedes-Benz-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open 2009, which was played to a conclusion last Saturday, January 17 at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. The tournament, for H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sririndhorn Cup, was organized by Harald Link, Managing Director of B.Grimm Company, and began on January 9 with eight international battling it out with mallet, ball and horse to see who could claim bragging rights for the year. Last Saturday saw the final showdown as the BRDB-Elevation team (handicap 9) faced off against the Malaysian open champion La Sarita team (handicap 10) in the concluding match. BRDB-Elevation were led by their captain Satinder Garcha and included experienced players such as 2008 champion Dato Mohamed Moiz, Shaik Reismann and Edham Shaharuddin. La Sarita, for their part, could boast star riders such as Quzier Ambak and Argentinians Diego Uranga and Gaston Otamendi in their ranks, under the stewardship of their captain Asad Jumabhoy. Hundreds of spectators turned up to enjoy this year's event. The final was a closely contested affair with some great polo and fine horsemanship shown by both teams. Eventually BRDB were able to squeeze ahead and win by the narrowest of margins with a scoreline of 6˝ - 6. The cup was presented to the winners by H.R.H. Prince Abdullah of Malaysia and Privy Councilor Palakorn Suwarnarat. Harald Link was very pleased with this year's event, saying that, 'we have held this competition for six years and this is the third being held at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club which attracted more and more attention from the public. Hundreds of guests came this year to the tournament which was free of charge for everyone to have a great time. We are hoping to have more world class polo competitions like this in the future and that one day it will be widely accepted by the Thais and a Thai national team may be introduced. The profit of this event will go to the Chitlada School,' he said. A high-society cocktail party with live music from the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and shooting fireworks followed the matches, to once again bring down a colorful curtain on this fabulous yearly event presented to the winners by H.R.H. Prince Abdullah of Malaysia and Privy Councilor Palakorn Suwarnarat." Aron hosted a tremendous -5* Supperclub party after the Open and all the gauchos were able to watch chukkas between Pakistan and Australia late in the evening outside the supperclub. Aron said that Pakistan definitely won the chukkas, but India took some accidental hits.... |
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 PAINTBALL
OPEN -- THAILAND VS ARGENTINAIt was all out war between Thailand and Argentina on the evening of 06 Jan 2009 at the first ever Paintball Polo Competition organized by Khun Ploy. The rules were "Jugando por la coca" as a Coke bottle was placed at either end of the field. Khun Ploy captained the Thailand team and Flaca captained the Argentina team. Argentina took the first chukka by pure stealth as they sat in their defensive position and sacrificed their vet Khun Daniel on a side flank maneuver. Khun Dang was shot by Lucas directly between the eyes with Khun Gung and Khun Kirk left in shock. Pepperoni and Facundo were also shot and Khun Soul and Ploy were left to defend the bottle. Thailand lost the second chukka in the 9th minute as their team players dwindled. It was time for a change in tactics as face masks fogged up quickly, and the Thailand team adjusted to the Argentine tactics. Led by the legacy of the great Prajow Taksin, Thailand led a "toop mau kow" charge and won the third chukka to bring the score 2-1. It the final chukka, two members retired from each team, so it was a lean and mean four against four. Argentina did not alter their tactics, they sacrificed Daniel down the right flank, then Thailand led a charge down the left flank for the coca. There was some controversy, as the Argentine team claimed that a foul had been committed and that they had shot the number 1 player. However, the third man proclaimed that there was no foul, and the paintball open finished at a 2-2 draw. It was a very good Birthday partido for Khun Daniel. This weekend Daniel will go to Chiangmai to visit all the vet students who were previously at VR. We will bring more details on this later. |
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 PROFESSOR
PEPPERONI ON THE FIELDHenry Hatton is 16 years old from Dublin, Ireland. He has been visiting his grandparents in Hua Hin. He is a -2 goal player and has played at Waterford, Ireland for one month. He contacted Professor Pepperoni at SPP to take some polo lessons during his visit. This meant, that he had to wake up at 4am and travel from Hua Hin to SPP, and start at 7am. He took three lessons with Professor Pepperoni, and he was very pleased with his lessons. We asked him what he learned from the professor and he told us that he learned to "squeeze with the knees" and "keep your head over the ball." He said that professor Pepperoni's English was very good, and that he told him many times -- "very good." Professor Pepperoni also told him "you go to push" and "concentrate" and he also asked him many times, "are you tired?" Henry said that polo in Ireland is mostly muddy, because they get a lot of rain there. They have half a dozen clubs in Ireland. He appreciated learning from his polo professor about the ride off, hooking, and hitting nearside. Henry looks forward to coming back again soon for another lesson with Professor Pepperoni -- choh@hotmail.com |
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 CAMILLE
AND JOHN WONG LEAD SPP TO NEW YEARS CUP VICTORY AT POLO ESCAPEOn the 3rd and 4th of January 2009, the earth trembled at Polo Escape. The four teams of Kuppa, Polo Escape, Adamas and Siam Polo Park competed in the 2 goal New Years Cup tournament, and no one had any idea what lay ahead. The first day, saw a very close victory for Kuppa over Adamas 8-7 with Paul Cheung scoring two beautiful goals, and Siam Polo Park defeating Polo Escape 5-1. The finals on Sunday, left everyone on the edge of their seats as the first game for 3rd and 4th place between Adamas and Polo Escape was a 3-3 draw. Then when Siam Polo Park took the field with Kuppa, everyone was expecting Aron Harilela and Federico to tear up the field, but they were in for a great surprise, because Eric Barthe had led the SPP players and vet Facundo on an expedition the previous night to El Molino Abierto, and they were all in very fine form the next day. Lucas missed three 60 yard penalties in a row and another shot in front of goal. Tom missed two shots in front of goal. Eric nearly had his leg broken by Federico's under-the-neck shot, but it was a flash of lightning at the far end of the field with three seconds left on the clock in the last chukka that brought SPP even and then to victory due to goal difference. The flash of lightning was none other than the legendary marathon umpire from China and 13 year committee member of Singapore Polo Club -- Mr. John Wong. John (and especially his wife) thought that he had retired from polo 5 years ago, but he kindly and quietly agreed to assist SPP for  a
couple of chukkas with Camille Fuller. Tommie Lockey also was recruited at
the last minute on both days to help SPP, and they all played brilliantly.
Each of these players scored a goal for the SPP team, but it was John Wong,
the 55 year old lightning bolt, that reminded everyone that old polo legends never die.
Federico was scoring for Kuppa from all points of the field, and Lucas was
shouting "escucharme" to everyone on his team (but no one on his
team could understand
what he wanted them to "listen to" because they didn't speak
Spanish). Tom stunned all players by backing a beautiful pass from Lucas all
the way back to him, because he saw Manchester United do this on TV and
thought it might surprise Federico, who was barreling
down on him. It worked brilliantly, but Lucas was so shocked to see his pass
come back, that he forgot about the line and made a foul. Khun Patpat is in training for the
future CEO position at Polo Escape and played a very solid game for her home
team. Robin and Suzy and all the Polo Escape staff organized a very nice
tournament with excellent communication and a delicious dinner on Saturday.
Khun Dang and Dave Floyd came to manage and coach the SPP team and Peter and Ivy were
on hand to lighten the evening. Thanks to Khun Vichai and Khun Daniel for
their support to bring the SPP team to Polo Escape, and thanks to Jaime
Miranda for returning to the field after too long an absence -- the Gallego
is back. |
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POSTPONED
-- THE COMBINATION CUP One of the most unique polo tournaments played anywhere in the world is the Wan Dek Combination Cup at VR Polo Club. This event brings even the most talented polo players to their knees. The stakes have been increased this year, as a third event has been added -- shooting! Khun Vichai is training furiously for the shooting and golf sections almost everyday. Players form teams and compete for points on the polo field, the golf course, and now the shooting range. The golf is hilarious, as last year Terramoto Santos Anca destroyed the ball and sent it many times into the lake. This is a cup combining all the skill and grace you can master. Stay tuned as there will be a lot of action to update during the Combination Cup. If you want to join -- email TPA -- tpa@siampolonews.com |
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  PAISANO!
-- LA HISTORIA OF PAISANO ANDRADAWe are researching the history of one of polo's most colorful characters -- Manuel Andrada El Paisano. At first, he wasn't allowed to play polo. Then he could play, but with no stick. He was told to "just take the man." Then one day, they gave him a stick, and in his first game, he scored 12 goals. In 6 years, he went from 0 to 9 goals in Argentina (and 10 in the rest of the world). He won the Argentine Open 6 times on 6 different teams. He won the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. At age 74, he was still playing off 4 goals. Now the Paisano Polo Club has been opened in Rio Cuarto, Argentina. For more information on Paisano Polo Club -- www.paisanopolo.com |
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CONTACTS AT VR SPORTS
CLUB Polo Manager: Gustavo -- mobile: 084-4682735. gustavo@argentinapolo.com Club Manager: Gung -- moblie: 086-9720888. gung@siampolonews.com Post Address: VR Sports Club, 88/1-7 moo9 OnNut-Teparaj Road, Preng, Bangbo, SamutPrakarn 10560 Thailand. Map to VR Sports Club Hotels nearby VR
CONTACTS AT SIAM POLO
PARK (now playing on new field at VR Sports Club)
CONTACTS AT THAI POLO
& EQUESTRIAN CLUB
CONTACTS AT POLO
ESCAPE
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Webpage designed by Tom Claytor
www.claytor.com
12-13
JUN 2010 -- FIRST POLO TOURNAMENT IN KOREA
26
NOVEMBER -- INDONESIAN TEAM ARRIVING
EXPEDITION
REPORT
